Virtual reality is a great medium for shooters. The problem is, because it’s so natural to virtually transform motion controllers into pistols, the genre is pretty crowded with low-effort wave shooters at the moment. Enter Cold Iron, a western-themed shooter from indie studio Catch & Release that hopes to make a name for itself in the newly coined ‘puzzle shooter’ subgenre.
According to studio co-founder Matthew Taylor, Cold Iron isn’t your bog standard wave-based shooter. “There are no waves of copied-and-pasted enemies: every duel is different, every challenge is unique, and every moment will leave your heart pounding and your palms sweating.”
The closest thing that comes to a ‘puzzle shooter’ in my not-so-recent memory is Police Trainer light gun arcade series from the late ’90s and early ’00s, so it’s hard to say what’s in store. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough though, as it’s slated to arrive on PSVR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive on January 30th.
Here’s a quick look at some of the features Catch & Release published on the game’s Steam page.
FEATURES:
● Puzzle Shooter: The most lethal challenge in VR–speed, accuracy, and cunning combine for a heart-pounding adventure.
● Action Packed: Split-second showdowns against notorious outlaws, sorcerers, and unstoppable killing machines.
● The Weird West: Forge a dark pact with Cold Iron to avenge your father’s murder.
● All The World’s A Stage: A complete narrative experience told in bite-sized VR chunks, Cold Iron is a story rich with gripping voice acting and thought-provoking characters.
● Into Another Dimension: Explore new worlds filled with lightning-fast gunfighters and long-forgotten beasts.
● The Future Is Here: Cold Iron is a new genre for a new medium. Experience it exclusively in virtual reality.
