Proton Pulse has been a well known name in virtual reality since the early days of the Oculus Rift VR headset. After a successful Kickstarter in 2013 followed by a mysterious cancellation and refund to backers, there was a time when it seemed that Proton Pulse would never see the light of day. Now, the pulse pounding VR arcade title launches for the first time in full on Android for Google Cardboard and other VR smartphone adapters.
For those that are already familiar with Proton Pulse, here’s the exciting news: the full game is finally available and it has launched first on Android, allowing those with Google Cardboard or other VR smartphone adapters to play through the game’s 53 unique levels, including 5 boss battles. For those who want to catch up with the game’s suspenseful path to release, see the section ‘The Proton Pulse Story’ below.
In celebration of Google’s recent revamp of Cardboard, Proton Pulse is on sale for $1.99 for the rest of 2014. Developer Zero Transform, the indie-VR studio led by Justin Moravetz, says that all proceeds will go toward funding Vanguard V, a forthcoming VR title in production by the studio.
See Also: With 500,000+ Units Shipped, Google Just Got Serious About Cardboard
So far the game is ranking very favorably—it looks just as good on Android as it does on desktop—with a 4.4 out of 5-star average across 39 reviews. One of the game’s many 5-star reviewers notes, “Amazing, must-have for any Cardboard owner. It feels nothing like the screenshots, you simply have to experience it for yourself. If you own a compatible headset, this is well worth your money.”
While Android is the first platform to get the full release of Proton Pulse, the popular demo version of the game is also available for Oculus Rift through Oculus Share, and for Gear VR through the Oculus Store. Moravetz says that the full version of the game will launch on these platforms once Oculus enables monetization (currently, Oculus Share and Gear VR’s Oculus Store don’t afford developers a way to charge for games). Given that Moravetz has also been working with Sony’s Morpheus VR headset for PS4, our guess is that we’ll see the game appear there as well.
See Also: Sony Morpheus Development – ‘Vanguard V’ Dev Shares Perspective
The game also features a pulse-pounding 18 song original soundtrack which fans of the chiptune genre are sure to enjoy. Moravetz, under his stage name ‘Rave-TZ’, contributed songs to the soundtrack alongside artists Virt, Danimal Cannon, Dave Anson, and TragicSans. Virt and Danimal Cannon have had crowds hopping to live versions of the game’s music, including my favorite song from the OST: Pulsar Beat Heavy.
The Proton Pulse Story
As one of the earliest polished demos for Oculus’ first development kit, the Rift DK1, the Proton Pulse demo found a top slot in many Oculus Rift demo lineups thanks to its intuitive head-based gameplay and retro-virtual aesthetic that wowed first-timers.
See Also: Proton Pulse Preview: Hands-On With the Latest Beta (Video)
Proton Pulse was born from a successful Kickstarter that raised $7,099, more than twice its modest goal, back in September, 2013. But then the project was mysteriously canceled, with the game’s creator, Justin Moravetz, refunding the full amount to backers who pledged money toward the project. The community speculated that intellectual property concerns over the game’s brick-breaker genre might have been the cause, though the true reason for the cancellation was never revealed.
In early 2014, a teaser appeared showing that there might indeed be some pulse left in Proton Pulse, though the next thing we heard from Moravetz and his indie-VR studio, Zero Transform, was production of a new title, Vanguard V.
Later in July 2014, the Proton Pulse demo returned with a new version compatible with the freshly minted Rift DK2, Oculus’ latest VR headset development kit. Here’s what I wrote upon the game’s revival:
Now, Proton Pulse returns and it’s better than ever. Moravetz has coated the game in a sheen of polish—this is one of the most complete VR games I’ve yet seen. Everything from the menu to the gameplay is well designed and easy to use. The visuals have a futuristic Tron-like feel to them which are sure to ‘pop’ on the Oculus Rift DK2′s improved display. As with Vanguard Valkyrie, the music has received lots of attention and compliments the visuals superbly.
Thereafter, the game was announced to be on its way to Gear VR and here we are today with its full release finally hitting Android for Cardboard and other VR smartphone adapters. I imagine Moravetz and the Zero Transform team are thrilled to have the full game finally out in the wild. We’ll be looking forward to its full release on further platforms!
