We've been poring over details of The Assembly, a first-person narrative-driven virtual reality (need a breath) game from nDreams, the largest development house for virtual reality in the UK. This is their first major title coming out of the door, and we're excited to launch into the game. Some background:
The Assembly is about the Assembly. No surprise there. It's what the Assembly does that presents the sinister level of conflict in the game. Away from governmental gaze, the Assembly is an organization poised to advance science without moral restraint. We're glad to see such a brow-raising topic grace games, especially in early virtual reality development, as games that address moral topics really raise the stakes for high-level conflict. You step into the virtual shoes of two protagonists, switching off from time to time to unravel what secrets are behind the massive security doors of the Assembly. Cal Pearson dives into the depths of the organization to assess where the moral compass of the Assembly points, while Madeleine Stone faces odd tests to gauge her abilities as a new recruit (kidnappee?) for the underground facility.
It's a game being brought to HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and PS4 VR. Naturally, in such a beginner phase, there are some experimental mechanics under the hood that take care of manoeuvrability problems. The world can't be our virtual playspace, unfortunately, so moving forward utilizes a right stick "snap" feature--push the stick in a desired direction, and a white "ghost" of your character will appear, suggesting that's where they will travel. It's a hurdle for us honestly, as it takes away some level of immersion as players might skip around a level instead of exploring it, but it's a mechanic that needs to exist, almost like blistered fingers for old controllers. It hurts, but it hurts damn good.
nDreams has taken their expertise in VR tech demos to wrap it into a final product. Little details litter the game, like condensation on glass you can almost feel and fully explorable environments where characters can crouch and pull items from the floor. Immersion is key here, but immersion is only half of the apple we're hoping to savour.
We're hoping the other half isn't watered-down by the dualistic aspect of the game. Portal 2 attacked two ogres with one pitchfork, wrapping a funny story with memorable characters (I still can't believe GLaD0S turned into a potato) around a cream-filled puzzler. God of War had a similar approach with a nice puzzle-to-punch ratio. Cal's side of the game focuses much more on exploration a la Dear Esther, and players can swap between that and Madeleine's puzzle-fest to see how she fares in the Assembly ranks. It might work favorably if their stories intertwine, but we have yet to see how these two characters will interact with each other, if at all.
That's not to say the characters are two-dimensional. Madeleine, a world-famous neurologist, loses her practising license and her family, only to be inducted (or abducted?) into the Assembly. Cal, on the other hand, faces trouble at the hands of the higher-ups due to failed experiments and secrets he discovers under the rug of the organization. We wonder if these two individuals ever meet face-to-face...
Regardless, we're excited to get our hands on The Assembly to see advances in VR and the narrative swirl nDreams has concocted. The game releases on July 19th for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, and then later for the PS4 VR. There's a non-VR edition as well. Please check out the videos below we edited for your enjoyment. They feature play for both characters!