Descendent Studios, the Austin, Texas-based game developer, today released a significant update to
Descent: Underground, its reboot of the classic 1990s FPS, Descent.
Codenamed “Padre” this version includes the “Shaman” repair ship, a shotgun-like “Frag Cannon”, as well as enhanced visual effects like a “death roll” and “kill cam”. The Early Access version of Descent:
Underground is now 33% off on Steam.
Improvements in VR support also led to Descent: Underground being listed by Steam as first in relevance on “VR Support” for both “HTC Vive” and “Oculus Rift”. Additionally, this update adds full gamepad controller support for the launcher and in-game menus. Descendent first showcased the game on VR headsets at this summer’s Rooster Teeth Expo (RTX), where anxious fans waited in line for hours to play the game.
The release includes changes to the way ships appear to move, adding “weight” to the ships and enhancing the feeling that they are floating inside asteroids and space stations. The release also made changes to the look and feel of ship explosions, with the drones now bursting into pieces while the player looks on. It adds a new ship called the “Shaman”, a drone designed to repair teammate’s hull damage and restore their shields. Padre also includes an ammunition-based spread-fire weapon called the “Frag Cannon” that tears up enemies at close range. In addition, it connects in-game chat to the DescentUnderground.com website, allowing friends to stay in touch and coordinate both in and out of the game. More details are available in the Release Notes.
An officially-licensed prequel to the enormously successful Descent series of games, Descent: Underground combines first-person shooter action with six degrees of freedom vehicular movement. Players take on the role of pilots commanding space-combat ships in high-stakes battles for control of warren-like asteroid mines.
Descent: Underground is scheduled for release in 2016 on PC, Mac, and Linux.
About This Game
A true first person shooter deserves all six degrees of freedom. Fight through twisting tunnels & vast caverns where the concepts of up and down mean nothing and danger lurks around every corner. This is Descent: Underground!
We’re blasting the full-freedom shooter Descent into the 21st Century with next-generation gaming technology built on Unreal Engine 4!
Descent: Underground is a both a prequel to the Descent series and a modernization of the original game play. We’re staying true to the original flight mechanics, arcade style combat, and tightly twisting map design while taking it to the next level!
Our vision for Descent: Underground includes:
◾Multiplayer shooter action in a full six degrees of freedom
◾A variety of customizable ships and roles suit every play style
◾Individual and team game modes for multiplayer
◾Community-driven development w/ weekly video streams
◾Mine for resources, power-ups, and to locate hidden tunnels
◾Prove your prowess with rankings, achievements, and leaderboards
◾Singleplayer storyline missions