During last Sunday’s Xbox E3 2017 briefing, 4A Games and Deep Silver delivered the perfect opener when they revealed the first official gameplay trailer for Metro Exodus. While this title already looks impressive on its own, Exodus isn’t the only game that this talented Ukrainian-based development studio is working on. This is where an immersive VR title like Arktika.1 enters the conversation.
Arktika.1 could be best described as a post-apocalyptic first-person shooter designed exclusively for Oculus Touch. The player takes on the role of a mercenary hired by Citadel Security and is given the task of protecting the last surviving colonies of old Russia from raiders, marauders, and dangerous creatures. After spending hands-on time with Arktika.1 during E3 2017, I wanted to share a few thoughts on why this game should definitely be on your radar.
Much like the video embedded above, the demo that I played consisted of a brief tutorial and introductory mission. The tutorial is designed to both get you familiar with the controls and pick the guns that best suit your needs. Weapons are holstered on your back and can be accessed by reaching over your shoulders at any given time. Shooting and reloading are insanely easy to do. Gripping the controller simulates holding a gun while letting go causes that same weapon to drop to the floor. Once this happens, another gun can be used by simply pulling out a new one from your holsters.
If you’ve never played a VR game before that makes use of Oculus Touch controllers, then it’s worth noting that there’s a bit of a learning curve to overcome. Luckily, the controls in Arktika.1 are very responsive and can be adapted to quickly. In addition to using weapons for combat, you’ll also be tasked with using these same controls to press buttons to access doorways, grab objects and search for items. This is one of the main reasons why you’ll have to pay attention to every little detail and familiarize yourself with every new surrounding to achieve the best success. This ambitious approach to gameplay mechanics is captivating and goes to show just how committed the developers are to creating a game specifically for this platform.
Arktika.1 is by far one of the best-looking VR games that I’ve seen in quite awhile. By using the latest version of the 4A Engine, 4A Games has succeeded in bringing the dynamic visuals that the Metro series is known for to the Oculus Rift. It’s also worth noting that this same team aims to give players a compelling narrative to dive into. Graphics and storyline aren’t necessarily two things that I associate with a VR experience and to know that this studio is tackling both areas makes me very confident that the final product has the potential to be a gamechanger for future virtual reality titles as a whole.
Arktika.1 launches later this year as an Oculus Touch exclusive. Feel free to check out a few screenshots from this title below and stay tuned for more news on Arktika.1 and other 4A Games in the months ahead.
Are any of you interested in checking out Arktika.1 when it launches later this year? Do any of you think this ambitious title will eventually come to PlayStation VR? Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on the title and more in the comments section below.
