Virtual reality is a realm of innovation, and an area of gaming that feels increasingly fresh. PlayStation VR owners have seen established genres get new twists, and the upcoming Blasters of the Universe brings a new take on bullet hell shooters. I spoke to Josh Manricks, the product lead and technical director at developer Secret Location to learn more about the upcoming virtual reality game.
Tyler Treese: The bullet hell genre is one that is quite established, but you get the chance to do something new with it. How did you come up with the idea for Blasters of the Universe"
Josh Manricks: Secret Location has always been dedicated to the development of emerging technologies and creating original content. Blasters of the Universe was developed in our innovation lab, by a small team and originated as prototype called Wacky Weapons. We didn?t even have a VR headset with touch controllers and it featured a hotdog launch ? yes, really. That was the genesis of the game. From there it evolved into what you see today. Do you feel that virtual reality is an area where developers can really be creative and try new things without having to conform as much to genre norms"
VR is probably the most promising sector of games for developers to make something truly creative and new. We?re still in this fledgling state where everyone is experimenting with the absolute basics of game development and redefining how we move around and interact with items and characters. New genres...