There’s a lot of talk centered on The Last of Us Part II right now, but don’t forget about Sony’s next big exclusive. No, not Ghost of Tsushima. Iron Man VR suits up next week, putting players inside the suit of the titular Avenger. Just ahead of its July 3rd release, Camouflaj has blasted a ton of new details onto the PlayStation Blog, including details about the enormous worlds in the game, the depth of the combat system, and some hints about how the game will focus on both Iron Man and the more nuanced life of Tony Stark and characters around him.
Ryan Payton, Director at Camouflaj, says the team was initially targeting a 4-5 hour play time, but recent playtests have average “roughly double” that first target, meaning the game’s campaign now comes in around 8 hours or so.
According to Payton, one of the biggest challenges was streaming textures at high speeds in VR as Iron Man speeds through the massive worlds. Getting this right was a huge technical hurdle, but players will be able to enjoy zooming around a SHIELD Helicarrier, Shanghai, a decomissioned Stark facility, and more locations that team is letting players discover in the final game.
When speaking about the combat, he says the goal is to make players feel “fused together with the Impulse Armor by the end of the campaign. He wants the suit and its controls to feel like a natural extension of yourself that is powerful and easy to use. He revealed that boost speeds have increased since the demo to give players more of a rush as they cruise through the worlds. He also detailed some combat mechanics, such as the rocket punch and auxiliary weapons that will allow players to fight enemies in a variety of ways.
Iron Man VR is about more than just the old red and gold suit of armor though. It’s a game about Tony Stark, the man inside the armor. It also gathers a large cast of characters including Nick Fury, Pepper Potts, FRIDAY, and some as-yet-unrevealed characters who will play a role in the game’s narrative.
If you’ve yet to experience what it’s like to be Iron Man in VR, there’s a demo out now on the PlayStation Store (which includes some bonuses in the final game if you play).
Iron Man VR releases exclusively for PlayStation VR on July 3, 2020. Preorder it now for just $39.99