VitruviusVR has announced virtual reality action adventure game Arken Age for PlayStation VR2 and SteamVR. It will launch in early 2024.
Here is an overview of the game, via VitruviusVR:
About
Arken Age is a single-player virtual reality adventure set in the Bio-Chasm, a terraformed fantasy world created by the Grand Arborist. In the game you can engage in full physics-based combat using Arkenite infused swords and guns; and freely explore the densely filled environments under siege by Hyperion’s neural corruption.
Physics Combat and Custom Virtual Reality Weaponry
When developing Arken Age our biggest focus was on realistic physics-based combat, one-of-a-kind virtual reality weaponry, and creating a full-length campaign with an endless replayability mode. In the game you begin with 3 fully customizable weapons and can collect 30 unique weapon mods in total. Each attachment is custom designed for VR gameplay, ranging from the Hyperion God Axe; a throwing axe that can be recalled at your will, the Tempered Cutter; a deployable saw blade that dismembers enemy limbs, and the Astral Ballista; a high-powered chargeable bow, to name a few.
Full Virtual Reality Body and Movement Freedom
In the game you are a biological alien creation, built with full locomotion and the ability to freely jump, crouch, climb, and swim. You can view your full body in first-person and holster all weapons physically onto your character. Although, you’re not the only versatile creature in this world, enemies can dynamically jump at you, climb buildings, and switch between long-range gun combat and close-range sword combat in real-time. You can physically push enemies, knock them down by sweeping out their feet, impale and pick them up, blast them out of mid-air, and dismember all mechanical joints. With unpredictable enemies and full movement freedom, Arken Age provides an unparalleled combat experience in virtual reality.
Uncover the Grand Arborist’s Story
Your journey begins in Celestial Custodian’s Tower on the shores of the Bio-Chasm, a terraformed realm created to harvest Arkenite Energy. Its divine founder, the Grand Arborist, has ceased cultivation of your planet and every transmission sent to him has been met with abject silence. Uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the Grand Arborist, forge alliance with the Nara alien race, and take up arms against the usurper Hyperion and his legion of corrupted soldiers.
Nowhere is Off Limits
The Bio-Chasm is an expansive environment filled with unique lifeforms, strange artifacts, and endless danger. Discover the secrets behind well protected tombs of the mysterious Nara race. Swim through abandoned water-ways, scour underground facilities, and climb through the twisted roots of the Bio-Chasm. A key feature of your hybrid alien body is the integration of pickaxes stored in your forearms. By naturally flicking your wrists upwards, you can deploy pickaxes that can be used to climb organic substances and mine Arkenite shards for ammo in the world. Whether you chose to climb atop crumbing ruins or dive below water, nowhere is off limits.
Explore and Craft New Items
Throughout the game you will find custom virtual reality machinery, including a Refinery, Buy-Station, and Crafting Table. You can explore the terraformed world to find hidden loot, destroy Hyperion enemies to collect scrap parts, and complete quests for valuable items. These items can be stored in your virtual inventory and brought to Refineries to be smelted into Hyperion Alloy. This Alloy can later be used to purchase items at Buy- Stations, such as weapon blueprints, shields, grenades, health syringes, and Arkenite ammo. Blueprints allow you create new and more powerful weapons at Crafting Tables in order defeat increasingly more difficult enemies throughout your journey.
Epic Virtual Reality Boss Fights
Every boss fight is specifically designed for virtual reality, has numerous stages and will require quickly timed attacks and blocks to bring your opponent down. Using your long-range guns, close-range melee weapons, retractable pickaxes, and quick-inventory deployables; you are free to take down your foes in any way you see fit.
Lengthy Campaign and Endless Replay
One of the most important additions to the game proposed by early beta-testers is the Hyperion Reinforcements Console. Arken Age has 25 unique areas and a 10-hour campaign, but with the addition of the Reinforcements Console, you can infinitely deploy Hyperion squadrons to the Bio-Chasm for endless replayability. Arken Age has been designed with everything we have learned in virtual reality over the past eight years and we hope to bring something special to the VR community.
Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.