When PC VR headsets first hit the market it was tough to find a decent melee-focused VR game. Wave shooters were releasing left and right but few developers actually wanted to put a sword or other weapon in your hand to hit stuff, with the exception of Vanishing Realms. Since then the likes of Gorn, Blade & Sorcery, Skyrim VR, Karnage Chronicles, and others have given us that thrill — but not many have done so in a dark, gothic setting with multiplayer. That’s where Swords of Gargantua comes in.
Starting tomorrow, February 15th, and running until next Friday, February 22nd, Gumi Inc. and Yomuneco will host a closed beta testing period for its upcoming VR RPG, Swords of Gargantua. The closed beta is restricted to Steam uses and will likely support both Rift and Vive. You can apply in the #beta-apply section of the official Discord here.
We’ve gone hands-on with Swords of Gargantua twice now. Both times we were impressed with how fun the melee combat felt, but we’ve yet to see real proof of how robust and feature-filled this game is really going to be. All too often VR titles have solid mechanics that never get fully utilized in the broader context of the game as a whole, so hopefully that isn’t the case here.
Swords of Gargantua will support multiplayer for up to four total people and has a very heavy focus on difficult, tactical, melee combat. Controller wagglers need not apply.
Let us know what you think of the game in the comments below and check out the closed beta over this next week if you get a chance!
Die zweite Closed Beta für Swords of Gargantua für Oculus Rift und HTC Vive ist gestartet, um dieses Mal einer größeren Spielerzahl Zugang zum VR-Titel zu gewährleisten. Die zweite geschlossene Beta soll zudem zusätzliche Features, wie ein neues Kombosystem, mehr Waffen und weitere Gegner beinhalten. Zudem skalieren die Feinde mit eurem Level.
Für die Teilnahme müsst ihr einen Kommentar im #beta-apply-Kanal im offiziellen Discord-Server hinterlassen. Die zweite Closed Beta findet bis zum 7. April statt.
[Originalartikel vom 14. Februar 2019]:
Entwicklerstudio Gumi Inc. und Yomuneco kündigen die erste geschlossene Betaphase für das Online-Action-JRPG Swords of Gargantua für Oculus Rift, HTC Vive und Windows-VR-Brillen an. Die Betaphase startet morgen am 15. Februar und ermöglicht einer kleinen Anzahl von Spielern die Inhalte des VR-Titels bis zum 22. Februar auszutesten. Wer eine Chance auf einen Beta-Key möchte, kann heute noch eine Nachricht an die Devs im offiziellen Discord-Channel hinterlassen.
Swords of Gargantua – Multiplayer-Action-RPG für Oculus Rift, HTC Vive und Windows-VR-Brillen
Der Action-Titel Swords of Gargantua setzt auf Online-Multiplayer-Kämpfe im Japan-Stil, um mit bis zu drei weiteren Spielern die Mächte von Gargantua zu bekämpfen. Ihr habt die Wahl, ob ihr mit Schwert und Schild, zwei Klingen oder Zauberstab in die Gefechte gegen die gepanzerten Ninjakämpfer zieht.
Dabei setzen die Entwickler auf ein realistisches Echtzeitkampfsystem, um gegen die Gegner anzutreten. Die Herausforderung steigt mit jeder weiteren Gegnerwelle an, wodurch ab einem gewissen Punkt Kommunikation per Voice-Chat und Taktik nötig wird. Am Ende eines Levels warten besonders schwierige Bosskämpfe mit speziellen Mechaniken auf die Gruppe.
Image courtesy: Swords of Gargantua
Ab morgen startet die geschlossene Betaphase des Multiplayer-Spiels, wobei laut verantwortlichen Devs nur eine kleine Anzahl von Spielern einen Beta-Key erhält. Für eine Chance auf einen Steam-Beta-Key könnt ihr einen Kommentar im #beta-apply-Kanal im offiziellen Discord-Server hinterlassen. Die Keys werden morgen am 15. Februar per Direktnachricht auf der Chatplattform verteilt.
Die geschlossene Betaphase von Swords of Gargantua findet vom 15. bis 22. Februar statt. Ein offizieller Release-Termin ist noch nicht bekannt.
Japan-based studios Gumi Inc. and Yomuneco today announced that the melee-focused VR game Swords of Gargantua is heading into open beta soon for Vive and Rift.
Update (May 9th, 2019): Gumi Inc. and Yomuneco today announced that Swords of Gargantua is headed soon for open beta testing, which will be available through Steam and the Oculus Store. The worldwide open beta will take place between May 15th – 21st. To download, head over to the game’s Discord channel for instructions.
Additionally, Yomuneco is also throwing a giveaway that could see one skilled player receive an NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ventus 8G OC graphics card. Players will compete in the multiplayer beginner quest, and the individual player with the highest score on the multiplayer leaderboard at the end of the open beta, wins.
