Battle strange beasts, forage for supplies, and survive the elements in this atmospheric VR adventure.
Revealed earlier today via an Oculus blog update, Song in the Smoke is an upcoming VR survival adventure game for Oculus and PlayStation VR headsets that promises to immerse you in a fantastical open-world experience that’s as mesmerizing as it is dangerous.
Developed by 17-BIT (Skulls of the Shogun, Galak-Z: The Dimensional) and featuring art from acclaimed Japanese illustrator Katsuya Terada (The Legend of Zelda, Blood: The Last Vampire, The Monkey King), Song in the Smoke takes place during the prehistoric era. The game begins with an encounter with a three-headed cow, which wakes the player near the edge of the woods. From there, you’ll travel throughout eight unique locations, each filled with its own unique challenges. This includes forests, frozen landscapes, and open valleys just to name a few.
Along the way, you’ll craft weapons, medicine, and other useful items to ward off the many dangers lurking throughout the world. Based on the trailer, it appears as though you’ll have the ability to fashion a homemade bow that can be used to hunt for prey. According to the Oculus blog post, players will need to identify potential threats using both their sight as well as sound. You never know what’s lurking around the corner in Song in the Smoke. It could be a lion. Or a dinosaur. Or both.
“At 17-BIT, we love to create fresh takes on existing genres, from our lighthearted turn-based strategy game Skulls of the Shogun to the modernized space shooter GALAK-Z,” said 17-BIT Founder and Creative Lead Jake Kazdal in the Oculus blog update.
“With Song in the Smoke, we dove even deeper into unknown territory: a VR survival adventure, with all new rules, in a completely new medium. Song in the Smoke is unlike anything we’ve done before, and it’s our most ambitious title yet. The experience is so completely immersive and engaging, the forest is alive all around you in the extra dimension provided by VR. We’re thrilled to be offering an intense adventure that couldn’t be captured in any other way.”
Personally, I love the idea of more single-player survival crafting games on the Oculus Quest and PlayStation VR. While the addition of VR functionality on existing crafting games such as Vivecraft and Subnautica VR has done a decent job at scratching my survival itch, it’s exciting to see original titles continue to make their way to VR headsets.
Song in the Smoke is scheduled to arrive on Oculus Quest/Quest 2, Oculus Rift/Rift S, and PlayStation VR headsets later this year. For more information visit here.
Feature Image Credit: Oculus
