What sparks that rush of excitement when diving into a VR game? What’s the secret sauce that leaves players grinning from ear to ear when they finally take off their headsets? At Something Random, while crafting the world of Harpagun, we’ve clung to a few core elements to create that magic. Let’s break it down.
For any action game, how characters move around is critical. Although flat screen games have mostly nailed this, virtual reality still grapples with striking the right balance. Some movement systems are precise but sluggish, while others let you zip around freely but can detract from the immersive experience. We wanted Harpagun’s movement to tick several boxes: comfort, simplicity, speed, responsiveness, and immersion. In this arcade-style setting, players need to react in a heartbeat—dodging danger and lining up the perfect shot with ease. To achieve this, we developed our “pylon and anchor” system, allowing players to drift smoothly between focal points, maintaining easy command of the action-packed surroundings.
When it comes to VR, everyone wants that feel of grabbing and tossing objects around as if it were real. This can sometimes break the immersion due to the tangible limitations of VR. How to keep that experience seamless? Enter the Magnetic Ray. This feature goes beyond just pulling objects closer; it’s integral to gameplay. You might squash an enemy or cause them to reveal their vulnerabilities, manipulate anything from a tin can to a tractor, and turn the environment into your playground.
Juicing up the game with dynamic visuals and sound was crucial. The action should never feel hollow—whether it’s animating characters with life, delivering weapon impacts that pack a punch, or orchestrating explosions that make you feel the chaos. Our audio choices were also intentional. Picture alien squeals mixing with satisfying thuds and splats, all underscored by a unique blend of military marches, jazz, Balkan beats, and a hint of Slavic folk. It might sound odd, but trust me, it all comes together in a way that just hits right.
The next layer is the world itself—a universe that’s both quirky and engaging. For a game like this, you don’t want lengthy lore to bog down the action. Instead, we create a simple setup: a spaceship crew on a resource mission gone awry, with a deckhand sent to make things right. Spice it up with bizarre plant-mushroom creatures, retro-Slavic tech, a sprinkle of dark humor, and a less-than-competent crew, and you’ve got a colorful tapestry for players to explore, full of oddball characters and unexpected discoveries.
And there you have it—our recipe for VR excitement. Pour your passion and effort into it over the years, and you’ll hopefully end up with an action game that resonates with fellow VR enthusiasts. We’ve done just that with Harpagun, coming to PlayStation VR2 on April 10. We invite you to dive in and let us know if our secret sauce makes the magic happen for you, too. See you out there, Space Junker!
