OrbusVR, an upcoming indie VR MMO for SteamVR-compatible headsets, has seen several closed betas since it’s successful Kickstarter back in March 2017, but starting December 15th the plucky quest-driven MMORPG will head into Early Access on Steam.
Having garnered more than $34,000 from its Kickstarter and undergoing several closed betas (and an open weekend), OrbusVR is shaping up to be one of the first ‘native VR’ MMORPGs to combine traditional sword and sorcery elements like quests and dungeons in a cooperative, social VR space. While the genre persists unabated on traditional monitors, there simply aren’t any great examples in VR.
Created by six-person team Ad Alternum, the developers promise to deliver what they call “a huge open world with thousands of players, dozens of hours of quests following an intriguing story, interesting lore and characters, five-player group dungeons, world bosses, and more!”
OrbusVR is launching with a $40 pricetag on Steam Early Access.
The game aims to make good on a number of features, including:
- 20+ hours of Main Story and side quests as you embark on an adventure to advance your character from Level 1 to 20.
- 4 major five-person dungeons, each with unique enemies and bosses with interesting mechanics
- 9 overworld zones spanning more than 10 square kilometers, including the high-level Wilds zones where danger lurks around every corner and open world PvP can happen
- 4 different and unique classes to play including the Ranger, Musketeer, Warrior, and Runemage
- 2 crafting classes: Alchemy and Artificing, plus Fishing
In-game voice chat, dungeon finder, fellowships, private messaging, and other socialization features to keep you connected to the world - Dedicated, collaborative development process with an indie dev team that cares about your feedback
- Dragon pets, cosmetic capes, achievements, and much more!
We haven’t had a chance to go hands-on with OrbusVR yet, so we can’t speak to the game’s depth. One thing is certain though: creating healthy playerbases is notoriously hard in VR due to the relatively smaller number of users. While some of the most populated spaces in VR are generally free, launching a paid social game that necessarily relies on the first ‘M’ (massive) could be a dicey proposition. That remains to be seen though, so we’ll be following its development and wishing OrbusVR the best of luck as it heads into Early Access in the coming weeks.
