If Ubisoft caught your eye with the upcoming Eagle Flight then How We Soar looks like it might be right up your alley.
This new VR title from UK-based Penny Black Studios, a studio consisting of former Crytek and Free Radical devs, has just been announced as a PlayStation VR exclusive. It’s a first-person experience in which you ride on the back of a giant phoenix, steering it with a DualShock 4. From the looks of it, you’ll complete races across a fantastical realm that’s created by ‘The Author’, a mysterious figure that you’ll learn more about as you travel back and forth between this reality and our one. You can watch the first trailer for it below, which promises a soothing experience, though it doesn’t tell you much.
Over on the PlayStation Blog, Penny Black’s Tom Turner likens the experience to riding Falkor the Luck Dragon from The Never Ending Story, or a hippogriff from the Harry Potter franchise. Our own David Jagneaux first described it as “Eagle Flight meets Flower“, when we first learned of the game, and it’s not hard to see how he came to that conclusion. The game boasts a gorgeous papercraft art style that also owes a debt to Media Molecule’s Tearaway. Even the phoenix itself is layered with papery feathers, while gigantic books linger in the distance, blotting out the sun.
Unlike yesterday’s reveal of Secret Sorcery’s Tethered, we don’t know if How We Soar will be a launch title for PSVR, though it will be releasing later this year. It’s also not clear if Sony intends to showcase the game next week at E3 2016 in Los Angeles, California. PSVR itself is expected to have a huge presence there given that this will be the last E3 before it launches in October 2016. We’re hoping to learn the final launch date for the device as well as hear about the rumoured upgraded PS4 console, which could provide a big boost to VR experiences.
Penny Black Studios is promising more information on How We Soar in the weeks to come, and you can keep an eye out for news on the studio’s official website.
