Today during a GDC Showcase digital event talk, Cloudhead Games CEO Denny Unger revealed that Pistol Whip is getting a new story-based campaign similar to Pistol Whip 2089, except this time it will “revolve around the past” instead.
New Pistol Whip Story Mode
Unfortunately the talk is not publicly available yet, but if you have a GDC Showcase registration it aired today at 9AM PT during the ‘Developer Spotlight’ segment of the “Future of Gaming: Quality and Connection” fireside chat.
Here is what he had to say, the relevant announcement details are bolded:
We have plenty of updates we’re doing to Pistol Whip…but something we’ve always wanted to do is a thing called Labs, it’s a division of Cloudhead that lets us experiment more deeply with VR as a technology.
Back in December 2020 we released our first cinematic campaign and it was called Pistol Whip 2089 and it was set in the future. It had a snappy story mode tying it all together with new weapons, new modifiers, a boss battle, and it was really well-received. We’re working on another one, no surprise there. Again it’s five scenes, new modifiers, new weapons, new bosses, and it takes us into the past. It revolves around the past and it’s gonna be a ‘Wild ride!’ and you can infer whatever you want from that.
We’re also working on ‘concierge’ which is a system that dives really deep into modifiers and making Pistol Whip an even more accessible experience with a ton of different ways to play the game. We have so much more to push into Pistol Whip over the next year, and likely beyond that, that’s one great thing we’re seeing about the VR market in general is that when titles do well they do well for a really long time if they’re well-supported.
It certainly sounds like Pistol Whip isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. At the end, Unger mentioned there are other projects as well that he cannot discuss yet.
Cloudhead Games’ rhythm-shooter Pistol Whip was an excellent virtual reality (VR) title that the studio continued to improve by way of cinematic campaign Pistol Whip 2089. This week is the online Game Developers Conference (GDC) with Cloudhead Games CEO, Denny Unger, taking part in one of the sessions. During which he revealed that another campaign was in development and that it would take place in the past.
Most of Unger’s session focused on how Cloudhead Games had got to where it is today and what the team had learnt – which was interesting in itself – yet it was his teasing mention of what’s to come for Pistol Whip which should get fans excited.
“We’re working on another one, no surprise there,” he smiles. “Again five scenes, new modifiers, new weapons, new bosses. And it takes us into the past. It revolves around the past and it’s gonna be a wild ride [in a cowboy accent] and you can infer whatever you want from that.” Whilst saying “wild ride” Unger also makes a double hand gesture suggesting holding the reins of a horse. Now, this could be a bluff on his part but it certainly seems like Pistol Whip will be heading to the Wild West at some point. No dates on that just yet.
Given Pistol Whip’s striking visual art style with pulsating colours and a tendency towards very geometric shapes, going with this particular theme will certainly create a Wild West like no other. Yet it makes sense, strolling down a dusty street shooting faceless bad guys in doorways and on rooftops easily fits with Pistol Whip’s gameplay.
Expected far sooner after being initially revealed in 2020 is the “Concierge” update. Originally slated to arrive around the same time as the campaign, the update is now expected this Spring. Solid details on what it’ll include haven’t been released, just that it’ll feature an Arcade mode and that modifiers will play an important role.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Pistol Whip and Cloudhead Games’ latest VR advancements, reporting back with further updates.
Pistol Whip 2089 deviated from previous Pistol Whip releases in the sense that it added a “cinematic” campaign mode rather than just individual song tracks like it had before. This mode still features the iconic neon-soaked aesthetic and borrows heavy influence from the likes of Terminator.
The story is delivered via narrated dialog and comic book-style artwork between moments of gameplay. It’s a really good format that we hope to see other non-traditional VR games adopt or iterate on going forward. You can read more about the development process here.
I can tell you that, personally, when I first played the release version of Beat Saber after spending time with Early Access and saw a single player campaign option, my mind immediately hoped for something like this rather than just nodes on a map with objectives.
