Independent game and technology studio, 3rd Eye Studios, is set to release their zero-gravity space adventure ‘Downward Spiral: Horus Station‘ this spring to just about every platform you can think of except XBox. We’re talking Playstation, PC, Oculus, PSVR, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality headsets – an impressive list to say the least.
Downward Spiral: Horus Station lures players through a lost vessel abandoned by its crew. Solving the mystery of the space station will take wits and ingenuity as you fight or avoid dangers unknown. Use the ship’s maintenance hardware – like bolt throwers, rail guns, and arc welders to take out threats, solve puzzles and find the truth of why Horus Station has been left drifting in space.
Downward Spiral: Horus Station’s focus will be heavy on environmental storytelling, as the game features no dialogue or cinematics. Instead, players will have to piece together the plot through observation and interpretation as they navigate the derelict space station, accompanied by the electronic ambient soundtrack composed by platinum selling HIM front-man Ville Valo. Additionally, 3rd Eye Studios is introducing an innovative control system that rethinks how movement works in zero-gravity. Rather than just float, players will have to push themselves off of the environment to propel themselves forward, or use tools just as they would in deep space.
The lead designer of 3rd Eye Studio, Gregory Louden, says the game is inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey, Twin Peaks and There Will be Blood – offering a thought-provoking piece of hard science fiction set in deep space. Last year the studio released a proof of concept, Downward Spiral: Prologue, and made it available on steam for free and are continuing to work on proprietary tech for VR to mitigate motion sickness without limiting a players full range of movement. As a VR owner I can tell you that’s no easy feat and your body really doesn’t like to see fluid movement like running while you’re standing still.
In addition to traditional screen and VR support the game will also playable in two player co-op, allowing players to explore the Horus Station’s deceptively immaculate, retro-futurist decor as an investigative duo. There will be an option to entirely remove combat from the campaign for those who wish to soak up the story without enemies and in addition to Horus Station’s story campaign, there will be eight-player PvP and PvE multiplayer modes that include Deathmatch, Horde and Survivor challenges.
I, for one, am definitely excited to see all these features delivered in a game right out of the gate. A lot of the VR capable games released these days are slightly gimicking cash grabs that lack the thought, pride, and feature list set to be released. If you’re a sci-fi nut it might be worth keeping your eyes peeled for a release date when Spring rolls around. For more information about Downward Spiral: Horus Station you can check out the website. To learn more about 3rd Eye Studios, check out their website, Twitter and Facebook.
