Update: You asked for it (probably) and you’re getting it; a second public beta for Ready At Dawn’s Echo Arena is now underway. This final testing phase runs until July 10th, so it’s a good chance to brush up on your anti-gravity VR skills before the full thing arrives (still free of charge) on July 20th.
Original Story: Oculus had just one announcement at E3 last week and that was that its anticipated Studios title, Lone Echo, would be releasing next month. A multiplayer spin-off titled Echo Arena is also hitting at the same time, but you’ll be able to get a first taste this weekend.
Developer Ready At Dawn Studios is hosting an open beta for the game from June 23rd at 10:00am PT through to June 25th at 8:00pm PT. The beta is already available to download, though, and you can boot it up to try out the tutorial. It introduces you to the game’s unique locomotion system in which you use your arms to propel yourself through zero gravity environments. It’s one of our favorite movement systems in a VR experience to date, so it’s well worth downloading just to experience it.
In multiplayer, teams of players jump into an arena to throw a disc into a goal zone. It’s like a strange sci-fi take on soccer, except you’re allowed to punch each other. We last went hands-on with it at E3 last week.
The beta will feature a progression system, character customization, a social lobby and top 10 leaderboards. Parties won’t be supported until the full game launches, however.
Lone Echo itself is a single-player experience that shares similar mechanics to Echo Arena. Both games will be releasing on July 20th. Echo Arena will be free thanks to a sponsorship from Intel, while Lone Echo will be $39.99. You can grab it at a discounted pre-order price of $34.99.
