I’m still patiently waiting for my dream fantasy RPG in VR. Mythica showed a lot of promise, but ultimately failed to get the support it needed and is back to hibernation for a while. Vanishing Realms, while great for what it is, was far too brief and limited to scratch my itch fully. SoulKeeper VR is gorgeous, but I doubt it will have the open world I seek. Now Redemption’s Guild, a Kickstarter project in development by Unlit Games aims to deliver on a multiplayer RPG promise with some lofty aspirations.
Redemption’s Guild is being described as MORPG, or a multiplayer online roleplaying game (not to be confused an MMO, or a massively multiplayer online game.) As you can see in the footage below and screenshots throughout, they’ve currently employed a rather whimsical and approachable art style, something we’ve seen in many other VR games from Rec Room to Craft Keep VR.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htzpSwH6C6k
There are six stereotypical classes to choose from: Knight, Elementalist, Ranger, Cleric, Berzerker, and Rogue. You can assume how each of them play based on names alone, more than likely. Game modes include Adventure, which is a small-scale open world environment with small quests and obejctives, Arena, a wave-based survival mode against a flood of enemies, and a Labyrinth, a maze full of deadly enemies designed to be the most challenging type of content. As you can tell, this isn’t a massive, sprawling adventure, but rather a smaller scale, tightly designed, action-packed romp for up to 4 friends.
Between games, there will also be a Tavern for people to congregate in and come together. This is where you can switch classes, assign abilities, change equipment and appearances, and more. In many ways, the game takes on a very classical fantasy roleplaying tone, with the caveat of immersive VR mechanics.
Using motion controllers inside the VR headsets, you’ll actually have to physically fight and interact as your characters. Reach up and block attacks with your sword. Cast spells with your hands. Fire arrows from your bow. It’s much more intense than simply pressing buttons while looking at a screen.
As of now, Redemption’s Guild hasabout $1,400 pledged of its $33,000 Kickstarter goal with only two weeks remaining, meaning prospects are frankly not looking very good. However, there is still hope for the project’s future, according to Michael Lepard, owner of Unlit Games.
“We have been in contact with Valve and some other companies, so that is looking very promising,” Lepard told me via email correspondence. “We also are building a solid prototype and we may be able to push it to Early Access. Then use those funds to finish up the game. Depending on if our Kickstarter gets a little push at the end or not, we may do a flexible funding goal through IndieGoGo, with the same rewards given out to our backers.”
Having a contingency plan in place is always smart. The game is currently in development for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, with planned PS VR support if the company is approved as a Sony developer. The estimated completion date, according to the Kickstarter if it’s funded, is December of 2017.
