Time Machine VR is an adventure game for both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive that has been in development for quite some time. Today the studio behind the game – Minority Media Inc. – is finally announcing the game’s release date: May 19.
Time Machine VR is currently an early access title on both the Oculus Store and Steam, but the full version will be available in just over a week for both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. The cost of this particular adventure will be $29.99.
Gameplay involves exploring the depths of a prehistoric ocean in order to analyze its many remarkable denizens. The goal of this analysis is to concoct a cure from the genetic codes of the past in order to stop the horrifying disease that is ravaging the future.
The story was written by Assassins Creed IV author Jill Murray and the narrative plays out through occasional live-action video communiques from your commander back in the future. There will be more than just jurassic-era monsters to challenge players as time itself will apparently be threatened by your adventures under the sea.
A huge part of the appeal for Time Machine VR hinges upon something that VR gaming does better than any other platform: providing a sense of scale. Vander Caballero – Minority Media’s CEO – specifically cites this as one of the main incentives driving the game’s creation:
“Once we started bringing the Megalodon and other creatures back to life in VR, we couldn’t wrap our minds around how huge and real they looked! This is the kind of mindblowing contact with prehistoric creatures that can only happen in VR.”
Now that the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are both moving (however gradually) out of the launch phase, the rate at which content will be coming to the platforms will be more of a trickle when compared to the initial tsunami of titles that originally accompanied their release.
It is still something of a question whether or not VR specific studios can support themselves on the strength of the early-adopter marketplace alone. This inquiry is highlighted even more significantly by titles eking out one at a time that aren’t benefited by the fanfare of a massive product launch.
We will keep you updated on the success of Time Machine VR, and others like it, as the weeks go by.
