Vox Machinae, a long running indie VR project, is available right now on the Oculus Rift, SteamVR, and PC. The game received a surprise launch into Early Access today at Oculus Connect 5, bringing a new beginning to a title that’s been in the works for nearly four years.
Available now on Oculus (Rift), SteamVR (Vive, Rift, and Windows VR), and PC (non-VR mode), Vox Machinae is a multiplayer mech combat game that leans decidedly toward the ‘simulator’ end of the mech spectrum, contrasting faster-paced and more arcade-like mech games like Archangel: Hellfire (2017).
Vox Machinae delivers a weighty mech experience where you’ll feel more like you’re operating a giant machine rather than actually being the machine itself. This is achieved with a cockpit full of controls which are manipulated using your motion controllers. That includes the throttle, rotation stick, jump jet control, and even a CB radio microphone which you need to pick up to communicate with your team.
As your mech has serious momentum, you’ll need to plan your movements carefully if you don’t want to go stumbling into walls or totally botch the landing after using your jump jets. For those who want to be a bit less lumbering, the choice of a smaller mech will increase speed and maneuverability, but of course comes means you won’t be able to take as much damage as the larger mechs.
Alongside a handful of different mech chassis to choose from, customizable weapons include the likes of machine guns, rockets, lasers, and railguns—the latter being extra effective when paired with a special targeting monitor in the cockpit which offers a zoomed in view of your reticle.
Vox Machinae is available today in Early Access priced at $25 and supports multiplayer matches with up to 16 players, including bot support, mid-match joining, and full crossplay between Oculus, SteamVR, and non-VR PC players. Developer Space Bullet confirmed to Road to VR that both the Oculus and Steam versions of the game can also be played in the non-VR PC mode.
