Everest VR is available for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift through Steam. It also recently released for PlayStation VR.
With the medium of being “in the game world”, suddenly typical videogame tropes take a lesser precedent, allowing developers to get creative with how we spend our time inside the headset. Everest VR is the latest shining example of how the virtual reality medium can be more than just action packed score attack games.
The five tier interactive experience of climbing Mount Everest would be nothing if it didn’t look the part. Thankfully, Icelandic studio, Solfar, is a team that specialises in building VR experiences. As a result, after making use of Unreal Engine 4 and photo based location stills, Everest VR is astounding to look at. With the depth perception that the VR medium is capable of, great stretching views can be admired as we scale the behemoth.
The focus of Everest VR is all about the aforementioned “experience”. While there is very little gameplay to speak of, Solfar’s objective was to bring Everest to us and give us a full understanding of what the hike would be like. The game is not trying to actively simulate how to climb the mountain, so much as help an understanding of the mechanics climbers use to make it to the top alive. Instead of facing the technical design hurdles of climbing mechanics, Solfar would rather blow you away with what it’s like to look at the Milky Way in the pristine and untouched natural night sky.
