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Virtual Reality (VR) is the next big thing. The gaming community has been anticipating this technology for a very long time.While the theory and several prototypes have been around for some time now, it’s only in the recent years that you see considerable development in this industry. Now, there are several efficient VR headsets available in the market from well known companies.
The trend started with the successful Oculus Rift and other technology manufactures have nowcaught up. With the advent of good VR technology, game developersstarted to work on VR games. They now found the need to design games that would take advantage of the immersive experience that VR offers. EVE: Valkyrie is one such game.
What is Eve: Valkyrie?
Eve: Valkyrie is a multiplayer dog-fighting game designed by game designer Andrew Willans.(Valkyrie for short) This game is specifically designed for the Oculus Rift headset and will be released bundled with the Rift when it hits the markets this year. It’s a clever strategy by Oculus becausethe game would certainly tempt gamers and prompt them to purchase the headset. The full-immersive experience is a temptation to all gamers, after all.
Valkyrie allows you to team up with people & carry out a spacebattle. You spend your time flying a jet, dodging bullets and missiles and engaging the enemy. You feel like you’re in the cockpit, flying the fighter jet because your eyes and your ears are receiving onlyinput from the game. The headset blocks out all other distractions.You’re completely inside the game and living it, experiencing it, and responding to it.
The Game
Have you ever watched Star Wars and wished that you were in Luke Skywalker’s place, trying to bring down the Deathstar? If you have, you’ll find Valkyrie to be your childhood dream come true. There’s something very Star Wars-like about this game and you instantly notice it. Well, unless you’re a Star Trek fan. In that case, the fighter jets and space-ships appearing out of nowhere would appear akin to enemy shipsfalling out of Warp.
The game hasn’t yet been released, but you can already tell that it’s going to be a stunner. The graphics are great, the animation is great, and the setting seems very realistic. This, coupled with VR technology, takes you to a galaxy far, far away to participate in some epic aerial battles. Just the video trailer is enough to excite you. The full experience promises to be much more attractive. Naturally, there are some hits &misses, but the overall experience is great.
The Gameplay
The main gameplay mode is a5v5 team deathmatch. The game is played between two teams with five people each. Every team member has a fixed number of clones available to them. These clones will fly the ships. Every time you’re defeated and the ship explodes, a clone dies. You can switch over to the next clone. If all of your clones are dead before the enemy teams’ clones, you lose.
There are a few classes of ships that you can choose from. The fighters are essentially assault ships that are quick and armed. The heavies are slower, made for power rather than maneuverability. The support ships are used for essential assistance. They strengthen shields and remove obstacles wherever possible. There are some hybrid ships available as well.
You can also drop deployable spiderbots. They are spiderwebs. If you fly through an enemy’s web, you’ll lose your shields and sustain EMP damage. You’ll also see a small spider crawling around your cockpit, trying to get in. On the other hand, if you fly through a spiderbot dropped by a friendly, you’ll get a shield recharge.
During the actual gameplay, you’ll have to unlock all the cool tricks and guns. While in the preview game everything is already in place, in the real version, a player needs to earn his or her place. You can do that by earning XP during the gameplay. When you reach the right level of XP, you’ll unlock new levels, new tools, and new classes of ships. You can earn as much XP as you want in the classes.
You also have to consider something called the pilot reputation level. This is capped at 50, but it will also unlock new levels of gameplay. There are several other modes to play and levels to unlock. As the game hasn’t been released yet, it’s difficult to tell what the true gaming experience would be.
Is it Worth the Hype?
Definitely! There’sjust something awesome about trying your head and visually locking onto the target to launch a missile. That just adds to the sheer realism of it. For the first few minutes of gameplay, you’re just trying to adjust to the feeling of experiencing space. While there are some things that need to be ironed out, there’s a lot of scope here for a truly stunning gaming experience.
