“Asgard’s Wrath 2” is Meta’s most ambitious VR game to date

One of the biggest announcements at today’s Meta Quest Gaming Showcase is Asgard’s Wrath 2, the sequel to the acclaimed 2019 original, which is slated for release this winter. It’s shaping up to be Meta’s most ambitious game to date – an RPG that the company believes can stand up to the genre’s biggest hits on consoles and PC. To deliver on the promise, developer Sanzaru Games may have to push the 2020 mobile technology VR headset to the limit.

Sanzaru studio creative director Mat Kraemer said in an overview of the game that Asgard’s Wrath 2 features “huge worlds unlike any other game on the Meta Quest platform”. Much of the action takes place in ancient Egypt rather than the Norse setting of the first game, but you will still visit Muspelheim (a place familiar to God of War fans).

Like Asgard’s Wrath, the sequel features animals that you can make companions to aid in puzzle play and combat. And for the first time in the series, you can use animals as mounts to help you traverse large landscapes. Elsewhere, combat takes a more aggressive approach this time around compared to the original game’s defense system. Previously, players had to parry and block before they had a chance to remove an enemy’s shields. In Asgard’s Wrath 2, they can use quick attacks to counter shields or use skill weapons to launch more powerful attacks. Neatly, enemies can catch thrown weapons and bring them back to you.

There are many elements here that you’d expect from modern RPG, crafting, mini-games (including hunting and sling shooting) and intense exploration, to gear and weapon upgrades and enemies that get stronger as you do so. You and your animal companions have skill trees to level up. As in the first game, you’ll be able to manipulate the world with cosmic powers. Basic weapons should offer more variety and customization for enemies, while you can own people to use their skills and abilities and help them fulfill their destinies.

That’s a lot for any game, let alone one powered by a chipset like the Samsung Galaxy S20 series. Sanzaru, who made the original game for Oculus Rift, is developing Asgard’s Wrath 2 for Meta Quest 2. The headset uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2, which is derived from the Snapdragon 865.

While many players dive into the game with Quest 2, the Meta Quest 3 revealed today will be available when Asgard’s Wrath 2 comes out. It looks and feels better in Asgard’s Wrath 2, while players will have a more comfortable fit for 60 hours of gameplay.”

Either way, Sanzaru seems to be squeezing as much as it can out of its current headset, giving the studio more to work with than it did with the Rift.

“The biggest and best thing is that we’re now working with completely wireless and unconnected hardware, so this is the kind of game you have to play because it’s about combat,” said Grace Lingad, Creative Director of Sanzaru. ReturnByte. “We’re really focused on visceral, gesture-based, physics-based combat. Without external sensors and tracking wires and all that, Quest platforming was really a game-changer for the franchise.”

As for how the game will run on the Quest Pro, Lingad (who spoke to ReturnByte before the Quest 3 was announced) said that Sanzaru focused on the Quest 2 because the headset has such a large dock. “We really want to make sure as many people as possible can enjoy this game,” he said.

In recent weeks, critics have told other major RPGs like Redfall and Diablo IV about the state of their open worlds outside of the main missions. Sanzaru had to keep in mind striking the right balance between having a lot to do in Asgard’s Wrath 2 and giving players open areas to tear their cleats while dealing with Quest 2’s hardware limitations.

“That’s one of the biggest design challenges the team had to deal with,” Lingard said, “because we can build the levels to feel sprawling, but of course we have to consider the limitations of the hardware.” . “There is some negative space, which is good for the eye and the mind to rest.

“We’re trying to get into the little side areas, but it’s hidden and hidden,” he added. “It’s really for the players, for those who really want to explore everything: ‘Hey, there’s this little area, if I could just crawl out of there…’ Then you go out into this secret monster lair and we hide some really challenging things in there. Really good rewards there.” ” So that way we keep the intensity high, but it’s not like everything is, bam, bam, bam, in your face, which I think is a smart move by our team.”

Sanzaru, who was picked up by Meta in 2020, estimates that it will take over 60 hours to beat Asgard’s Wrath 2’s campaign. This is twice the length of the original game. Plus, there’s the endless Uncharted Rifts mode, which randomly spawned dungeons. Players can dive into this mode at almost any time to grab high-level loot to redeem the campaign, but Uncharted Rifts can make hardcore fans thrive after the story is over.

When you add it all up, it takes a lot of time to play games with a VR headset, especially ones that involve fast-paced combat. Motion sickness has long been a concern of VR users. Sanzaru kept this in mind when creating Asgard Wrath 2’s accessibility settings and features.

Lingard said it was important the team offered a wide range of settings to allow players to “tailor the experience to their comfort level”. These are related to factors such as motion sickness and combat difficulties. Accessibility options include motion settings such as clicking and steady rotation on the controller instead of having to twist your body. Lingard notes that it’s especially important for a VR game to give players a wide range of options because the experience is “so deep and personal.”

Because everyone’s VR history is different, “we’re really important to have a lot of settings.” He said. “We really want to respect people’s time. For some people, this might be their first game in VR. We hope the game really launches and people want to try it out for themselves. We want to make sure this experience is as accessible as possible.”

Sanzaru wanted to make sure that Asgard’s Wrath 2 welcomes both VR newcomers and people who haven’t played the first game. You may wish to see a summary of the previous title before starting

We’ll have to wait several more months to see if the Quest 2 and Quest 3 (which are said to offer twice the graphics performance of the current model) can really support Sanzaru’s ambitions. But if you were a fan of the first game or looking for a long and immersive VR experience, you might want to add Asgard’s Wrath 2 to your wishlist.