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Belgian Game Spotlight - Hubris

Welcome to a new Belgian Game Spotlight! Previously, we explored mythological worlds in Heim, but we're rocketing off into the far reaches of the galaxy this time, with the sci-fi Virtual Reality adventure: Hubris.

Hubris is A VR action-adventure game set in a unique and intriguing sci-fi universe. You play as a recruit of an order that aims to keep the intergalactic peace and you'll be putting your training to the test with running, jumping, swimming and well-aimed shooting in this immersive first-person VR experience.

It's made by Cyborn, an Antwerp studio with years of animation experience and a strong motivation to deliver a fresh AAA experience to VR platforms. With a whopping €2M+ investment from ForsVC, we're hoping to see many great projects come out of the studio in the near future.

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TELL ME MORE

You might have noticed the three-dotted design in the key art or on the suit of the character in the image above. This is the emblem of the OOO or the Order-Of-Objectivity. This order governs the rules in this Sci-Fi universe and with their treaties, they aim to prevent war between the different planets and factions.

As the player, you take on the role of a recruit in training to become an OOO agent. Together with a more experienced pilot called Lucia, you are sent to the planetoid belt around a twin-planet system and you’re tasked with searching for the mysterious agent Cyanha.

From the get-go, it’s clear that a lot of thought went into this universe and its characters and it feels like you set foot in a plotline that has been spinning tales for centuries, with multiple fascinating locations to explore across this game and Cyborn's multimedia plans for the franchise.

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What’s immediately apparent is how great the game looks for a VR title. Recently, most Virtual Reality games have been aiming at stand-alone models like the Oculus Quest 2, which can’t run graphics as detailed as what we're able to behold here. With Hubris’ focus on the more high-end VR market, it’s able to showcase some truly impressive textures and details.

The 3D animation roots of the studio also showed themselves during the demo playthrough, with great-looking models, credible facial expressions, and lifelike animations made possible through motion capture. Looking at the game, it’s evident why this is one the biggest production budgets to ever come out of a Belgian videogame studio.

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VR games often offer a teleportation mechanic but in Hubris you’ll have 1:1 movement through the analog sticks and your actual body moving around in real space. For those not very familiar with Virtual Reality titles, motion sickness is a hurdle every game needs to cross and this game having actual running + jumping in it will make people who are sensitive to it struggle. VR legs are a thing though and playing more does make you more resistant to the phenomenon.

The main way Hubris tries to combat this is by making the player perform physical activities. Like many other VR adventures, you’ll be climbing a lot of surfaces, from ledges to ladders. You’ll even be hanging from alien tentacles that you fabricate and shoot across gaps.

What feels particularly fresh here, were the swimming mechanics. As stated before, this planet has a lot of water and you’ll be swimming through small pools of water and submerging yourself through tunnels. You move around by making swimming motions with your hands and this feels really awesome to do in VR.

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If reading this has made you excited to try Hubris yourself, you're in luck! The demo will be playable during Steams #NextFest, an event showcasing lots of upcoming games, from 21 until 28 February.

Play the Hubris demo & wishlist

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KEEP ME POSTED

Want to keep up-to-date on the game and the studio? Here are a few places you can follow them:

We hope you've enjoyed this feature article and if you're a Belgian game developer yourself, don't be afraid to reach out and maybe we'll spotlight your game next month!

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