People probably don’t play games like Pistol Whip for the story, but it certainly does offer something unique and engaging in a way that “just another” music track never could. It would be great to see Cloudhead continue down this path with more structured, narrative content in Pistol Whip if for no reason other than we get to enjoy them flexing their story muscles once again while we wait for updates on The Gallery Episode 3.
Have you tried out Pistol Whip 2089? Do you plan on checking it out now that it’s coming to PSVR? Pistol Whip 2089 is a free update. If you’d like to buy the game itself, it’s available on PSVR, PC VR, and Quest for $24.99.
Pistol Whip’s blend of music and shooting is an addictive experience found nowhere else, hence why it has been so popular. Cloudhead Games went a step further by releasing free DLC campaign Pistol Whip 2089 for PC VR and Quest last year and now PlayStation VR players can get in on the action.
The cinematic campaign is essentially five Pistol Whip ‘scenes’ woven together, with animated cut scenes linking them all together. As such there’s a suitable sci-fi narrative to follow where you play a guy called John Asimov who tries to shut down a plague of killer androids which has overrun an off-world colony.
Pistol Whip 2089 provides players with not only new songs, environments and enemies to destroy but also a new gun to wreak your vengeful carnage. This offers some multi burst goodness so taking down scores of robots becomes even more exhilarating. As for how long it’ll take you: “The entire campaign is a little under thirty minutes in length, which is a few minutes longer than the first Time Crisis, Cloudhead Games notes over on the PlayStation Blog.
Those new songs come from Black Tiger Sex Machine, Draeden, Processor, as well as an exclusive remix from Magic Sword. The studio also answers an important question regarding all the new content: “yes, all of 2089, including scenes and mechanics, will be available in Arcade mode with our next massive update, Concierge.”
Previously described as a ‘game-changing update’, Concierge was revealed during last summer when the studio unveiled its Pistol Whip roadmap. Details of its features have yet to be revealed but its currently stencilled in for a Spring 2021 release.
Everyone who plays Pistol Whip seems to enjoy its rhythm-action gameplay with VRFocussaying in its review: “Pistol Whip is huge amounts of fun even on the easiest difficulty setting, suitable for VR players no matter their skill level.”
As further details regarding the next update appear, VRFocus will let you know.
PistolWhip is a VR rhythm shooter which has made its mark as one of the best and most rated games on Oculus Quest. Almost one year to the month after its launch, the game saw its most ambitious update yet; the Pistol Whip ‘2089’ update packages a slick synthwave soundtrack as a sort of mini-campaign that brings subtle but meaningful tweaks and new challenges to the gameplay. Launched first on PC and Quest, the free Pistol Whip ‘2089’ update is now available on PSVR.
Update (January 26th, 2089): The free Pistol Whip ‘2089’ update is available now on PlayStation VR. The update originally launched on Quest, Oculus PC, and Steam in late November. Our impressions of the update, from the PC version of the game, continue below.
Original Article (November 30th, 2020): Since its release last year Pistol Whip [our review] has seen regular updates bringing new songs and scenes to the game. From its initial 10 tracks, five additional tracks were added in the ‘Reloaded’ series, and another three in the ‘Heartbreaker’ update.
The Pistol Whip ‘2089’ update, available on Quest, Oculus PC, Steam, and PSVR drops five additional levels, bringing the game’s total count to 23.
But ‘2089’ is more than just five new tracks. This time around, they’re presented as a cohesive narrative that plays out from one track to the next—a ‘concept album’, if you will. Further still, ‘2089’ brings remixed gameplay that hits the mark by mixing things up without straying far from the game’s signature gameplay.
‘2089’ drops you into a series of cyberpunk-themed scenes interlinked with short, graphic novel-style cutscenes with great art and well-voiced dialogue from the character you inhabit. There’s no crazy deep story here, but having an underlying narrative to tie everything together sets the stage for the new environments and enemies you’ll encounter.
