Omnigames, among one of the first companies to join HTC’s Vive X accelerator, has launched their “multiplayer combat VR game,” Age of Heroes, on Steam.
Age of Heroes aims to bring a MMO-like experience to VR, which means choosing classes, casting abilities, and defeating bosses. The game has launched on SteamVR with support for both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
And while Age of Heroes is certainly set in the style of an MMORPG (and may have ambitions to get there at some point), for now there doesn’t appear to be much in the way of ‘massive multiplayer’. While a game like World of Warcraft can have hundreds of players roaming around vast regions, Age of Heroes in its current state appears to be a more typical multiplayer affair, with smaller groups of players (up to five) working together to defeat enemies and bosses in enclosed dungeon environments.
Otherwise the game replicates some tried and true MMO tropes, with different classes to choose from, a typical fantasy setting—with goblins, demons, undead and the like—and dingy dungeons with big bosses at the end. The graphics too are reminiscent of World of Warcraft and similar MMOs, which means they’d fit right in if it were 2005.
There’s four classes (Mage, Archer, Warlock, Priest), with a fifth (Warrior) promised to be added later down the road. Each class has three primary abilities, except for the Priest which has a fourth Resurrect ability to bring other players back to life.
Where Age of Heroes differs in its approach (and where it has the biggest opportunity to shine) is of course virtual reality. Here the developers say the game emphasises “actual physical body movements in VR,” hopefully making combat more dynamic and visceral.
Priced at $30, Age of Heroes has only a handful of user reviews at this early moment after launch, and they are mixed, with one users saying “In its current state [it’s] basically just a demo and really should have been released as such, in my opinion. Really [doesn’t] seem like a finished [product] and is in no way worth anything close to the asking price.”
Some DLC is promised, including the Warrior class, leaderboards and achievements, and eventually a “personal space,” where players can show off their trophies and modify their character’s skills and talents, though it isn’t clear how much further the game will be developed beyond those plans as it isn’t marked as an Early Access title.