Robo Recall from Epic Games is one of the most anticipated VR games of 2017. When we first learned about the title last year at Oculus Connect 3 (OC3) and went hands-on for the first time, it blew us away.
The controls are tight, the action is intense, and the tongue-in-cheek humor was a breath of fresh air. And all of that is crammed into a game that will be released totally for free for all Oculus Touch users.
In our previous demo we only really had the chance to try out a couple of pistols on our hip and two shotguns on our back, but this time at GDC 2017 Epic turned things up a notch. As lead designer Nick Donaldson told us, “’I wish I could… I wish I could… I wish I could…’ pretty much describes our entire design philosophy.”
“We want you to feel as badass as possible,” art director Jerome Platteaux added.
Before I dove into one of the game’s later levels, they unlocked all of Robo Recall’s various guns and upgrade attachments. In addition to the standard pistol, I could choose a revolver, an energy rifle, and even a large rocket-blasting gun.
In my left hand I opted for the standard pistol with upgraded sights and an automatic firing system. The revolver in my right hand switched to one that shot two bullets at once, resulting in only four shots total before needing to reload, but it packed a major punch. With the energy rifle I could hold the trigger and let it slowly ramp up its firing speed until red balls of energy blasted out at all angles. Finally, after shooting a rocket from my last gun, I could swing my arms in a direction to curve missiles through the air.
When I loaded into one of the mid-game levels (they said it was a little over an hour into the journey) I had the freedom to explore the city using the point-to-teleport mechanic that works similar to Arizona Sunshine. I press forward on the analog stick and point at the ground, then release to teleport, but I can also press a different direction to change which way I am facing after the teleport completes.
I jumped around the city, fighting off robots, eventually dying with only 10 seconds left on my final objective. It’s easy to get overwhelmed if you’re not careful. Getting a one-shot kill with a revolver was probably my favorite way of killing the robot scum.
Epic wouldn’t confirm a definitive release date just yet, but it should be very soon. It was also teased that this isn’t all of the secrets Robo Recall has left to uncover. When it does finally launch, it will be a free download for all Oculus Touch owners.
