The first wave of true consumer-level VR games that released back in 2016 had a hefty torch to bear and Vanishing Realms, an action-adventure RPG from Indimo Labs, was one of the very best of the bunch.
Update: The Sundered Rift expansion is now available on Steam at the base price of $14.99 but is 20% off until August 30th for $11.99. You will need access to the base game in order to play.
Original: When Vanishing Realms: Rite of Steel first released back in April 2016 in Early Access on Steam, it was the first of its kind. No one had played a first-person action-adventure VR RPG in which you avoided traps, solved puzzles, fought enemies, and scoured for loot all from within the immersive confines of a VR headset. Indimo Labs more or less invented the melee-focused VR RPG and I’m not sure we’d have games such as Blade & Sorcery, Asgard’s Wrath, or potentially even Skyrim VR in the way that we do today without it.
But that was three years ago. Much of that time Indimo Labs has been silent, but it was apparently all for a good reason. Other than a few updates to expand the game and add some new content, there wasn’t much info out of the studio. Until now.
Today, Indimo Labs is releasing Vanishing Realms: The Sundered Rift, an all-new expansion to the original game that acts as both a more refined experience and an epic finale to the adventure. The company is also upgrading the base game, Rite of Steel, to official 1.0 status.
The story synopsis for the new expansion is as follows:
“Dark times are upon these lands, for a Servant of the Black Pit has stolen from the Dragon Guardians the secret of their arcane fire. With such power, this Winged Corruptor has driven out the last of the Guardians, and unleashed a horde of minions upon once peaceful Realms. Unfettered, they sow chaos from tree to tower, from sacred grove to deepest cavern. Only one Dragon remains, waiting in silent vigil just beyond evil’s reach. For the bright Blue Egg you carry, she keeps a tireless watch.”
Indimo Labs has been working on The Sundered Rift for over two years and it sounds enormous. I haven’t tried it yet, but it seems more like a sequel than an expansion, which is great news.
“It’s an unusual situation, but over time the new content for Vanishing Realms actually grew to become larger than the base game,” said Kelly Bailey of Indimo Labs to me in an email. “The base game and the Expansion are complete, but will be updated to fix issues or track technology changes as needed. I have to smile when I see the 2016 EA announcement where I anticipate launching the base game out of EA within a few weeks. It’s been a long journey getting here — I ultimately just kept the base game in Early Access while building the expansion because it turned out to make it much easier to keep all the shared technology in sync.”
The Sundered Rift will feature six distinct new realms to explore, brand new weapons to master, 10 all-new monsters to battle, new achievements, and more of the trademark melee combat that solidified the original as a VR classic.
We’re eager to return to the world of Vanishing Realms and this new expansion looks to be exactly what fans have been asking for. According to Bailey, The Sundered Rift is planned to go live at about 12:00 PM PT on August 23, assuming all things go according to plan.
Let us know what you think when it releases down in the comments below!
