It’s no secret that, comparatively speaking, there aren’t a ton of multiplayer games available for VR headsets yet. With a limited pool of potential players and the headaches networked game development can cause, it’s something that will mostly evolve over time. Luckily, developes like Anshar Studios are doing their part in creating unique experiences like Detached that leverage VR in fun ways.
Back in June Detached started beta testing, but now it will be available on Steam Early Access starting today for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. The game is a multiplayer-focused space tag/race game. Usually when you see a sentence like that, you’re thinking about spaceship shooters like EVE: Valkyrie, but Detached is something a bit different. You’re actually stranded in space, floating, at an abandoned space station. Using your spacesuit’s jetpack, you have to navigate the wreckage in a a zero-gravity environment, competing against a rival astronaut for resources.
Notably, Detached will also features a single player mode, so you’re not necessarily required to find anyone else online to enjoy the experience. When UploadVR went hands-on with the game, we compared the multiplayer to a form of deadly and intense “space tag” and the comparison holds true. You can read our full hands-on here.
“It took us months of preparations and hard work to come to this point,” said Anshar Studios co-founder Łukasz Hacura in a press release. “And we knew from the beginning, that we won’t be aiming for another casual VR experience…Instead we’ve decided to deliver a game that will be intense, that will leave you tons of freedom on how you play it and that will be one of the kind in result.”
Detached won’t be a game for everyone, as the jetpack-in-space simulation is undoubtedly nauseating for some people. But if you aren’t typically phased by looping around in a free-floating jetpack like ADR1FT on steroids, while engaged in an intense racing game of tag against your rival, then it’s certainly worth a look.
When the full game releases next year, more content, more maps, and more game modes will help to further flesh out the experience.
