At this year’s Summer Game Fest, nDreams Studio Elevation unveiled REACH, a new virtual reality game that promises to push the boundaries of immersive gaming. The game has generated significant buzz since it is backed by former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida. This title aims to redefine VR immersion with its bold approach to storytelling, mechanics, and interactivity.
While plot details remain under wraps, we were able to check out the game’s tutorial, which gave us a glimpse of what we can expect from the full release. I have played or demoed other VR titles, but my own experience with VR is limited. That being said, I did enjoy my playthrough of REACH, and it left me with an impression that feels hopeful for the future of VR games.
The demo begins outside a warehouse, setting the stage for the introduction to REACH’s mechanics. Players navigate inside, where initial tasks introduce you to the climbing system. Using the Meta Quest controllers, you reach out and grip ledges with the triggers, effortlessly pulling yourself onto platforms.
The next challenge showcases dynamic movement: by guiding your character with the thumbstick and thrusting both arms forward, you leap between stacks of pallets and onto other objects. This leads to sprinting, followed by combining running with jumps. While the mechanics may take some time to master, once they click, the level design begins to shine, revealing that you’re not confined to the marked path set before you. There are far more creative ways you can reach your destination should you choose to step outside the path laid before.
Progressing further, you’re introduced to the game’s combat system, featuring bow and arrow-based mechanics. By reaching over your shoulder and holding the trigger, you seamlessly draw your bow from your back. With the other controller, you can grab an arrow and pull it back to fire. From there, the tutorial sets you loose, immersing you in a high-tension scenario straight out of an action movie. You charge through a Spanish villa, taking down nondescript armed militia soldiers. Explosions erupt, a helicopter roars overhead, bullets wizzing by you as you take what you have learned from the tutorial and now put it into practice. At one point, you leap out of a window into the building across, channeling Matt Damon in The Bourne Ultimatum.
REACH is shaping up to be a title to look out for, with the backing of a former major studio head and already a solid base for just the gameplay mechanics alone, I look forward to seeing what the full game will be when it releases later this year. REACH will be playable with the Meta Quest 3, PS VR2, and the Steam VR headsets.
