The Rhythm of the Universe series was announced back in January 2019, with an aim to release the first episode later that year. While the development team didn’t make that release window, the first episode, IONIA, now has a revised release for PC VR headsets in Q4 this year.
We were really impressed by the announcement trailer for Rhythm of the Universe last year. The footage featured some stunning visuals and presented some amazing landscapes and creatures. Now, a new trailer for the first episode, IONIA, has been released this week and it looks equally stunning. The developers previously stated that real music theory would play a big part as a game mechanic, and you can begin to see some of that in the new trailer. There are various instruments and musical elements at play, alongside more truly breathtaking visuals.
Here’s a few more story details about the episode, from ROTU Entertainment:
Step into Ionia, a lush and richly detailed forest teeming with instrument-inspired flora, fauna and mysterious ruins. Traverse the landscape alongside Allegra, a vivacious young girl, as she seeks to heal the forest and its inhabitants. Solve puzzles with music-based magic as her brother Allegro to unlock the path forward. Head deeper into the Ionian forest to save the Harpa, a mythical being facing terrible danger it cannot overcome alone.
According to ROTU, the game will also raise environmental awareness and teach the players about the importance of animal habitat rehabilitation. To that end, two percent of all the proceeds from IONIA will go to the environmental non-profit organization Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors.
Rhythm of the Universe: IONIA will launch in Q4 this year for $9.99 for PC VR, including Valve Index, Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive, Vive Pro, HP Reverb G2 and Windows MR headsets, plus Oculus Quest via Link. The developers did originally announce a native Quest release, but there’s no word on whether that is still on the cards this year and the Q4 date is for PC VR headsets only.
