Board games have been around for thousands of years, with evidence that ancient civilisations like the ancient Egyptians played them. So what happens when you mix together board games with modern virtual reality (VR) technology? Well, you might end up with something like Rascals.
Developer Ninja Whale Studios is aiming to blend modern videogame technology and design ideas with the classic board game format by not only letting players rolls dice and move pieces, but by also letting them become those pieces in a first-person perspective.
The world of Rascals involves an island adrift in space, with a 10x10x10 square board, which appears to be carved from dark granite. The rascals of the game title are the game pieces, which look like wooden ovals with round heads, floating wooden hands and googly eyes.
Players can roll the dice and score ‘AP’. Accumulated AP can be spent on moving the rascal pieces, drawing a card or even on attempting to sabotage another player. In order the accomplish this sabotage, you take direct control of one of your pieces, moving into first-person.
From this new perspective, the player can then control their rascal piece to shoot, punch or even explode an opponent piece. You can either ‘stun-lock’ an enemy piece, causing them to waste turns, or completely destroy it, resetting them back to the start.
The developers are promising several different game modes, such as Race to the Goal, King of the Hills or Last Man Standing. There will be a variety of cards which can be drawn for different effects and access to various weapons to beat down the enemy.
The developers at Ninja Whale Studios have not confirmed which VR platform Rascals is planned for, or when the release date is likely to be. Further information, including a developer blog can be found on the Ninja Whale website. The announcement trailer is also available to view below.
For future coverage of Rascals and other upcoming new VR projects, keep checking back with VRFocus.