The original article announcing the previous closed beta follows below:
Original Article (February 13th, 2019): The closed beta starts on February 15th and goes until the 22nd. The studios say space is “very limited,” although the’re giving users a chance to win a closed beta key by leaving a comment on the #beta-apply page of the Swords of Gargantua Discord channel (invite link).
Gumi and Yomuneco will be awarding closed beta keys via a private message on February 15th, which will include a Steam key with beta access. You can check out the game’s Steam page here.
Image courtesy Gumi, Yomuneco
We had a chance to go hands-on with Sword of Gargantua at GDC 2018, and while a bit rough around the edges, the team co-op game showed plenty of promise with its physics-based melee combat and larger-than-life enemies. Talking to Gumi & Yomuneco at GDC, I was told that Swords of Gargantua wasn’t a story-based adventure, instead slanted towards quick action so you and friends can drop into a battle at any time.
Swords of Gargantua focuses heavily on physics-based swordplay, giving you and three other players the chance to adventure through the game’s massive (some might say gargantuan) set pieces and battle against a race of creatures simply known by the name ‘Gargantua’. The game’s minions tower over average players, making for intimidating foes before the final fight with the absolutely gigantic level boss.
While a demo was publicly available last year, it seems the studios have taken it down on their forward march towards Early Access.
Swords of Gargantua will be Yomuneco’s second dive into VR, following their VR puzzle game Enigma Sphere: Enhanced Edition (2017)for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Japanese developer Yomuneco Inc. first showcased its sword-wielding action title Swords of Gargantua during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) last year, followed by a demo version a few months later for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Today, the studio is seeking players for a new closed beta due to launch this month.
Yomuneco Inc. will be running the closed beta test for all Steam users globally from 15th February 2019 all the way through to Friday 22nd February (JST). Spaces will, of course, be limited, so for a chance to win a closed beta key, you’ll need to join the Swords of Gargantua Discord channel and leave a comment in the #beta-apply page.
“Winners will get a private message on Friday, February 15 with a Steam key giving them access to the beta. If players share their feedback via Discord and finish a survey after the beta test, their name will earn a place in the staff role credits in-game,” the studio tells VRFocus.
Swords of Gargantua is a proper hack n’ slash style adventure, with the studio paying particular attention to finessing the sword-based gameplay, aiming to perfectly mirror your real-life movements. This isn’t a solitary experience either. With a real-time online multiplayer you and three other teammates can collaborate on taking down the enemy. There will be a variety of weapons for different gameplay styles and native voice chat, allowing you to develop strategies with your team before heading into combat.
There will be waves of enemies to vanquish, all ranging in size and strength. The ultimate goal, however, is to get past these pesky foes to meet the gigantic nemesis, Gargantua.
While there’s a good chance plenty has changed since VRFocus last saw the title almost a year ago, for the first preview of Swords of Gargantua we said: “It’s very early days for Gargantua, with this demo really only offering a teasing taste of what’s to come. What was shown is certainly exciting, with an intriguing storyline mixed with gritty aesthetics and fluid combat.”
VRFocus will be continuing its coverage of Swords of Gargantua, reporting back with the latest updates.
The upcoming online action role-playing game (RPG) virtual reality (VR) title Gargantua, from Tokyo-based VR developer Yomuneco has received a number of new details. The most notable of these is the finalization of the title for the project which is now Swords of Gargantua, along with a release window and a playable demo.
Swords of Gargantua invites players into a world dominated by a race of giants called the Gargantua, where up to four players will join together and fight in epic real-time battles against these giants and their forces all for the sake of humanity. The title features intense realistic battles where every hit, block, punch, and interaction deliver satisfying feedback through a unique collision system that has been designed for the title. No more swinging swords through an opponent, unless of course you are intending to cut through their neck perhaps.
The online co-op of the title will allow players to rally friends or join a random squad and fight together in beautifully-designed stages. Teamwork and communication skills will be a key part of success, along with your fighting ability, as you all try to overcome the challenges that await you.
VRFocus was able to get hands on with the title back at the Games Developer Conference (GDC) 2018 where Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham previewed Swords of Gargantua saying: “It’s very early days for Gargantua, with this demo really only offering a teasing taste of what’s to come. What was shown is certainly exciting, with an intriguing storyline mixed with gritty aesthetics and fluid combat. As development continues VRFocus will be keenly watching Gargantua‘s progress.”
Yomuneco has now released the first public playable build of the title as well, which is compatible with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. The demo is a small taste of what players can expect in the full release, when it releases into Early Access later this year. Bugs may pop up in the demo but you can download it to try for yourself now.
As work continues on Swords of Gargantua, VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest. With a release planed for later this year into Early Access, players won’t have to wait long to experience this intense title in full. You can see the latest trailer for the title below as well.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the game I just played reminded me of Dark Souls.
Wait, wait, don’t head to the comments to berate me just yet. I promise I’m not making that comparison because I died a couple of times or I saw a giant spider. Instead, it’s pretty much everything else about Swords of Gargantua that reminds of me From Software’s ode to masochism.