This is the caliber of the still artwork (by artist Fico Ossio) that makes up the narrative interludes between 2089’s levels | Image courtesy Cloudhead Games
The core of Pistol Whip is still very much intact in ‘2089’; you’ll still find yourself continuously running along a straight path while dodging bullets and returning fire at enemies that appear mostly on the sidelines. But part way through ‘2089’ you’ll find a new weapon—a futuristic pistol with a four-round burst—that changes the way you play.
When you pull the trigger, the ‘2089’ pistol will automatically shoot as many of its four bullets as necessary into your target, meaning you can pull the trigger on the two-hit enemies and the gun will automatically fire two bullets to dispatch them. But beyond that, you can string one burst between multiple enemies, allowing you to take down rows of four one-hit enemies with the swing of your gun across them.
While the new pistol gives you an enjoyable power boost, ‘2089’ balances things with new enemies and scenarios, at times pushing the game nearly into ‘bullet hell’ territory.
You’ll find yourself face-to-face with turret enemies which fire continuous salvos of bullets that must be smoothly dodged around. While enemies directly in front of you could once be optionally shot or pistol whipped, this time around many will be running straight at you with impenetrable shields and can only be pistol whipped.
Meanwhile, strings of one and two-shot enemies will line up for you to knock down with your burst-fire, but if you aren’t quick about it you’ll be facing a hailstorm of bullets heading in your direction.
‘2089’ also delivers a fun and challenging climax which is unlike anything seen previously in the game and feels like a satisfying end to the chapter. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say you’ll be glad you’ve got the extra firepower.
I would have loved to see the ‘2089’ pistol unlocked as a modifier for use in the game’s other levels, or the ability to use the game’s existing modifiers in the new ‘2089’ levels, as a reward for completion. And it would have been a nice touch to have a full avatar body (or at least arms) to make you feel more like you’re inhabiting the cool cyborg character. But those are minor gripes for what is otherwise a tasty slice of new content that hits all the right notes with some great music, a polished presentation, and remixed gameplay that balances extra firepower with new challenges. And it’s free to boot!
Image courtesy Cloudhead Games
Developer Cloudhead Games has set a high bar for itself with ‘2089’, and shown that it’s willing to take Pistol Whip’s gameplay in new directions. I can’t help but be curious about what we’ll see next.
Don’t blink, because next month is going to see a rash of new content coming to VR that will keep you busy well before the holidays begin. Coming in mid-December is the VR version of Myst, Quest exlusive Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister, and massive DLC drop Pistol Whip: 2089. Check out the release dates below.
Myst
Cyan Worlds, the original developers of the iconic puzzle adventure game Myst (1993), announced at Facebook Connect in September that a remake of the game is coming to Quest and PC VR platforms. Now the studio reveals that you can set your calendars for December 10th.
This Myst “reimagining” is said to include all of the classic game, but with modern sound, art, and interactions. Add it to your wishlist here.
Myst will also be available on PC VR via Steam. Oculus made the initial announcement, so we’re checking to see if that December 10th date is timed Quest exclusivity or not.
Warhammer 40K: Battle Sister
Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister, the first VR game in the storied universe, is coming exclusively to the Quest platform on December 8th.
Developers Pixel Toys say the narrative-driven VR shooter will offer both single and multiplayer modes, and push players through “an epic story where Ophelia searches for her lost twin sister and fights for the future of humanity itself.” Expect all of the trimmings, including iconic wargear such as Bolters, Plasma Pistols, Flamers, Las Rifles, Power Swords, Chainswords, and Acts of Faith. Add it to your wishlist here.
Pistol Whip: 2089 Update
After multiple updates, which brought to the rhythm shooter new scenes, songs, and plenty of style, Pistol Whip’s first ‘action pack’ will offer even more of the good stuff: scenes, weapons, enemies, and a few new mechanics.
This fat slice of new content arrives December 1st, including five story-driven chapters in a gritty sci-fi expansion to Cinematic Campaign Mode.
Check out the base game on Quest here. Pistol Whip: 2089 will also be available on PC VR via Steam and Rift via the Oculus Store.
