A-Tech Cybernetic is horror wave-based first-person shooter for HTC Vive. As of the time of writing the game is still in development but available in early access for those who want to try it out.
There is an upcoming Story mode which features 9 chapters and takes places across 3 large maps and features many challenges. This mode might already be out by the time you read it. The other mode is called "Swarm Mode", which is the arcade version where you'll try to survive fighting against waves of enemies.
Although it's a wave shooter, the developer really puts a great deal of effort to make sure you get your adrenaline running by emphasizing on great visuals, superb sound effects, convincing animations and physics and smooth and responsive gameplay mechanics. All these things contribute to a better gameplay experience, which many wave-shooter are missing. With a story-driven and multiplayer modes, A-Tech Cybernetic can definitely stand out from the rest.
The game uses teleportation to move around. Some players prefer a free locomotion (via the touchpad) that can sustain the immersion and make the gameplay feel more connected, without any of those small interruptions when you want to change positions. Many developers prefer the teleportation by default because it doesn't cause nausea for most players, but giving players the option to choose the movement method is a good practice in my opinion and we already see many games offering the player the option to choose which type of locomotion to use or offering both in-game.
Each weapon in the game features a limited amount of bullets. Once the bullets are out you need to search for new weapons that will spawn from time to time on the walls around you. IF you are out of ammo, you can use the trigger to make a first and punch your opponents to deal damage to them. I really like the enemy reaction animation upon hit. This makes you really enjoy shooting at enemies and watching them cramping down wen they get shot. It looks even cooler when you activate the Bullet Time ability, which is useful when you need to deal with many enemies at the same time.
As I mentioned before, the graphics in the game are really impressive. The dark level design with the flashing light really reminds me of the game DOOM. This why I believe that it can really be great if you throw a competitive multiplayer into the mix. It would be great playing a DOOM-like game in VR, but the developer will need to add free movement to make the character movement faster and fluid without any delays, like you, can expect from a DOOM-like game.
As of the time of writing, I can't deny the fact that the game still lacks content, but the foundations are definitely there to create an amazing complete experience when the story mode and the multiplayer and co-op mode are introduced. Currently, you can shoot with pistols, a shotgun, a rifle, damaged limbs, a plasma gun, a flamethrower, chainsaw and bow & arrow. The developer added the flamethrower on May 19th, so I believe we'll see even more weapons coming soon. There is also a new Map called "Cave" which was announced on May 17th. All these suggests that the developer, XREAL Games, work hard to deliver on the promise to deliver a great all around VR shooting gameplay experience.
This is a great game that definitely worth your attention dear FPS fans. It's certainly one of the better shooters out there that worth to follow, support and watch how it progresses. Also keep in mind that this is a room-scale VR game for the Vive, which according to the developer notes on the gam'es page on Steam, it requires a play area of at least 2 meters by 1.5 meters.
A-Tech Cybernetic rightfully deserves out IMPRESSIVE award and we highly recommend checking this game out on Steam.
Image credit: XREAL Games