17-Bit, the company behind Galak-Z and Skulls of the Shogun, is unlikely to create a VR survival game. Nonetheless, 17-Bit is going for it with the survival game Song in the Smoke, which will be available this summer for PC VR and Oculus Quest. A new look at the game from the Upload VR Showcase provides a fantastic picture of what Jake Kazdal and the crew want to achieve.
Song in the Smoke will try to seem authentic as a game, with creatures that respond differently based on their own condition. A hungry deer is more afraid of you, but a full deer may observe you out of curiosity. “The minor, delicate touches are something you can accomplish so much more successfully in VR than in a flat-screen game,” Kazdal remarked in the Song in the Smoke mini-documentary. The day/night cycle of Song in the Smoke is about motivating you to wander throughout the day and stock up by enhancing your camp at night.
Song in the Smoke has a lot going on, but its main focus is on being a self-contained world with its own laws to explore and live in. That universe is primeval, with strange and unusual animals developed by Katsuya Terada, a gaming art classic. Much of the game is about capturing the sensation of exploration, as well as the sensation of being a helpless, living thing in a natural setting. The rustling of a branch, for example, is described as either terrifying—a predator approaching—or delightful—a songbird taking flight.
“We’re hoping that this is one of the first games that people can really get lost in,” Kazdal added. “I’m hoping gamers to be able to immerse themselves in the wonderful sceneries, these primordial enormous woods we’ve made.”
Song in the Smoke’s official website has more information.
