A space station worker wakes up after a catastrophic accident that has demolished most of the ship. Her suit is damaged. Oxygen systems are failing. Sections of the vessel still have power, but debris floats freely around each room. The only sounds are that of heavy breathing and the hum of some electronics. Her suit tells me that her oxygen is low. Her breathing grows more rapid.
This is just a taste of the fascinating new FPX (First-Person Experience) from Three One Zero and 505 Games, Adr1ft, which tells the story of a woman trapped in orbit, fighting for survival and a way home. Designed using Unreal Engine 4, you’ll find yourself travelling through locales beautiful and vast, carefully floating through space in search of answers.
We watched a total of 9 minutes of game play; the sense of hopelessness hits you immediately, and I couldn’t help but tense up every time the protagonist scrabbled for a nearby floating oxygen canister. I wasn’t counting since I was focused so hard on the panicked breathing, but a meter on the bottom-right tracked the rapidly-depleting oxygen levels which appeared to only carry around 90 seconds of Oxygen before requiring a refill.
The game has the heaviest emphasis on narrative. From what I could see, you do not fight anyone or anything but the harsh void of space and that fickle beast, the human respiratory system. While you have the ability to float just about anywhere, you don’t want to. You’ll find yourself firmly divided between the desire to search for clues in a distant corner, and the desire to not suffocate.
Contrary to rumor, the game was not designed for Oculus, but was designed with it in mind as an option. I gave it a whirl and had one of the most pleasant experiences I’ve ever had with the accessory to date. I was thankful that they had enabled a sandbox mode, leaving me free to explore without the feelings of impending doom and dread that come with the full package. I explored a busted-up satellite. It was sufficiently terrifying and I never want to actually go into space now. Nope.
Adr1ft is slated for release sometime in the summer on PS4 and Windows. Users can expect around four hours of game play, which is plenty enough time being scared and alone in space for me!
