Obduction, the hotly anticipated adventure puzzle game from the creators of Myst (1993), launched on PC on August 24th, but did so before the Oculus Rift version of the game was ready for release. Now the creators say it will be a little bit longer, but eventually anyone with the game will get access to the Rift version.

We reviewed a “pre-release” version of Obduction with Oculus Rift support on launch day, but the general public won’t be able to put their heads into the game’s wild world for a “few weeks” yet, confirms Chris Doyle, Director of New Experiences at developer Cyan, via Twitter.

Citing need for some additional tweaks before it goes out the door, Cyan elaborated via a Kickstarter update:

The VR (Rift) version of Obduction is coming soon. Sorry for the slight delay, but it needs a bit more optimizations and some UI polishing. The good news is that your code will also give you the full VR version. Everyone who gets the game will get the VR version. No questions asked, no hidden fees or handling charges. ;) We don’t have an exact ship date for it, yet. We’ve got an update already underway that we’ll be testing as a possible candidate for VR release. We’ll keep you updated on the VR progress.

The good news at least is that Oculus Rift support for Obduction will come with all versions of the game, so if you were too eager to wait and bought the game on launch day, you’ll be able to play it with the Oculus Rift once support is ready.

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Rift support, as it turns out, almost wasn’t going to make it into the game. It was a $1.3 million stretch goal of the Kickstarter which fueled development of Obduction. In the end, the campaign raised $1.32 million, just enough to activate the stretch goal to include Rift support.

At least as far as the non-VR version of Obduction is concerned, reviews on Steam have rated the game ‘Very Positive’, with 96% of reviewers giving the game a positive recommendation.

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In our review of the pre-release Oculus Rift version of Obduction, Road to VR’s Scott Hayden generally enjoyed the game, save for a few blemishes (some of which may be fixed up by the time Rift support hits the game widely). Scott surmises his experience:

On the whole, Obduction actually does live up to the hype. It was a refreshing dive back into a classic that captured the same air of wonder I felt back then, especially when tinged with the frustration of having to backtrack to previous areas to collect a browsed-over clue. This, to me, isn’t a con though. It’s a feature that begs your attention, demands your critical thinking skills, and punishes you for not trying your best.

As for HTC Vive VR support in Obduction (and the possibility of motion controls), we’re waiting to hear back about Cyan’s latest plans.

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Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • Nigerian Wizard

    I hope the puzzles in this game live up to the hype as you say. Today’s casual audience has been subsidizing and watering down the hell out of the average “puzzles” in video games. Just look at Uncharted 4, SOMA, Bioshock Infinite.

    Please god don’t fuck this one up.

  • Note that the message was only sent to an audience of backers, and says everyone that gets the game (among the message’s audience, i.e. backers who bought in at a sufficient level) will get the VR version. You’ve interpreted this as meaning that everyone who’s _bought_ the game also gets a copy (and upon seeing your article, I bought one, so I hope you’re right)… however, Cyan clearly hasn’t said that in the message you quote. It could be that only the code gets you that additional functionality, and that people outside the Kickstarter community will have to pay additional costs, if they’ve already purchased the game.

    • CMcD

      Yup I agree with you. It’s why I haven’t bought the game on steam just to be safe. I’m waiting till it comes to the rift store.

      • Iliad

        Buy it on Steam! :) If it isn’t so great in VR (which I hope it is) you have the option of returning it. Buy it on Oculus and it’s your’s forever.

  • Andrew Jakobs

    Hmmm, ‘a few weeks’, wouldn’t surprise me if that ‘a few weeks’ would be after the Oculus Connect convention, and wouldn’t be surprised if the Touch controllers would be officially be released during the Oculus Connect convention, so with Obduction having Touch controller support from the start. Which ofcourse would be a big surprise and big news..

  • David

    Release it for the Vive with Roomscale and you’ll get my money.