Game Cooks released Vindicta on Valve’s Early Access platform in late June. The initial release of the game supported the HTC Vive, but the developer didn’t have Rift support ready in time for the launch. Game Cooks spent most of the summer adding new content to the game, including additional levels, a second locomotion option, and the obligatory bug fixes. Today, the developer released an update that adds support for Oculus’ VR hardware.
Vindicta is a made-for-VR first person shooter that offers an unusual locomotion method that allows you to move quickly through virtual environments without the use of teleports and without triggering motion sickness. Game Cooks built Vindicta’s mechanics around the ArmSwinger locomotion method, which involves swinging your arms back and forth as if you were running. Game Cooks isn’t the first developer to use ArmSwinger locomotion in a game, but we don’t know of any other shooters that use this locomotion method. ArmSwinger locomotion usually involves swinging both arms to move, but Game Cooks modified the input method to support one-armed swinging so that you can use a pistol while you run up to and past your enemies.
We don't fully understand why, but the action of swinging your arms at your sides significantly reduces feelings of nausea and dizziness when you move quickly. Something about the physical action involved tricks your brain into accepting your movement as natural motion. It also somehow makes you feel more connected with the game world when you're running through it at high speed.
Vindicta also features a range of other natural-feeling interactions with the environment. When you encounter a ladder, you'll have to put your guns away and pull yourself up rung by rung. You'll also encounter obstacles and barriers in your path that you must climb over, crawl under, and take cover behind.
When Game Cooks released Vindicta in June, it set the price of the game at $29.99. At the end of July, Game Cooks decided to slash the cost to $14.99 to make it accessible to more people while it’s in active development. Now that Vindicta is available for Oculus Rift owners, Game Cooks dropped the price again to attract new players. For the following two weeks, you can purchase Vindicta on Steam for $12.89.
If you prefer to purchase your Rift games through the Oculus Store, you’ll have to wait a little bit longer. Game Cooks said that Vindicta should be available on Oculus’ platform “in the next week or two.“
