nDreams Unveils Next-Level VR Immersion in ‘Reach’

Okay, so here’s the thing — there’s this VR game coming out, right? It’s called Reach, and it’s gonna be a big deal. Or at least, that’s the vibe I’m getting after watching this behind-the-scenes thing from the folks over at nDreams Elevation. These guys aren’t messing around; they’ve been in the VR game for a while, and now they’re dropping this new title that seems like it’ll pull you right into the action. Literally.

So, they showed off some early gameplay last week, and — I don’t know — it just feels like one of those cinematic, parkour-y combat things. Sounds cool, right? It’s got all these VR-native movement mechanics, which means it’s probably gonna feel different from anything else out there. I mean, who doesn’t wanna do parkour in VR?

Matt Duff, the design director or whatever, popped up in this developer spotlight thing and laid it all out. Apparently, they’ve got three big ideas they’re working from: action, adventure, and presence. Yeah, that last one is apparently a big deal with these VR experiences. It’s all about making you feel like you’re there. Kind of cool, kind of mind-bending. They’ve even rethought how you move around in VR. It’s all about reaching and pulling yourself around. Physical, you know?

Brief pause. The whole jumping thing. Oh man, they’ve somehow managed to tackle this. Jumping in VR is tricky business because your brain gets weirded out, usually. But here, they’ve got this gesture system. No clue how it works, but they’re “tricking” your brain into thinking you’re an acrobat or something. Sounds wild!

And, like, if you see something in the game that looks like you can meddle with it or climb it — apparently, you’re good to go. It’s all about player freedom, they say.

Oh, can’t forget the Full-body Awareness system. If you’ve ever been put off by those weird floating hands in VR games, this might be your thing. They say it’s more realistic, more presence-y. I guess being able to see a full body in the game world makes a difference or something.

Now, combat. Right, who doesn’t love good combat options? Apparently, they’ve got you covered whether you wanna go in all guns blazing or ninja stealth mode. They even tossed in a bow with different arrow types — like, explosive and freezing arrows. That’s gotta be fun, right? Picking off baddies with a freeze arrow? Sign me up.

If you’re into stealth, the game lets you lure enemies with your arrows. Gives you some wiggle room to sneak around and take them down close-quarters if that’s your thing. But yeah, there’s a video showing it all in action.

So, Reach is dropping later this year on VR headsets everywhere. Might wanna jot it down, wishlist it, whatever. It’s gonna be on the Horizon Store for the Quest 3 and over on the PlayStation Store for the PSVR 2. Steam’s got it too. Can’t say I’m not curious. We’ll see how it pans out!