The long anticipated Raw Data by developer Survios launches for the HTC Vive on Steam today in Early Access. We sat down with Survios to get an inside look at what players can expect now and in the future from this hero-based action combat game.
While we’ve had a chance to play the game in one form or another over the course its development, Raw Data’s Early Access launch today marks a significant step forward in the scope of the game; you’ll now get to step into the shoes of two distinct heroes, each specializing in certain weapons and combat styles, instead of generic avatars—and Survios gives us the first glimpse at the next two to come.
Survios Chief Creative Officer James Iliff tells me that rather than focusing on a huge weapon arsenal, Raw Data’s heroes will have an array of special abilities that enhance and extend the heroes weapons and fighting styles.
Heroes of Raw Data
Iliff shares the roster of Raw Data’s two Early Access heroes and their weapons & unlockable abilities.
Bishop – Dual Pistols
Bishop is what Iliff calls a “gun cleric”, a sort of gunslinger-meets-martial-artist who relies on powerful pistols to deal medium range damage. As Bishop, you can do some gun spinning to add a little flavor to your combat style, and you’ll have a range of powerful abilities once you unlock all of his talents.
Proximity Reload – reload your pistols instantly by touching them to your hip or lower back.
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Charged Shot – charge your pistols by holding the triggers to fire a powerful shot that penetrates enemies and cover.
Timewarp – Momentary slow motion for high action awesomeness (and to buy yourself some time).
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Bulletstorm – Turns Bishop’s pistols into fully automatic guns firing “self-replicating nano rounds” which don’t deplete your standard clips.
Iliff tells me the there’s another ability planned for Bishop which will be seen following the game’s Early Access launch: the Fusion Charge shot, which will allow players to charge both of their guns while held together to fire a powerful ball of energy.
Saija – Energy Blade
Saija is the second character you’ll be able to play at Raw Data’s Early Access launch. She’s what Iliff calls a “cyber ninja”, and her speciality is getting up close and personal with her energy blade to tear the game’s synthetic enemies to pieces. Just because she’s using a sword doesn’t mean she won’t be deadly at range however, unlocking her abilities give players several fun ways to do damage at a distance.
Shuriken Stream – Allows players to aim at enemies and fire ethereal shurikens.
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Sword Throw – Use Saija’s katana like a deadly boomerang. Depending upon how you throw it will yield different results. Throw it horizontally to strike a wide group of enemies together, or concentrate all the damage into one enemy with a vertical throw. You can even use the direction of your throw to optimize the blade’s path through the greatest number of enemies.
Counter – Hold your swords together to charge the blade for a powerful swing which can take our enemies in one hit. This also enhances Saija’s ability to reflect projectiles by making them more likely to bounce back at enemies.
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Gravity Push – Lets you shove enemies based on your hand movements. Great for throwing enemies off the edge or holding them in the air for teammates to take out.
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Levitation Smash – Launches Saija into the air to slam back down for an area-of-effect blast.
Iliff tells me that Saija is also planned to get a Telekinesis ability which will allow her to pinpoint enemies and throw them from afar.
