‘STRIDE’ Closed Beta Signup Now Live, Bringing ‘Mirror’s Edge’ Style Parkour to VR

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STRIDE is an upcoming Mirror’s Edge-inspired VR parkour action game with an impressive locomotion system that we really hope plays as good as it looks. Developer Joy Way announced today that signups for closed beta access are now live in preparation for its launch into Early Access later this month.

Update (August 13th, 2020): Stride is heading into closed beta very soon, Joy Way reveals. You can now sign up for closed beta access, but make sure to hurry because signups close at 4PM ET on August 14th (local time here).

Users will have to agree to a confidentiality agreement that includes a complete embargo on publishing content to the public until the game is properly released.

The developers note that the number of participants is “limited.”

“We will send test keys with instructions to the lucky ones a few hours after registration ends. After receiving the key, you will have 2 days to test the game. Then we will revoke the key,” Joy Way says.

Original Article (August 6th, 2020): Joy Way announced today that Stride will launch on Steam in Early Access later this month (no specific release date or price yet). While the studio was hoping to launch the full game this month, it now plans to push the game out in two phases. “We recognize that our plans were too ambitious and we do not have time to make a full-story before the end of the summer,” the studio said.

Stride Early Access Phase I

Image courtesy Joy Way

Plans for the first phase include the release of three game modes. The initial Early Access release will include the first of the three modes, with the others released as updates “in short succession:”

  • Endless Mode: Infinite level generation provides unlimited challenging terrain.
  • Arena Mode: A spacious varied-terrain arena with waves of enemies. Perfect for practicing tricks and refining your shooting skills.
  • Time Chase Mode: Test your parkour-at-speed skills in a race against the clock.
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Joy Way released new footage showing Endless Mode in action. It takes the form of an ‘infinite runner’ style of gameplay and highlights the game’s free-form sprinting, jumping, ledge climbing, and wall running movement.

The gameplay footage also shows Stride starting to lean away from the Mirror’s Edge (2008) inspired aesthetic and a bit into its own art-style. Even so, we’re glad to see that the gameplay still clearly echoes the brilliance of Mirror’s Edge parkour mechanics which did a great job of letting players move creatively and fluidly throughout the environment.

Stride Early Access Phase II

Image courtesy Joy Way

Fortunately, Joy Way wants to make Stride more than just an sandbox parkour action game. The studio still intends to deliver a “complete story version of the game,” to bring a directed experience to the action.

The studio says the game’s campaign is being worked on in parallel with the Phase I Arcade modes, and it will have more to share in the future.

Longer term, Joy Way is interested in bringing Stride to Quest and PSVR, but hasn’t officially announced a release for those platforms just yet.

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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."
  • Richard Matey

    Yikes….. looks fun. But why not wait and make substantial content instead of releasing early with half baked modes that let’s be honest…..not really worth peoples’ time in comparison to all of the other things people could be playing.

    • benz145

      Likely to raise additional money to support more development of the game.

      • DeenVR

        Ding ding ding. Richard the brain obviously doesn’t understand the shoestring budgets that these VR devs have to work within

        • Richard Matey

          Please explain budgets and what it takes to release a game, I must be clueless

          • Developing a good indie VR game requires at least $100K in money for you, the team, marketing, etc… If you have $200-500K, that’s better. And I’m talking about something just good. Vader Immortal, Robo Recall are around $10M probably. Alyx around $50M. And if you don’t have that money, you have to develop it while you do other things to pay the bills, and this makes developing times longer, and the final quality worse.
            Source: I make VR games as well, while being an XR dev&consultant to survive.

          • Hivemind9000

            Yeah, another studio using Steam EA to fund the actual game content. Would be ok (maybe) if the price reflects the lack of content – I feel the same way as you about waiting (after “funding” many, many EA games that didn’t really pan out).

            Btw, ignore DeenVR – he/she just comes here to insult people.

  • Looks fun, even if I’m very afraid of the motion sickness of this title!