Gargantua, like many other VR adventures, desperately wants to get melee combat right, but on its own terms, much like in the way From did all the way back in 2009 with Demon’s Souls. It wants to steer clear of the messy physics of a thousand other Early Access titles as well as the easily-cheated, bolted-on motion controls of Skyrim VR. The free demo released last week suggests that it could well pull it off, though there’s a little more refinement required.
Gargantua’s demo does well to capture the isolated exploration of the Souls games. Even in the few corridors you trek down, there’s a sense that you’re trespassing, as if the howling winds are a warning to leave the ancient halls. A splash of Sony’s ICO is present, too, though it’s more menacing at its core.
Locomotion is simple enough, either using smooth movement or a leaning system. Eventually you enter an arena, lazily observed by a monarchic monster sitting on a throne, with towering walls surrounding you. What the art design lacks in detail, it makes up for in tone and scale. Minions twice your height slowly start to approach, proving effectively daunting as they attempt to corner you. It’s pretty clear from the start you’ll be in for a tough battle.
Combat makes some pretty sensible decisions. You can dual-wield, but you’re most likely to be using one of your weapons as a defensive measure. Every enemy swing can be blocked, which causes them to bounce back a little, leaving an opening for you to attack. I found myself tightly focused on my opponent’s movements, trying to anticipate their next attack and prepare my block with my left arm while readying my counter with the right. You can charge swings by holding your blade above your head and even toss swords at enemies to give you a bit of space as you search for a new weapon.
There’s rare heft to Gargantua’s combat. Your items won’t simply phase through each other, for example, instead dragging along each other and preventing any kind of maniacal arm-swinging. They don’t feel like they slice so much as batter, with damage coming from the crash of connecting with heavily-plated armor. A stamina gauge implements some pacing, too, though reading it is a little confusing at this point in time.
Gargantua’s battles had me thinking about what was going on. A helpful lock-on system allows me to focus on other matters, like my positioning and distance from other enemies. Rather than barreling in, slashing away until my enemy slumps to the floor, I found myself taking patient, well-timed swings before backing away to reassess my situation.
It still needs a little work, though. Sword fights are in need of a little more impact; I sometimes couldn’t really tell if my attacks were doing anything more than nudging my enemy backwards, for example. Sometimes blocking didn’t really seem to work for me, either, and it wasn’t clear if this was because I wasn’t angling my blade in the right way or if my choice of defense simply wasn’t suitable. These are issues with clarity, though, that I’m sure could be moped up.
Right now, though, I’m more interested to see how Swords of Gargantua shapes up as a full game in time for its full release. While the combat is its hook, it feels like there could be more to the story here, and it would be a shame to see that go to waste on a series of simple arenas. Expect the game to launch on the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
We had a chance to go hands-on with Gumi and Yomuneco’s Sword of Gargantua at GDC back in March, and while an official write-up never materialized out of the hectic game-filled dev conference, a demo for the studio’s upcoming online action RPG is finally here for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
Set in a world dominated by a race of giants called the Gargantua, the full release will let you and up to three other players join in physical combat against the Gargantua, giant overlords in the combat-focused fantasy world. Swords of Gargantua is slated for release on Steam Early Access later this year.
The demo is single player-only, which shows off some of the massive scale of the world and its warrior inhabitants. The Gargantua’s minions tower at six-feet tall, while the Gargantua themselves loom over you at increasingly impressive heights.
Using weapons such as battle axes and swords, you can physically strike enemies, although you’ll have to watch out for the durability of the weapon along with your own stamina, which will limit your swinging power, making hits less effective.
Locomotion, while using a standard smooth forward and snap-turn scheme, also offers a dash mode that you can activate by physically leaning in the desired direction for those quick jumps into the fray. A targeting system allows you to lock onto enemies and circle around them, using all of the locomotion schemes at your disposal to block, dodge, and defeat your hulking enemies.
Image courtesy Gumi & Yomuneco
In the demo, you face off against a few waves of minions at the throne of what presumably is one of the lower-level Garantua rulers. The throne room is littered with shields and epic long swords. Watch out for the build up swings of the minions though, because they do devastating damage that can quickly put you out of the game. All objects are physics-based too, meaning you can satisfyingly clank together your swords, and feel some degree of ‘imagined’ force feedback through your motion controllers. Seeing your weapon stop mid-swing as you make contact with an enemy works somewhat like it does in GORN (2017).
Talking to Gumi & Yumenco at GDC, I was told that Swords of Gargantua wasn’t a story-based adventure, focusing on quick action so you and friends can drop into a battle at any time.
“Since this demo is the first public playable build, you may experience some issues,” the studio says. “We’re currently focused on the Early Access build of the game, so should you experience any issues that limits your enjoyment of the game, we ask for your patience and understanding until we launch in Early Access later this year. Looking forward to hearing your feedback!”
Swords of Gargantua will be Yomuneco’s second dive into VR, following their latest VR puzzle game Enigma Sphere: Enhanced Edition (2017)for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
