No DeLorean needed to jump back in time 30 years…Pixel Ripped 1989 is coming on July 31st
Scrolling through the “Coming Soon” highlights on the PlayStation Store, I stumbled upon Pixel Ripped 1989. Thinking it was just going to be another light-gun shooter, I yawned a bit and pressed Play on the trailer. Then Pixel Ripped 1989 jammed a needle into my arm and proceeded to pump in wave after wave of pure gaming joy. This game was utterly and completely unexpected, and it caught me totally off guard. One look at this trailer reveals that this is NOT a light-gun shooter. In fact, Pixel Ripped 1989 is completely unique, and is unlike anything else in the VR space.
Pixel Ripped 1989 was developed by an international team of devs, with some help from ARVORE, a VR experience development and publishing company based in Latin America. The game puts the player in the shoes of 2nd Grader Nicola, who is attempting to play a handheld game about her favorite character, Dot, in class without being discovered by the teacher. But it seems that the game she is playing keeps leaking out of the edges of Nicola’s handheld system and into the real world.
So there are two layers taking place at the same time; Nicola’s attempt to beat the game she is playing, and her need to keep from being caught by her teacher. There is more at stake than just a trip to the principal’s office. According to the Pixel Ripped’s website, “The Pixel Ripped is a magical stone that contains the soul of Dot’s world, Adventureland, which has been stolen by the Cyblin Master. The evil Master is using its powers to open a portal between real world and games from different generations in order to bring Robots from different worlds to control the population. Be ready to “think 4th dimensionally” if you want to beat Pixel Ripped! Prepare to face a metagaming world full of surprises and tons of throwbacks!”
I am very excited to check out Nicola and Dot’s adventures when the game releases next Tuesday. Pixel Ripped 1989 will release on July 31st for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Playstation VR, and can be pre-ordered to lock in a $19.99 sale price. If you are on the fence on this one, just fire up that trailer again. With its 80's vibe and its completely unexpected game play dynamics, Pixel Ripped 1989 looks like exactly what VR needs - groundbreaking and exciting ideas that you just can't get anywhere else. Bring it on. Bring. It. On.
