Developer and Publisher Impulse Gear Update Their New VR Shooter with Two-Handed Pivot Aiming, Manual Reload, Cross-Play Lobbies, bHaptics Vest Support and More
SAN FRANCISCO – July 22, 2021 – Independent developer and publisher, Impulse Gear continues to support the launch of Larcenauts, the new Virtual Reality (VR), team-based, 6v6 multiplayer, first-person hero shooter that offers full cross-play support across major VR devices. Following the game’s initial release last month, the team has been monitoring reception and community feedback, while issuing a series of patches and hotfixes addressing additional platforms, balance and game performance. Today, Impulse Gear continues that cadence, releasing the Larcenauts: Immersion Overload update, adding a wealth of new features to the game including VR-specific, immersive interactions such as two-handed pivot-aiming, manual reload options, and immersive sprinting. These deeper VR interactions have been heavily requested by the Larcenauts community, and their addition injects the needed elements for the optimal VR-shooter experience. The Larcenauts: Immersion Overload update is available today, free of charge. Larcenauts is available now with full cross-play support across Oculus devices including Oculus Quest, Oculus Quest 2, Oculus Rift and Oculus Rift-S (cross-buy supported), as well as SteamVR, via the compatible HTC Vive, Valve Index, and Oculus Rift headsets for an MSRP of $29.99.
Immersive controls are just the beginning of today’s Larcenauts: Immersion Overload update. To take players even deeper into the game world, Impulse Gear has integrated full native support for the bHaptics TactSuit vest, a third-party wearable that delivers physical feedback via 40 haptic points wrapped around the upper body. Cross-play lobbies are now online and operational, allowing Steam and Oculus players to join lobbies across platforms. And spatialized voice over IP (VOIP) lets players communicate with their teammates in a more realistic way when in the social lobby. To celebrate today’s update, Impulse Gear is giving away a new in-game cosmetic skin for Calima, the Infiltrator, for free to all users who login before the end of July 2021. With extensive new features and expanded support, there has never been a better time for players to jump in and experience VR’s first cross-play hero shooter for themselves!
New in the Larcenauts: Immersion Overload update:
- Manual Reloads: An immersive new reload system option that lets the player perform actions to manually reload their weapon for maximum realism. This, with Style and Automatic reload options allow players to tailor the reload mechanic to their liking.
- Two-handed Pivot Aiming: Players can now select an all-new aiming mode that uses the position of both hands to aim weapons, keeping them in control and in the action.
- Immersive Sprint: A new sprint mode option where players retain control of their hands while sprinting. Players can simply aim their weapon downward to start sprinting.
- Cross-play Lobbies: Cross-play lobbies are now live. SteamVR and Oculus players can now join each other’s lobby by entering a player’s unique lobby code.
- Native support for bHaptics TactSuit vests: This third-party wearable interprets in-game actions into haptic feedback that the player can feel when wearing the bHaptics TactSuit vest.
- Free New skin for Calima: Impulse Gear are giving away a brand-new cosmetic skin for Calima, the Infiltrator, for free to all users who login before the end of July, 2021.
- Spatialized VOIP in lobby: Players in the social lobby will now hear their friends VOIP spatialized.
- Localized text English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean: Full in-game text localization of the noted languages, including localized dialog for Captain Kas in the tutorial.
Larcenauts core features include:
- The First Hero Shooter for Virtual Reality: The wildly popular Hero Shooter genre finally arrives for Virtual Reality. Take competitive shooter gameplay to another dimension and experience the heart-pounding thrill of battle like never before through the immersion of VR.
- The Specialist Squad: Variety is the spice of life, and of shooters! Players can select from a motley crew of 8 unique Specialists with larger-than-life personalities and their own weapons and skills to fill their team. From Evander the Hunter, to Vod, the mushroomy monster, or even two flavors of deadly robot, this squad drips style and flair.
- Deep Character Progression and Customization: Players can grow their Specialists via the deep stat progression system and personalize the heist with fully customizable weapons loadouts and through earning an array of stylish cosmetic skins.
- Run and Gun in Battles Across the Ludus Galaxy: Battle against other heist crews in 3 unique game modes, such as territories-style Refuel, capture-the-flag-style Uplink, and classic team deathmatch across 4 different maps including Relay, Excavation, Blight and Hazard Pay.
- Full Cross-Play Support Across VR Platforms and Devices: Fully supported cross-play across Oculus and SteamVR devices allows players to jump online, grab a friend and form a crew, regardless of VR platform.
Larcenauts is the first team-based, 6v6 multiplayer, hero shooter for VR. Players choose from a diverse cast of 8 playable Specialists with larger-than-life personalities such as the Grenadier, the Infiltrator, and even a sentient Mushroom. They are led by their fearless leader, Captain Kas, who doubles as the in-game announcer and is voiced by the inimitable Jane Lynch (Glee, Wreck-It Ralph, American Dad!). Each Specialist features fully customizable weapon loadouts and unique skills that can be grown over time via the deep progression system along with earning stylish new cosmetic upgrades to add personal swagger. Players assemble their crew and battle online through the Tern System with full cross-play support across major VR devices. Thrilling 6v6 multiplayer matches will take Specialists through game modes including territories-style Refuel, capture-the-flag-style Uplink and classic team Deathmatch spanning 4 otherworldly maps including Relay, Excavation, Blight and Hazard Pay, all to compete for riches in the lawless fringes of the Ludus galaxy. To the victor go the spoils…
Impulse Gear will continue to support the growing community of Larcenauts players around the world. For more information on Larcenauts, visit the official website – and follow Impulse Gear on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Impulse Gear Inc
Founded in 2013, Impulse Gear is an independent game studio exploring the digital frontier of Virtual Reality. The company is based in San Francisco, and has a sole mission to develop the best original AAA game experiences and have fun doing it. Composed of developers from the AAA VR, console, PC and mobile game industries, the core team has over 50 years of experience developing some of the biggest titles at EA, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ubisoft, 2K and Activision. With VR becoming a reality, the co-founders of Impulse Gear decided that the time was right to start an independent studio dedicated to the new medium. VR enables a whole new level of immersion and interactivity and the team has been at the forefront in defining what VR gaming can become. Their first title, Farpoint, did just that. Impulse Gear is now focused on developing original AAA game experiences on all platforms while exploring what the VR medium has to offer. They continue to break new ground in VR gaming with their latest title, Larcenauts, the first cross-play 6v6 multiplayer hero shooter for the VR market.
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