It feels like ages ago that Proton Pulse, one of the Oculus Rift’s most beloved early demos, was mysteriously shut down (with backers of the project refunded) after a successful Kickstarter. Justin Moravetz, the mind behind Proton Pulse, is today announcing a new VR-exclusive title called Vanguard Valkyrie. The game takes a completely different approach but maintains the flash and ease of use that made Proton Pulse so alluring.
While it still remains a mystery as to why the highly acclaimed Proton Pulse was stopped in its tracks after a successful Kickstarter, the developer behind the title, Justin Moravetz, has launched a new indie studio dedicated to virtual reality called Zero Transform. Today the studio is taking the veil off of a new project, Vanguard Valkyrie, that’s been in the works for some time. Zero Transform plans to crowdfund the title through a Kickstarter campaign which will launch Wednesday of this week, July 23rd.
Vanguard Valkyrie is a VR-exclusive title which Moravetz tells me will support the Oculus Rift DK1 and DK2, with stretch goals for Sony’s Project Morpheus and mobile VR options. As a former visual effects artist working under Sony Worldwide Studios, Moravetz’s craft has clearly carried over into Vanguard Valkyrie. Even at the early prototype stage of the game’s development, there’s some gorgeous effects—from the studio splash screen right through to the main character’s thruster pack. I can already see this game really popping on the Oculus Rift DK2’s improved screen, thanks to the action being set against the dark backdrop of space.
Speaking of which, the main character’s name is Qu. She’s hooked up to a futuristic looking EVA suit, taking on the form of a sort of humanoid-gundam, and is followed around by her AI buddy, BiT. In the game, Qu actually see’s herself flying around through BiT’s camera—it’s a cool way to explain why the game is played from a third-person perspective. Qu and BiT apparently spend their time defending Earth from alien parasites.
Like Proton Pulse, Vanguard Valkyrie will be largely controlled with head tracking, making it very accessible even to those that aren’t experienced gamers. The player will use their gaze to guide Qu around the environment, dodge obstacles, and use her targeting reticle to lock onto enemies. Moravetz has been working hard on a polished VR user interface experience and I suspect we’ll see something quite impressive from Vanguard Valkyrie in that regard.
As with Proton Pulse, Moravetz is paying close attention to the soundtrack, working with talented artists to ensure that the game’s sonic experience is as good as the visual experience. I have heard some of the work-in-progress tracks and they are amazing. I believe I’m accurate when I say that Vanguard Valkyrie’s music has the highest production value of any VR game thus far. I imagine you’ll get to hear it soon.
We’ll be watching Vanguard Valkyrie’s development closely. Keep your eyes peeled for the Kickstarter on the 23rd!
