Last month E McNeill – the indie developer behind Astraeus, Tactera and Skylight – launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for his latest virtual reality (VR) title, Ironlights. Looking to achieve the small sum (in videogame terms) of $15,000 USD, that goal was hit earlier today. Now there’s the possibility of stretch goals being hit.
Currently, just over $17,000 has been pledged by supporters to bring this arena battler to fruition. McNeill previously mentioned that the funds weren’t to help build the videogame as it was almost complete, rather ensure it was finished to a high standard ahead of a planned Spring 2020 launch.
With 8 days still left attention has now turned towards stretch goals, namely a $25K target. Should this be achieved the developer says: “we’ll let the backers decide which class should be added next. Do you want to fight with a scythe, halberd, whip, or something else entirely? We’ll listen to your ideas, assemble a list of potential classes that we’re confident would be a solid addition to the roster, and send out a poll to all the backers of this campaign. Whichever class you choose will become our top priority!”
To secure yourself a copy of Ironlights it’ll cost $15 (£12 GBP) which is a 25% saving over the final price once the launch takes place in April. Or why not go for the $60 (£47) tier, getting the entire E McNeill back catalogue of Ironlights + Darknet, Tactera, Skylight, and Astraeus. Ironlights will support a range of headsets including Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index, with cross-buy supported for Oculus.
Ironlights is primarily a PvP combat experience (a single-player mode is available) mashing up medieval brawling with a futuristic twist. Players can select from a range of fighting styles such as the Knight (Two-handed Greatsword), Monk (Staff) and Crusader (Flail & Shield) and then personalise their look before stepping (floating) out into the arena.
All the action takes place in slow-mo with players only able to attack and then defend (rather than a real-time back and forth battle) depending on their energy levels. Melee weapons break with every hit and players can also launch ranged attacks for a small energy spend.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Ironlights as development continues, reporting back with the latest updates.