I duck behind the control panel, spawn an orb in my left hand, toss it over the top of the console, slow time, and pop up from behind cover to shoot the orb, exploding it amidst the group of sinister alien robots. It’s so satisfying, I almost want to hold the gun up to my lips and blow away the smoke like an action star, but I refrain.
ROM: Extraction, a game we revealed last month from new game studio, First Contact, is a visceral arcade-style shooter that’s all about making you feel like a badass. The core gameplay loop involves throwing small, glowing orbs, slowing down time, then shooting them out of the air to cause massive explosions of light and energy. The game calls it “throw, slow, shoot” and it’s dead simple, but it’s incredibly addictive and fun.
In the new gameplay trailer above, you can finally see how this works in action. The build that’s releasing today on Steam is the first iteration of the title and is not being labeled as Early Access, even though it’s clearly not the fully-realized game. Instead of waiting until everything was finished, they’ve instead shipped the basic gameplay on a single map and will release new updates over time as a mixture of paid and free DLC.
Early next year that will include a free multiplayer update, which you can already see as a locked option in the main menu. Details are scarce at this time, but it is aimed to be a cooperative asynchronous form of multiplayer. Currently, you can enjoy some lite-coop elements due to the fact that when the game is mirrored on your computer monitor, it actually displays a top-down map of the level (shown below) so people outside of VR in the room can see where enemies are spawning and give you help if you’d like.
Currently, there is only a single game mode on one map. You load into the world, standing at the center of a control panel, and alien-engineered robots start to swarm in on you. You throw orbs, slow down time, and shoot your way through the 3-minute long mission, fighting off wave after wave, until the time is up and you’re able to escape down into the floor via the descending platform. You can’t move from your spot other than simply dodging and ducking in roomscale, as there is no teleportation or other form of locomotion in the game.
It’s unclear which DLC will be paid and which will be free down the line, but there is a mixture. Content will include new maps, weapons, enemies, and levels. The multiplayer update though, specifically, will for sure be a free inclusion early next year.
ROM: Extraction is a highly-polished arcade shooter that asks you to compete on the same level over and over to climb up the leaderboards. It’s addictive and fun, but will likely grow old quickly for most VR gamers that have spent time in more advanced experiences already. Raw Data, for example, while more expensive, offers a similar experience with significantly more content and a sprint-based teleportation mechanic. Other wave shooters like Blasters of the Universe or the horror-themed The Brookhaven Experiment feature much more variety. Island 359 has a massive island to explore with varied dinosaurs to hunt and Arizona Sunshine even has a full campaign on top of its wave-based horde mode.
The most applicable comparison would be Space Pirate Trainer, a game that launched with only a gun and a few firing modes, plus a shield, and a slow-down mechanic that you could trigger in some situations. Mostly the same enemies, a single level — it had a lot of similarities to ROM: Extraction when it first released in Early Access with the Vive’s launch. However now, several months later, it features a tremendous amount of variety, while building upon that foundation.
Clearly First Contact has the talent to make something hyper-polished and engaging, but I’m mostly looking forward to see how they expand on this early mold of ROM: Extraction. They’ve told me about the lore of the orbs, how they’re actually alien eggs, and all of the mining operations that led you to the mission you play in the game right now, but none of that backstory comes through in what’s available today on Steam, unless you opt to read the paragraph-long ‘Prologue’ in the main menu.
Multiplayer will be a great addition, as will more maps and content, but until then ROM: Extraction is just a wave shooter with a single 3-minute long level. Judging from the quality though, I am excited to see what they make next.
ROM: Extraction is now available on Steam for $19.99 with a 15% launch discount and official HTC Vive and Oculus Rift with Touch support.
