Oculus today revealed a new trailer for its upcoming Rift exclusive, Stormland, which is in development by Insomniac Games and due for release later this year. The new trailer gives us a glimpse at bigger and badder enemies and new environments that players will explore on their journey to reclaim their world.
Stormland is a promising action adventure title that builds on Insomniac’s prior Rift exclusive titles, Edge of Nowhere, The Unspoken, and Feral Rites, all released in 2016.
The studio’s experience in VR is clearly shining through in Stormland; on the several occasions in which I’ve demoed the game thus far, I’ve come away very impressed with the game’s freeing locomotion scheme—which seamlessly brings together elements of smooth locomotion, flying, and climbing in a way that makes the player feel very in-control—and a cohesive approach to VR interaction.
A new trailer revealed today begins to hint at the game’s underlying story setting, which seems to involve a once thriving robot civilization that’s been wiped out by “The Tempest.” As the player, you’re expected to “reclaim your world.”
The trailer also gives us a glimpse at a much more menacing enemy than the humanoid robots and flying robots that we’ve seen in previous demos. This much larger baddie sports mobile energy shields and looks ready to put up a more significant fight. A good thing too, as enemy variety is key to keeping gameplay fresh.
In Stormland, Insomniac appears to be doing a great job of making the easy to controler while at the same time making the player feel capable and embodied. Smart VR design choices can be seen at every turn.
There’s the multi-pronged locomotion scheme, which not only naturally paces gameplay but allows the player to navigate large spaces with both vertical and horizontal dimensions; the ability to rip apart empty weapons for useful scraps, rather than simply dropping them on the ground; an intuitive shoulder and hip inventory system, along with a holographic map projected from your hand; and weapons which can be used with one hand or two, with some meaningful differences between the two. I could go on (really).
Stormland is brimming with potential, and we can’t wait to get our hands on the full game. Unfortunately Oculus still isn’t ready to reveal a release date more specific than ‘2019’. Our best guess is that the company will choose to launch the game alongside Rift S, which is expected this Spring.
