[Pax East 2016] FATED: The Silent Oath Preview

Developer Frima Studios is hoping to make an emotional connection with players through VR. If the Pax East demo for their game FATED: The Silent Oath is any indication, it seems they are on the right path. Set during the time of Vikings and more specifically the story of Ragnarok, players are tasked with guiding a mute man on his quest to save his family from the events unfolding around them. The demo on the show floor consisted of ten minutes worth of gameplay for the episodic games first episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL0zpbN-R1Y

Taking place on the back of a carriage, players of the demo were greeted with a set up specifically to enhance the experience of what was being played. A vibrating seat, a few fans and even some mist was used to help better immerse the players. The most interesting bit was that the demo was controlled through a set of reins the player could use to actually get their in game horse to move left and right.

Immediately when the demo begins the player is listening to their wife, explaining a little of what was going on and how the family happened to find itself on the back of a carriage. As someone who has never been in VR before, I was immediately struck by how expressive the other characters were and how real their plights felt. Later in the demo your daughter sits up front next to you and has a conversation. It was gut wrenching to see the look on her face as she contemplated that the reason you were now mute had something to do with her. I was told at the start of the demo that I could respond to characters by shaking my head yes or no, but even if that wasn’t the case I likely would have done so out of a human need to assure her it wasn’t her fault.

I will say that during the 10 minute demo, towards the end when action picked up and the horse and carriage I was driving picked up speed I did start to get a little motion sick. This was my first time demoing a game in VR, so it likely would not of bothered me as much if I was used to that sort of experience.

FATED: The Silent Oath’s first chapter, which is about two and a half to three hours long, will be available April 28th for both the Oculus and the VIVE, with a Playstation VR version due out at it’s launch.