Pirates of the Caribbean may not be returning to cinemas until 2017, but anyone that wants to undertake a swashbuckling adventure this year should definitely check out The Rise of Captain Longbeard for the HTC Vive.
This is the latest project from Colopl NI. In it, you play as Robert Youngfellow as he sets out to become a famous pirate and seize his well-deserved treasure.
You can get a first look at gameplay in the trailer below. Though short, the footage holds plenty of promise with bright visuals and compelling use of the Vive’s position-tracked controllers.
https://youtu.be/eDU7plkr_O0
The game features four main islands to explore, with another eight smaller locations also giving you plenty of things to do. You’ll have flintlock pistols to shoot and, of course, cut throat swords to swing. Enemies include rival pirates and vicious beasts and sea monsters that can be blown to bits using exploding barrels. Weapons can be upgraded, as can ships that you’ll sail through bright blue seas. Besting puzzles will also unlock treasure, which can be used to purchase equipment (including, according to a press release, booze).
There’s still a lot of pirate-y things that have to be confirmed here, though. Firstly, we need a parrot on our shoulders at all times, preferably customizable. You can also see an eye patch in the image above and we want accurate eye patch replication, no matter how strange it may seem in VR.
The Rise of Captain Longbeard will be releasing on Steam Early Access this holiday season, though there’s no word on a possible Oculus Rift or PlayStation VR release at the moment.
Elsewhere, Colopl NI is planning to release another of its Vive games, Cyberpong, on the Oculus Rift in the near future.
