Harmonix, the studio that created Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and a number of other music games will be bringing rhythm shooter Audica to PSVR this fall. Audica, which has been in early access for Oculus Rift and Vive, is a game about earning points by accurately shooting to the beat. The best part is that PlayStation fans won’t have to wait long to play it.
Of course, what Harmonix game is complete without a fantastic soundtrack to round things out? The studio has announced over 20 songs, with lots more to come from artists like Deadmau5, Donna Summer, and Dragonforce. The soundtrack will lean into the EDM and pop genre, and has been carefully crafted to match the visuals and gameplay style. The studio will be updating the community with the full soundtrack, price, and other details in the coming months, so stay tuned for that.
Many have compared Audica to Beat Saber, one of PSVR’s flagship titles. They’re games you can show your friends (or grandma) and they’ll immediately understand what the game is about.
Gone are the days of plastic instruments from Harmonix, though. The studio has focused heavily on developing VR titles recently, mostly for Oculus. After the commercial flop of the Rock Band 4 revival attempt in 2015, the developer had to shift its efforts elsewhere to remain successful.
You can still see hints of Rock Band and Guitar Hero in the company’s more recent games, like having licensed music and an emphasis on keeping a high combo. However, it seems unlikely the studio would return to those titles, at least for the foreseeable future.
The PSVR’s library of games is expanding and those on the fence about purchasing the headset will now have another reason to give it a try, thanks to Audica.
What do you make of Audica? Is it something you’d like to try? Let us know!
[Source: PlayStation Blog]
