Onward is a tactical multiplayer FPS that has been developed for head-mounted VR displays.
With limited respawns, no HUDs, changing weather effects, multiple environments and no crosshairs, players will need to fully immerse themselves in the firefight in order to survive.
Players must fall back on their coordination, communication, and marksmanship skills in order to complete objectives and succeed in this online shooter.
Continue reading for everything we know about Onward.
Release Date
The tactical FPS first released in August 2016, but the developer wanted the game to evolve and improve with the community’s requests.
At the time when ‘Early Access’ for the game had only just started, the developer said:
“Before the game is considered finished, I want to add more scenarios and environments, improve weapon models and sound effects, and better the user experience throughout early access development.
The best way to accomplish this is to get this game out to the public for feedback, so that Onward can be the best game it can be!”
From this small snippet, we can tell that this game has been designed to put the player first – a classy touch that can get lost in bigger development teams.
Trailer
In the back end of October 2019, the Onward V1.7 Update finally dropped, and with it came a new trailer.
The trailer unveiled the new features of custom maps, angled sights and improved AI, as well as new HQ models for the AKM, G3, 552 and Shield.
Less exciting parts of the update include the user interface being streamlined, and certain maps having their lighting improved.
The game has clearly come a long way since its ‘Early Access’ days, as the trailer featured some gripping gameplay sequences from a cramped middle-eastern market.
Gameplay
The Onward community is a loyal one at that, and they consider the game to be one of the best shooters around.
The game really nails immersion.
The game gets its players crawling through dense jungle environments with their team, scanning the horizon and straining their eyes for any signs of movement.
The virtual world feels graspable, and the guns feel authentic and real. In terms of an all-round immersive experience, this game really does have it all.
We just hope that the one-man development team goes on to make alternative versions of the game, perhaps by playing with different time periods.
A game based in the World War 2 era would provide a really unique experience to the community, but maybe they should wait for the VR player base to expand.
Consoles
Downpour Interactive made the shooter a PC exclusive, which is probably for the best considering the number of headset options on offer.
Any SteamVR-compatible headset will work with the game, but some work better than others.
The Oculus Quest and Rift are both great options as a VR headset, but we would recommend the Quest.
On top of the sharp display, full ‘6DOF’ motion tracking and dual controllers, the headset is also wireless.
While the Quest is slightly less powerful and has a lower refresh rate than other high-end tethered VR headsets, the wire-free experience and six-degrees-of-freedom motion tracking speaks for itself.
Written byJulian Simms
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