Environment design in Sword Reverie is given extremely high attention. Refined to every detail, like all good video games should be.
Too many modern VR titles continue to get away with glorified demo level like environment designs, such as using repetitive arena based maps or dark maze-like dungeons.
However a new era of VR games is among us, and Sword Reverie aims to be one of the first to deliver an open and explorable environment that inspires.
Taking our valley for example, at first glance it seems like a straightforward path, but with closer inspection, broken crates and chests are hidden within the green algae. These small items reveal that this ‘natural’ environment might have a few mysterious hidden secrets and marks from travelers before. The player who notices these abnormalities in the outdoors is foreshadowed to hidden explorable content and organically leads them to explore more of the level rather than follow a straightforward path in most valley like designs.
Similarly, environmental storytelling takes a big part in an anime inspired game like Sword Reverie. The bright leaves show a hint at our JRPG inspired visuals. These environments allow players to take a breath between the hordes of blood pumping combat. The dangers of the elemental monsters are briefly tossed behind the mind in exchange for a relaxing view. The diverse environments Sword Reverie plans to implement will offer players enough variety to feel the sense of exploration while certain unified elements between lost ruins, major cities, and magical forests will be consistent to all feel connected.
SwordReverie steers away from the gory, muddy, and dirty environment most VR sword games in the past brings. This is a breath of much needed fresh air to reward our players.
If you enjoyed viewing some of our environmental screenshots, keep an eye out for more diverse environments in our soon to be released combat trailer.