Ever since I was a teenager, I've been fascinated by the possibilities of virtual reality thanks to many sci-fi books, comics and TV shows I devoured that made the concept of VR seem entirely plausible. Therefore, I am a huge believer in what this technology could bring...and bring relatively soon, with a retail version of the Oculus Rift coming in the not-too-distant future. There are those who have said that they expect the VR craze to crash like the motion control fad, but if anything, I think that was a small stepping stone into the much larger world of VR gaming.
One of the most exciting things VR brings to the table is truly immersing players in the game world (i.e. putting them in the shoes of on-screen, first-person avatars). Almost everyone wants to play as someone they are not; that's one of the universal truths of video gaming.
Following in that vein...what would it truly be like to be a god? A cool, new title, "Pneuma: Breath of Life," answers just that question. Thanks to a heads up from Destructiod, we finally get to see this gorgeous puzzle game that floats some very big concepts through your mind. Think "The Talos Principle" or "Myst," but with HD graphics in virtual reality world, and you'd be getting close to the mark.
From the title's website: "'Pneuma: Breath of Life' provides players with an unrivalled sense of awe and a relentless determination to solve every puzzle and progress through a narrated story of self-discovery, exploring the fundamental nature of being. This is a difficult puzzler designed to force players to think outside the box and explore beyond what they know as reality through the eyes of a god, voiced by award winning voice actor, Jay Britton. Pneuma's story is one that can only be told through the interactive medium of video games. Push your brain to its limits in this exciting new first person puzzler as Pneuma contemplates the nature of reality and you explore the ontological mystery of the Breath of Life."
If you have no love for the thought of wearing a VR headset, fear not. Deco Digital and Bevel Studios are also exclusively bringing the game to the Xbox One on Feb. 27...but without the VR support, of course.
There's a trailer for "Pneuma: Breath of Life" below:
