There are certain staples of the RPG that gamers are feverishly hoping will make the jump from 2D console-fair to immersive VR. Time will tell if features like enormous worlds, intricate combat mechanics and engaging storylines will make it into this first cycle of headsets. However, a new gameplay video for the Vive title A Legend Of Luca, proves that RPG fans can rest easy knowing one of their genre’s most sacred experiences is already possible in VR: pot smashing.
In the video (above) description, A Legend of Luca creator Bryan Livingston describes the game as, “a VR FPS Rogue-Lite in a Zelda-Like world that uses screen scrolling where the player explores dungeons of many linked rooms to defeat bosses and gain their weapons.”
The Zelda influence is none-too-subtle in the above trailer. One of the franchise’s classic elements is raising your mighty blade against defenseless hordes of treasure-concealing pots. The prospect of having a similar experience in VR will no doubt excite some fans, and the actual enemy combat in the video looks tight as well.
Livingston explained in an email to UploadVR his inspiration for the game and the reasoning behind its room-to-room dungeon crawling system:
“The idea for this game came out of thinking about the room scale VR of the Vive headset. How to have a big adventure moving around in a single room play area…I’m really all about high-end VR, and the room scale experience gives the best immersion. This game idea came out of hearing that when Vive games provide teleport mechanics, players tend to just stand there. So this game utilizes your full space.”
It is obviously hard to tell specifics from a video alone, and the game is certainly early in development, but from the footage there do seem to be a few kinks that need ironing out. Moving between the dungeon’s rooms looks to be a bit on the jarring side but Livingston does have a video that demonstrates different transition options are available.
Having the choice of instant, pan, blink, and slow transitions may help you find an option that sits well with both your gameplay style and your stomach.
Sword combat also seems almost too smooth. The weapon seems to just glide right through enemies. Combat in general looks like it could benefit from a few feedback animations when attacking.
The game is still early in development and these issues may be ironed out by the time the final title launches. We will be going hands on with A Legend of Luca in the next few weeks and will provide a more detailed hands-on preview once that happens.
