Indie virtual reality (VR) developer Joy Way announced its ambitious project Stride back in April, a freerunning experience with shooting elements. Now the studio has announced an Early Access launch will take place in August, with the videogame released in stages.
Joy Way had planned on initially releasing a story-driven campaign where you fought criminals on roof tops. That’s now been rolled back slightly with the studio saying in a press release: “We recognize that our plans were too ambitious and we do not have time to make a full-story company [sic] before the end of the summer.”
So instead the plan is to release Stride in two phases, the first being a split release of three gameplay modes. An Endless Mode (which can be seen in the video below) where the levels are continuously generated. There will be an Arena Mode providing spacious terrain with waves of enemies which Joy Way says will be: “Perfect for practising tricks and refining your shooting skills.” Finally, there’s the Time Chase Mode where players can test their parkour skills against the clock.
One of these modes will be released this month – no mention yet which one – with the other two following as free updates. Once that first phase is complete Joy Way will then launch the main campaign. The title will support PC VR headsets like Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index. The studio also plans on bringing Stride to Oculus Quest and PlayStation VR.
Looking very much like Mirror’s Edge but in VR, in Stride, you’re going to be able to run across rooftops, wall run, jump massive gaps between buildings and generally perform all sorts of crazy physical feats as you explore a crisp cityscape. At the same time, you’ll have enemies to defeat with a couple of hip-mounted pistols.
Stride isn’t the only VR title Joy Way is working on, the studio also has Time Hacker in development, a superhero experience where you can manipulate time to slow a scene down and save the day. For further updates on Stride as it nears Early Access, keep reading VRFocus.
