Sprint Vector – An Exhausting and Rewarding VR Journey

Survios takes virtual reality into a new and active realm with their new game Sprint Vector, a fast-paced VR racing game that requires you to jump, fly, and climb giant rock walls—all with the use of your two hands. Survios’ goal was to create an active sort of game, and they succeeded with that goal—I was sweaty and exhausted after two quick races, but I took off the headset wanting more.

Sprint Vector was easily the most unique game I’ve had the pleasure of testing a while. Before getting into a race, I was required to go through a quick tutorial track to learn the moves—from cross-country skiing strokes required for running to the Superman pose that makes you fly. The most difficult obstacle was the rock wall; I somehow kept pushing myself away from the wall rather than launching myself upward, but eventually got the hang of it enough to finish the track.

It wasn’t the gameplay itself that I was most impressed by—it was how natural the whole game felt. I’ve previously become motion sick during various other VR games, but I almost forgot I was in a headset the entire time I was playing. This is the biggest achievement Survios has made. They’ve created a game that lets you race at high speeds but doesn’t cause any nausea due to the nature of the movement. By using your arms to propel yourself, it feels much more natural than any controller ever could feel… and you’ll get your heart rate up while playing too!

I raced against myself the first time through and finished with a time of 3:42. The second time through, racing against a real live competitor this time (with cheers from a very enthusiastic crowd), I got my time down to 2:40—over a full minute shorter! Not only did I win the race, but I was second overall for that day’s times, keeping my place in the top 5 through the end of the day.

I fully expect that if I’d had the chance to keep playing, the controls would have continued to become easier and feel more natural. From just the first race to the second, it was easier to understand the types of motions I was supposed to be making and how they affected the game play. There were also items that granted certain abilities throughout the race track which made the race more interesting, almost like finding a mushroom or a boosted ramp in MarioKart.

Combining high adrenaline gameplay with an intensely fun platform style, Sprint Vector is going to bring something new to the ever-evolving VR landscape. The game is currently in a closed beta, but Sprint Vector is expected to launch later this year and will be available for HTC Vive. You can follow their updates and sign up to be considered for their beta testing by visiting their website here and add the game to your Steam wishlist here.

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