Spuds Unearthed, a mashup title which combines real-time strategy and MOBA elements, has launched on Rift and Vive headsets following nearly nine months in Early Access.
Set in a persistent battlescape where players contend against one another for planetary control, Spuds Unearthed is about building and maintaining a tribe of ‘spuds’. These spuds can be used to go forth and conquer planets from other players asynchronously, or even tackle dangerous ‘Zombuds’. Players can also unlock and upgrade ‘hero’ spuds, advanced soldiers that dish out increased mayhem.
In addition to maintaining their own army of spudly soldiers, players get to hop directly onto their own personal turrets and fire at incoming enemy troops. Throughout their time in Spuds Unearthed, players will discover or craft an arsenal of specialized and improved turrets with which to assist their spud forces, claims developer Gamedust in the title’s storefront description. “There are many different turrets to choose from that support different playstyles and are useful in different situations,” the description states further.
At least at the beginning of the game, there are two basic turrets placed on the left and right of the player. Both are completely mannable, featuring interactive handles and cranks that operate like a real hand-cranked turret would. The circular platform which houses the turrets (and the player) can be raised or lowered at any time with a flick of the analog stick or the thumbpad. Further, players can extend or retract their virtual hands to reach distant objects outside of their immediate boundaries, a useful option for those who prefer to play seated.
Spuds Unearthed is available as of September 19th on the Oculus Store and Steam Store for $20. The title is currently marked down to $15 as a launch discount on both major storefronts, and will remain so until September 26. It is also available to Viveport subscribers. The game launched in Early Access on Steam in January and this release marks its ‘full’ 1.0 release.
Strategy games that hybridize VR embodiment with top-down gameplay are, seemingly, becoming more and more common in VR. A few weeks ago, tower defense strategy game Home A Drone released with some similar stylings.
There is no official word on a native compatibility with Valve Index or Windows MR headsets. However, the title’s Discord community server is likely where new information will become available first.
