When Technolust was released for the Oculus Rift back in 2016, many beloved that this would be the best game from development team IRIS VR. Their first game, Technolust, won the 2016 Proto awards for Best Art Direction and Best Sound Design. It was the winner of the 2016 Unity Vision AR/VR award for Artistic Achievement. If IRIS VR was going to make another game, it had to blow their last out of the water, and that would be no small task.
Everyone in the VR industry knows that Low-Fi has been in the works for a few months now, but its not what we all thought it would be. Many (including us) believed that this game would be a beefed up version of Technolust, but since their Kickstarter page has gone live, the studio has much more in mind for this new game. Low-Fi is being described as an “massive non-linear open world”, and that is completely against the grain of what they have been doing in the past.
Low-Fi will have hundreds of crimes, stories, and people to explore with. This game is going to take the form of something like GTA, a popular open world game. The only difference is that GTA is based inside of a 2010 city, and this game takes place in dystopian futuristic world. This will give the virtual reality headsets the futuristic feel that has been elusive for some time now.
As you can see in the video above, this game is going to have some real depth to it. The framework is there, and since that was recorded over two months ago, you can expect this game to be even more polished, immersive, and fun than anyone would think.
When you play this game for the first time, as you come to understand what is going on, you will realize the similarities it has with The Matrix. The majority of the community lives inside of The Platform, a simulation of virtual reality that dominates the minds of the masses. Another way to imagine it is the Oasis from Ready Player One, just much more dark, dystopian, and even a little more violent.
Low-Fi is where your character will be for the most part of the game. For the individuals that can’t merge with The Platform, or even refuse to, are subject to living beneath it, in Low-Fi. This is a crime filled community under The Platform. Everybody down here is simply shunned away, without any help from the community above. With nobody from The Platform caring what you do, you will be in a law enforcement position, as the former Sheriff was killed.
What you do with your power is completely up to you. When they say open-world, they mean it. You can fight crimes yourself, investigate other crimes that have been done already, or even participate in the incriminating activities yourself. This game will allow you to be you, and no one else has a say in what you want to do inside of your virtual world.
Below, you can see what the official Kickstarter page had to say about the freedom of the characters.
“The emphasis is on exploration and character driven stories. Like a holodeck program, the player is free to explore the city, further narratives, or just hang out in the arcades and back alleys spending their hard earned credits.
Moral grey areas can be explored via player choice in most situations through actions or dialogue trees. You can for example chose to take a bribe rather than arrest a criminal, or even frame a third party for personal gain. Who’s going to stop you?
You are free to fly around your entire jurisdiction (section 303). Credits are awarded during your shift for both time and for duties (busts, etc.). Credits can be used at black market shops, dark web delivery systems, vending machines etc., for anything from ship upgrades to bribes or just some decorations for your capsule apartment.
We want LOW-FI to feel like a real world. Completely non-linear and open ended with plenty to see and do.”
This Kickstarter is sure to fill their goal quickly, as this studio and game already have made a strong impression on the virtual industry. You can expect this game to be on the Steam and Oculus stores in the near future.
