‘Hover Junkers’ is Getting a Single Player Mode, Here’s the Teaser Trailer

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Developer StressLevelZero is fulfilling their promise of adding a single player campaign to Hover Junkers—one of the Vive’s earliest titles—arriving in the free 1.3 ‘Junkroad’ update. The team recently posted a short gameplay teaser, showing a distinctly less frantic atmosphere compared to the game’s original multiplayer mode, with the full trailer and release coming in the next few weeks.

Multiplayer first-person shooter Hover Junkers from developer StressLevelZero was a popular launch game for the HTC Vive, built from the ground up for VR and motion controllers, using hovercrafts as moving platforms on which to shoot, an innovative way of traversing large maps while reducing the chances of nausea. The hovercrafts allow for some interesting gameplay mechanics, such as creating cover made from junk, and players can share the platforms in co-op matches.

Perhaps due to the slow update schedule or lack of progression, the multiplayer scene has unfortunately all but dried up; a single player campaign could help to reignite interest in the game. The free 1.3 ‘Junkroad’ update is due to launch within the next few weeks. The campaign’s concept was outlined by StressLevelZero founder Brandon J Laatsch in a news entry on the game’s Steam page in March, saying it would be familiar to anyone who played the classic Oregon Trail series.

“You start each run by loading up a junker with supplies. Once ready you depart on rails as you head for another planet to start a new life for your family. You make choices about pace, rations, when to hunt for food, and many more randomly occurring choices to make along the way.”

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In another news entry posted in June, Laatsch offered a few screenshots of the single player, and stated that there would be “plans moving forward to hopefully address player count and community involvement!” While the teaser for Junkroad seems unusually subdued, StressLevelZero developer Chris Sherwood confirmed in the YouTube comments that there will indeed be enemy AI to fight, with bandit encounters “in the works”.

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The trial version of Microsoft’s Monster Truck Madness probably had something to do with it. And certainly the original Super Mario Kart and Gran Turismo. A car nut from an early age, Dominic was always drawn to racing games above all other genres. Now a seasoned driving simulation enthusiast, and former editor of Sim Racer magazine, Dominic has followed virtual reality developments with keen interest, as cockpit-based simulation is a perfect match for the technology. Conditions could hardly be more ideal, a scientist once said. Writing about simulators lead him to Road to VR, whose broad coverage of the industry revealed the bigger picture and limitless potential of the medium. Passionate about technology and a lifelong PC gamer, Dominic suffers from the ‘tweak for days’ PC gaming condition, where he plays the same section over and over at every possible combination of visual settings to find the right balance between fidelity and performance. Based within The Fens of Lincolnshire (it’s very flat), Dominic can sometimes be found marvelling at the real world’s ‘draw distance’, wishing virtual technologies would catch up.
  • Raphael

    Interesting. I will play the single player when it comes. Apparently I’m the first and only person to respond to this news.

    • Peter Hansen

      No, you’re not. ;)

  • Peter Hansen

    Wow, they really don’t want to market the single player, do they? It’s a rare thing to see such a sad and boring trailer. Even the music…

    • FPRobber

      That was my first thought too. That trailer is horrible. Going by the dev videos they put a lot of work and thought into the new content, why couldn’t they have at least worked more than a few minutes on a trailer that actually makes me want to buy the game?