ILMxLAB, the developers and publishers behind Oculus hit Vader Immortal, have announced the third installment of the VR game. Vader Immortal has easily been the biggest project IMLxLAB has done with Lucasfilm, changing the entire medium in which people experience Star Wars and how they get their favorite film. It is all about putting the player in the perspective of a smuggler that has Force capabilities. This experiment required the developers to not only be thorough with their story throughout one game, but three. On November 21st, we will finally get our hands on the third episode of the story.
The first episode of the story gave you the ability to wield a lightsaber, something only a few fans have ever thought was possible. In the second episode, the studio took the game to new heights by giving your character the ability to use the force on countless objects throughout your story, and even updated the lightsaber dojo to give you the chance of practicing your new-found skill on the robots who never seem to die off. As for the third episode, the director is looking for this to be a great finale.
“This has been one of the best experiences of my career, and many on our crew feel the same way,” director Ben Snow told StarWars.com. “Vader Immortal has shown that there is an appetite for this type of storytelling in virtual reality, and we’re so happy that people have enjoyed it as much as they have.”
“Vader Immortal: Episode III begins with Vader having seized the powerful Bright Star artifact, and returned to his castle to activate it,” says Snow. “Working with your droid companion ZO-E3 and the Mustafarians, you need to get back up to the castle and try to stop Vader before he destroys life on Mustafar. This involves you discovering more about the power of your bloodline and using that to fight your way through Imperial forces as you break back into Vader’s castle. You even have a run-in with a familiar foe from a previous episode. Ultimately, you’ll have to confront Vader face-to-face and try to stop his plans.”
“It is the culmination of a journey that began back in Episode I, when your ship was pulled out of hyperspace and you were locked in Vader’s castle,” adds producer Alyssa Finley.
“We leaned heavily into the action on Episode II, and in Episode III we sustain that while incorporating even more storytelling as our greater three-episode story arc comes to its climax and conclusion,” says Snow. “This makes for a slightly longer episode, but there is a lot going on. In addition to the ancient lightsaber and Force powers that we’ve acquired in the previous episodes, you are able to grab and use blasters dropped by stormtroopers, fight air-to-air on skiffs, and start a battle in Vader’s castle between The Marching Horde droid army and the Imperial battalion stationed on Mustafar.”
Although the Vader Immortal series is coming to an end after this episode, it isn’t unlikely that we see more virtual reality experiences from Lucasfilms in the future. The success has been great so far, and the studio truly loved making and playing this game. “The thing that I’ve really loved about this series is the feeling of being there in the world with characters like Darth Vader, and Episode III really brings that to life,” says Finley. “Our artists, designers, and engineers have pulled off some amazing feats in filling out the world, making me feel like I’m the hero of this story. It’s amazing to see how the pieces have come together, and it definitely leaves me wanting more.”
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