ARK Park, the VR multiplayer adventure game based on the world of ARK:Survival Evolved (2017), was originally slated for a December release on PlayStation VR, but then production studio Snail Games delayed the game as it was “still in development.” Now, the studio says ARK PARK is officially slated to arrive on PSVR, Rift and Vive on March 22nd.
Update (02/08/18): Snail Games tweeted recently that ‘ARK PARK’ is slated to launch on March 22nd simultaneously on PSVR, Rift and Vive.
Original Article (09/25/17): ARK Park bills itself as an experience promising to be a veritable Jurassic Park (1993), filled with all makes and model of dinosaurs from the ARK universe. We got a hands-on at this year’s GDC earlier this year with the demo built for HTC Vive, and while you can’t really call it educational—there are a number of fictional creatures mashed in alongside your bog standard Brontosaurus and Triceratops—it certainly delivers what you could call ‘sheer wow factor’ with its well-rendered dinos and interesting scenery.
ARK Park focuses on exploration-based ‘Excursions’ through a number of biomes where you collect fragments of dino-DNA. These fragments can be used to unlock new crafting blueprints and new maps. Production studio Snail Games says collecting them all “will require a combination of puzzle-solving logic, quick reflexes, a trained eye, and careful resource management to bag the genes from the rarest and most prized creatures.” You can also collect and incubate eggs to raise your own virtual dinosaur pets that you can ride once they reach adulthood.
The game will be launching with ten freely-explorable maps, including both solo play or online multiplayer.
Although we didn’t get a chance to experience the game’s battle mode during our demo, Snail Games says its offering a mode where you defend your base from rampaging dinosaurs with weapons that you forge yourself during your exploration of the park. Strategically choose your weapons from a selection of melee, ranged, and specialized combat items to conquer each level.
ARK Park will support both controller and PlayStation Move, and supports English, Chinese, and Japanese voiceover and subtitles.
An HTC Vive version of the game is also currently listed on Steam with an unspecified 2017 launch date.