Indie publisher Mastiff has a VR roadmap that includes military action and thai horror!
A few of you out there may be familiar with the Heavy Fire series, a military on rails shooter that made appearances on the Wii, PS3, and XBox 360. Well during the Mastiff GDC press event it was revealed that Heavy Fire is returning and this time with a VR spin. Heavy Fire: Red Shadow is a pretty fun VR experience for those looking for an simple pick up and play PSVR game. My first run of this military wave shooter lasted around 7 minutes but was filled with enough action that it felt like I had been playing for much more. The action is tense and fast paced with everything from tanks to suicide bombers combing at you in a 360 immersive space. The game is still an on rails shooter and not Skyrim VR, that being said it was a very fun experience with detailed enemies and environments.
During the event I was able to speak with Mastiff CEO Bill Swartz about the history of the company and their current roadmap for VR.
As a small independent publisher, Mastiff does have to compete with a very saturated market and titans like EA with lots of money to spend. Mastiff was inspired by the title BeachHead 2000 and felt this kind of game would not only good to bring to VR but could be done at a cost enough that they can release it as a reasonably priced title. The title is niche but will find appeal to those who like intense and fast paced military styled action. Heavy Fire: Red Shadow was not the only game part of the companies VR roadmap.
Mastiff is also working on bringing the well received First Person Thai horror game Home Sweet Home to console and VR. Currently on PC, Home Sweet Home, is a first-person horror adventure game based on Thai myths and beliefs. The core gameplay focuses on storytelling and stealth to avoid perilous spirits hunting you.
Both these titles are very different but are both well made indie titles that are fun to play. While exact release dates are not set you can be on the look out for both of these VR titles later this year.
