Blasters of the Universe

A VR bullet hell shooter

 

Secret Location

“I absolutely love the concept, and I love that it gets people on their feet and moving, even if it’s just bobbing and weaving your head.”

– Wyatt Krause (Sprites and Dice)

 

Primetime Emmy® Award-Winning Studio Secret Location Launches VR “Bullet Hell” First-Person Shooter Blasters of the Universe

Now available as a full title on Oculus Rift and Steam

 

TORONTO – Aug. 31, 2017 – The acclaimed VR first-person shooter Blasters of the Universe is launching today on the Oculus Store and Steam. Build your very own instruments of destruction from thousands of weapon combinations – and get ready to duck-and-dodge your way through a veritable barrage of bullets in this heart-pounding VR bullet hell shooter.

Developed by Primetime Emmy® Award-winning studio Secret Location, Blasters of the Universe combines traditional storytelling with challenging physical gameplay and dares you to survive the wrath of the virtual god Grand Master Alwyn – an insecure man-child who was once the undisputed king of the local arcade.

Unpredictable challenges await every day in the neon-bathed world of Blasters of the Universe. Dodge intricate bullet patterns in full room-scale VR as you blast your way through an unrelenting onslaught of enemies with a customized weapon and shield loadout – picking and choosing from tons of parts and modifiers to make each weapon your own. Enjoy multiple full-featured campaign levels or go for a high score in rotating challenge modes – each offering unique, ever-shifting gameplay.

“Building this incredibly exciting VR shooter from scratch has been quite the ride,” says Josh Manricks, Technical Director at Secret Location. “Our team is passionate about making VR a reality – and Blasters of the Universe is the latest example of our commitment to creating next-gen original content.”

Key Features

  • Narrative-driven Campaign mode with a rich item and level unlock system.
  • Cross platform score-based Endless modes for each level: Extremely challenging gameplay that requires players to use every inch of their available space to try and set the best score possible.
  • Constantly updating Challenge modes with unique gameplay that ensures there’s always something new and exciting to play every day.
  • Intense first-person bullet hell gameplay: Dodge a barrage of bullets and battle tons of enemies in full room-scale.
  • Customize your weapons with hundreds of possible combinations: Unlock new weapon parts as you progress!
  • Engage in epic boss battles where survival is far from guaranteed.

Pricing & Availability

Blasters of the Universe is now available on the Oculus Store and Steam (HTC Vive) as a full title for only $14.99. Take advantage of the 15% off sale during the first week and take back VR for $12.74 through September 7.

Blasters of the Universe is compatible with HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headsets – and it requires tracked motion controllers.

About Secret Location

Founded in 2009 and acquired by Entertainment One (eOne) in 2016, Secret Location combines cutting-edge technology with traditional storytelling to create digitally accelerated experiences for the web, mobile, tablet, and emerging platforms such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Secret Location created the first original serialized VR narrative and is the first company in the world to win a Primetime Emmy Award for a VR project.

Grand Master Alwyn Hacks Blasters of the Universe Twitter Account

Help Blasters take back VR (and Twitter) at E3

 

TORONTO – June 12, 2017 – There’s a new VR God in town: Grand Master Alwyn, Virtual Space Lord, has unceremoniously hacked the official Twitter account for Blasters of the Universe – the highly-anticipated VR bullet hell shooter from Emmy® award-winning content studio Secret Location.

“Our team has been working hard to prepare for the Summer 2017 launch of our studio’s first-ever original VR game, Blasters of the Universe,” says Josh Manricks, Technical Director & Product Lead at Secret Location. “Grand Master Alwyn’s true form was revealed when his consciousness was uploaded into virtual reality, and now the master of all VR space has hacked the @BlastersVR Twitter account.”

The Blasters of the Universe team is committed to regaining control of the Twitter account and is doing everything to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. The team apologizes for any confusion this has caused.

“We encourage all Blasters to tweet to Grand Master Alwyn @BlastersVR during E3,” said Josh Manricks. “Together we can take back VR (and Twitter) from this self-proclaimed Virtual Space Lord!”

Alwyn is out of control: If you send him a tweet during E3, you just might get a snarky #AlwynFTW response.

Meet Alwyn: Misunderstood Genius

Back in the ‘90s, plain old Alwyn spent his days as the undisputed king of the local arcade. Yes, he was awkward, insecure, and a little older than the other kids – but he did have superior skills and could mash buttons faster than anyone else. Shunned by the other kids, Alwyn’s true friends were the arcade games he played day in and day out. The real world around him eventually disappeared as he became one with the digital worlds he inhabited for hours on end. Anointing himself with the Grand Master moniker, Alwyn became known as the one and only Virtual Space Lord.

E3 2017: Where to Find Blasters of Universe

Face off against Grand Master Alwyn in the West Hall at the E3 Immersive Tech Zone (Booth #5400C). Alwyn has created his very own version of the floor map as well.

About the Game

In Blasters of the Universe, use hundreds of weapon combinations and seriously sick moves to overthrow the armies of an insecure man-child. Dodge and blast your way through unrelenting waves of enemies in a neon-bathed world straight out of ‘90s VHS cover art! The game has recently been updated with a whole new level (Facility), a new boss battle – and even the long-awaited Endless Mode. Who knows what goodies lay ahead once Blasters of the Universe has its official launch?

Key Features

  • Experience VR bullet hell on HTC Vive or Oculus Rift.
  • Dodge seemingly endless waves of enemies and projectiles.
  • Customize your weapons with hundreds of possible combinations.
  • Engage in epic boss battles where survival is far from guaranteed.
  • Enjoy an exciting campaign mode along with a number of bonus challenges.

Pricing & Availability

Blasters of the Universe is currently available on Steam Early Access for $14.99. The game is compatible with HTC Vive or Oculus Rift headsets, and requires tracked motion controllers.

About Secret Location

Founded in 2009 and acquired by Entertainment One (eOne) in 2016, Secret Location combines cutting-edge technology with traditional storytelling to create digitally accelerated experiences for the web, mobile, tablet, and emerging platforms such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Secret Location created the first original serialized VR narrative and is the first company in the world to win a Primetime Emmy Award for a VR project.

Secret Location to showcase “VR bullet hell” Blasters of the Universe at PAX East!

 

Secret Location will be at PAX East at the Indie MEGABOOTH showcasing BLASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, the studio’s original IP *and* the first ever “VR bullet hell” first-person shooter 🙂

In Blasters of the Universe, use *hundreds* of weapon combinations and seriously sick moves to overthrow the armies of insecure man-child and self-proclaimed VR god “Grand Master Alwyn.” Dodge and blast your way through unrelenting waves of enemies in a neon-bathed world straight out of ‘80s VHS cover art!

With offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, Secret Location created the first original serialized VR narrative and is the first studio in the world to win a Primetime Emmy® Award for a VR project (Sleepy Hollow: VR Experience).

SCHEDULING DETAILS

PAX East: March 10-12

Game: Blasters of the Universe

Location: Booth #17079 (Indie MEGABOOTH, egress aisle – across from the minibooth)

Representatives:

* Kathryn Rawson (Supervising Producer)
* Josh Manricks (Product Lead)
* Mike Sandercock (Game Designer)

Kathryn, Josh, and Mike will be at the booth for live demos — and to answer your questions, of course 🙂

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