Ever since the Oculus Rift was first introduced, people have wanted a Mirror’s Edge VR game. Years later, Stride looks to deliver where EA hasn’t.
The first footage for Stride, which debuted over the weekend, promises essentially a VR doppelganger of DICE’s beloved series. Players hop between rooftops using parkour, avoiding enemy gunfire and taking opponents down as they go. But while the game sounds similar to Mirror’s Edge, it looks practically identical; bleached-white buildings are peppered with vibrantly-highlighted objects you can use for progression. If you told us this was an official game in the series, we might even believe you.
But we shouldn’t let Stride’s clear visual style get in the way of what looks like a genuinely interesting approach to VR free-running. From the gameplay, it looks like huge leaps can be saved with last-minute ledge grabs, and you can often choose melee combat over gunfire. Plus there are all the staples you’d expect: wall-running, climbing up pipes and grinding along wires.
Story-wise, Stride is set in a quarantined city (imagine that). You take to the rooftops as rival gangs war over the remains of the metropolis.
Now, obviously this looks like a fairly intense VR experience, one that will surely be uncomfortable for a lot of people. However, on the Steam page, developer Joy Wave says that the game “does not cause significant motion sickness.” We’ll want to get our hands on it for ourselves to really test that out, though.
Developer Joy Wave says the game is coming this summer. Look for it on Steam with support for all major PC VR headsets.
