One Hamsa, developers of VR sports game Racket: Nx, announced that the Early Access version will arrive on Steam in late January 2017. This first version will also include “competitive” multiplayer and a new single player mode.
The Racket Nx demo, introduced to Steam on August 17th, remains one of the most enjoyable sports experiences for the HTC Vive. Described by developers One Hamsa as an ‘arcade space sport’, it takes the simple concept of squash and amplifies the intensity level with a clean, futuristic visual style, and gameplay elements inspired by classic arcade block-breaking games like Breakout and Arkanoid.
In a recent announcement posted on the title’s news page on Steam, it was confirmed that the target for the initial Early Access release is late January 2017. The title was due to launch by the end of this year, but One Hamsa states the addition of a new development partner as the reason for the slight delay.
Encouraging very hard swings of a controller and energetic, roomscale movement, Racket Nx is already a great workout. The addition of a multiplayer mode is an exciting announcement, as the game has the potential to be a competitive esport where physical fitness will be an advantage. Exactly how the multiplayer mode is structured remains to be seen, but we’re promised that it will be “competitive”, and come with the initial Early Access release. In addition, a new single-player mode will be introduced, along with new gameplay features and a ‘bunch of other stuff’, some of which is the result of community feedback from the demo.
Throughout 2017, the developers say that Racket Nx will receive several updates, with plans for more multiplayer modes, a league system, a level editor (as hinted in the demo), and esport features such as an observer mode and custom match settings. ‘Sick music’ is also promised, which should add to the already-outstanding positional audio; the ‘Nx’ in the title is named after the Nx plugin for pro-audio software Waves that simulates 3D audio (the game was originally developed as a partnership with Waves to showcase their audio technology).
Our first impressions were very positive, and it’s great to hear ambitious plans from the developers for the year ahead. If you’ve not already checked out the demo, it is still available here, and well worth a look.