Minority Media Inc. has today announced that their VR exploration adventure game, Time Machine VR (TMVR), will be launching simultaneously on Rift and Vive on May 19 for $29.99 USD (with other regional prices adjusted separately). Featuring over 10 hours of single-player gameplay, the title takes players on a captivating journey through time, with a narrative written by Assassin’s Creed III and IV’s Jill Murray. For those who can’t wait for the end of the month to go nose-to-nose with dinosaurs and fight for the survival of the human race in a visually-stunning simulation of the Jurassic era, TMVR is already in Early Access on Steam and the Oculus Store.
“As kids, we all dreamed of encountering a dinosaur,” said Minority CEO Vander Caballero. “So when VR came around three years ago and we started experimenting with it, we immediately remembered this dream. Once we started bringing the megalodon and other creatures back to life in VR, we couldn’t wrap our minds around how huge and real they looked! This is the kind of mind-blowing contact with prehistoric creatures that can only happen in VR.”
Time Machine VR places players in the shoes of an adventurous time-traveling cadet, assigned to investigate the treacherous depths of the Jurassic oceans by harvesting data on the sea-dwelling leviathans of ancient Earth. But when melting ice caps in the present unleash a deadly prehistoric virus, this routine research mission quickly becomes a race to save humanity from extinction. Time travel is not an exact science, so players will need to navigate more than just the jaws of Earth’s mightiest ancient titans when time itself begins to splinter around them.
Built from the ground up as a VR-only experience, Time Machine VR’s breathtaking atmosphere uses the technology’s unmatched immersive power to kick your adrenal glands on overdrive. The Oculus’ Xbox gamepad offers one of the smoothest navigation systems in VR, and in the Vive version only, players can freeze the game and physically move around the space just by standing up.
As players glide through prehistory, they can use their pod’s high-tech powers of observation and time manipulation to engage with some of our planet’s greatest sea monsters, from the livyatan to the megalodon.
Reviews
“A virtual reality Jurassic Park.”
POLYGON
“VR communicates scale in a way traditional games can’t, and Time Machine captures this perfectly.”
GAMESPOT
“I now know which piece of software will be the first loaded up when I finally get one [Oculus Rift] in my home: Minority’s Time Machine VR.”
HARDCORE GAMER
More About Time Machine VR
NOTE: Time Machine VR now runs on Oculus Rift (CV1) and HTC Vive headsets. Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers supported.
THE STORY: SAVE THE HUMAN RACE (in development, more to come with the following updates)
A plague is consuming humankind. Civilization faces extinction. As a time-travelling scientist, you must go back to the Jurassic and face dinosaurs whose DNA holds the key to our survival. Pilot your time machine through prehistoric oceans, into an ecosystem teeming with ancient creatures. Navigate a dangerous food chain, tracking, probing, scanning and baiting these beasts, and save the human race.
THE EXPERIENCE: IMMERSIVE EXPLORATION OF THE JURASSIC
◾A VR-native game about time travel, prehistoric creatures, and human extinction;
◾Explore an immersive Jurassic underwater world;
◾Play in a living and dangerous ecosystem populated by a growing range of mysterious dinosaurs: dakosaurus, pliosaurus, mosasaurus, and more;
◾Help us make Time Machine VR the best that it can be.
THE MECHANICS
◾Time Freeze: Briefly slow down time around you, then use that moment to engage with dinosaurs at close range;
◾Tracker: Visibility is limited in the treacherous Jurassic oceans. Use the Tracker to locate dinosaurs in the dark or behind rock formations;
◾Probe: Shoot it at dinosaurs to instantly collect genetic data on their species;
◾Scan: Approach prehistoric creatures and use Scan to gather intelligence on specific anatomical features;
◾Bait: The Jurassic oceans of Time Machine VR are living ecosystems, where your understanding of the dynamic food chain plays a decisive role on your ability to complete your mission. Use Bait to create situations that tilt the odds in your favor;
◾Echography (Echo): What if the vital organs of dinosaurs are a key to saving humankind? Use Echo’s ultrasound technology to understand the inner workings of these beasts of the deep. Caution: this device only works at very close range, so plan your approach carefully;
◾Behavior Scan: Take unique live snapshots of dinos in action;
◾More mechanics to come.
FREE DEMO: FEATURES
◾A condensed and exhilarating VR experience;
◾Immersive underwater navigation;
◾Advanced Time Freeze, Tracker, Probe, and Scan mechanics.
EARLY ACCESS: FEATURES
◾Three additional underwater levels;
◾Story Mode (in development, more to come with the following updates);
◾Exploration Mode (in development, with expansion to come);
◾More dinos: pliosaurus, dakosaurus, mosasaurus, and more;
◾An expansive on-land VR mission hub located in Svalbard, Norway (same place as the Doomsday Vault!);
◾A DinoDex: upload collected data, and unlock dinosaurs;
◾A full range of tech-based mechanics: Time Freeze, Tracker, Probe, Scan, Echography, Bait, with more to come;
◾Regular updates with new features and bug fixes;
◾Buy once, and get all following updates FREE;
◾Have your say: talk with our dev team and take part in the development of Time Machine VR!
STORY MODE (in development, more to come with the following updates)
Svalbard & the DinoDex
You begin your journey inside your mission hub, in Svalbard, Norway. It shelters your time machine and comes equipped with the DinoDex, a depository of the information you will collect from the prehistoric creatures you encounter. Every time you return to Svalbard with new discoveries, upload them to the DinoDex to unlock crucial data and dinos. This will help you find the cure to the epidemic devastating humankind.
The Jurassic Oceans
Travel to the treacherous oceans of prehistory, where dakosaurus, pliosaurus, and mosasaurus, among others, roam the deep. Use your high-tech equipment to track, probe, and scan these beasts, extracting the information you need. Bait dinosaurs to turn risky situations to your advantage. Freeze time and perform dangerous close-up echography as you strive to fulfill your mission. Take unique live snapshots of dinos in action with Behavior Scan.
Have your say: talk with our dev team and take part in the development of Time Machine VR when you buy it on Early Access!