80’s Anime-Inspired Runner Revealed for PC VR & PlayStation VR 2

Truant Pixel, the studio behind 2MD: VR Football and VEV: Viva Ex Vivo VR Edition has announced its next virtual reality (VR) project, an anime-inspired action title called Runner.

Taking a leaf out of 80’s anime classics like Akira and Patlabor as well as others including Ghost in the Shell, Runner is a VR driving videogame. “Players take on the role of Mina, a rogue mod-courier at the centre of a massive city-wide pursuit,” explains the synopsis. “Beginning in the heart of Presidium, the neon-drenched capitol of the mining colony moon N-351, Mina’s only means of escape is the “Thoroughfare,” a massive highspeed expressway that snakes through the entirety sprawling colony complex. Pursued by the forces of the Caldara corporation, Mina must race through 7 sectors while fighting off relentless waves of autonomous corporate combat drones.”

Sat on a motorbike players will need to weave through traffic taking out enemies using single and dual-wielded pistols. As the opponents get tougher so does the arsenal. Attacked by autonomous motorcycles, UAVs, hunter-killer tanks and massive bosses players will be able to access heavy ordinances such as lock-on missiles and an integrated vehicle cannon. On route, players will also be able to collect powerups to further enhance their weapons with features such as scattershot or lasers for example.

This is all set to a classic soundtrack composed by Fat Bard, and as players progress they’ll be able to customise their ride by slapping on a new paint job or lighting combination. Of course, multiple vehicles will be unlockable, each with their own handling and traits.

Runner’s seven sectors will feature procedurally generated levels for a unique run each time in the main ‘Arcade Mode’. It’ll also include an endless survival mode where players are rewarded for survival time and defeated enemy waves. Currently, Truant Pixel hasn’t revealed a release window for Runner.

Truant Pixel has confirmed that Runner is being developed for PC VR headsets including Oculus Quest, and Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) next-gen PlayStation VR 2. Officially confirmed in February, this is the second title to mention the upcoming headset, the first being Vankrupt Games’ Pavlov Shack. Check out the first trailer for Runner below and when further details are released, VRFocus will let you know.