Particle Storm has today launched a Kickstarter campaign for a new virtual reality (VR) shoot-‘em-up, Bombyx. Seeking to complete the development of an impressive looking prototype, Particle Storm has set the funding goal at a surprisingly low £6,123 GBP.
Bombyx is an odd but intriguing mash-up of first- and third-person action wherein the player can take control of various different elements on the battlefield; control the avatar from the Navigator, jump down to the over-the-shoulder view and remote control the Navigator, or jump the avatar into the ship and enter gunship mode. All of this conducted in real-time under the advances of enemy fire.
Influenced by the likes of Joust and Robotron, with a little bit of Space Harrier seemingly thrown-in for good measure, Bombyx will combine the bullet-hell action with light puzzle and quest elements. A video designed to showcase the variety of gameplay, control options and the visual design of the videogame has been revealed and is included below.
“One of the first things the video shows is that we have both smooth and snap turning available at the same time. Bombyx is all about trying to embrace and extend the gaming lexicon, while wrapping it in glowing wireframes and translucent color-cycling,” stated David Wilhelm of Particle Storm in direct communication with VRFocus.
In order to entice VR gamers to fund the project, Particle Storm is offering access to the videogame beginning at $16 USD. This will entitle any backers to alpha access as well as a final release edition when completed. Other funding tiers include a physical distribution Bombyx (SD Card or USB Flash Drive) at $128 and a handmade wooden box for collectors at $256.
The project launched on Kickstarter today and has until Friday, 19th January 2017, to achieve its funding goal. There are currently no details on what platforms or VR head-mounted displays (HMDs) Particle Storm intend to support with Bombyx, though given the intention to distribute the videogame via SD Card to selected backer tiers it’s an easy assumption that PC will be the targeted platform. VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details on Bombyx.
via Mint VR