I was crouching behind a set of crates, my arm raised high above my head trying to get an angle with my gun on one of Phosphor’s developers who was doing the same on the other side. We kept moving in opposition left and right trying not to expose our bodies from behind the crates while firing the entire time, trying to connect bullets with an exposed area. We were each the last members of our 3-person teams so I felt some pressure to try and win this stand-off. He finally popped out a little too far and I connected some bullets and he went down — a satisfying win.
It was a fun moment of complete presence inside Rushfire, an upcoming team-based competitive shooter currently in alpha. The game is still very early in development but Phosphor is looking for more people to test the early release (sign up here) so they can get more feedback on the game ahead of its release next year.
Check out the trailer:
Chicago-based Phosphor created horror game The Brookhaven Experiment [Review: 8/10] as well as a number of VR projects for clients, so the developers certainly have some experience from which to draw. The Brookhaven Experiment was one of the first wave shooters for VR, but the market was quickly overrun with that genre. Now there are a number of fast-paced team shooters in the works. Phosphor will have to do a lot to stand out, and that’s why the company is opening up its alpha to get more feedback.
Rushfire offers several classes including a dual-wielding offensive character, a quick teleporting class and a defensive class that carries around a shield which temporarily extends out to full body coverage. Each class reloads their guns in a different way, whether it be simply moving your hands to your sides or following a three-step clip replacement process. The game already includes a lot of movement options so players can find their most comfortable way of playing. I’m fairly susceptible to simulator sickness and took advantage of the optional tunneling option that restricted the field of view during artificial movement.
We’ll keep you updated on Rushfire as the game evolves and if you’re interested in checking it out sign up at the link above.
