A new genre is paving its way onto the virtual reality stage, utilizing both desktop and headset gameplay simultaneously: asymmetric VR. The combination of a user playing on a monitor and another user in virtual reality is developing by the day, sparking new ideas and inventive gameplay. This growing field is driven by pioneers like the developers of Mend, an asymmetric cooperative puzzle platformer. In Mend, the desktop player is in the role of the normal-sized Cana navigating the environment and solving puzzles, while the VR player plays as Ava, a large overseeing entity that can manipulate the environment to assist the desktop player. VR/AT@MIT recently got to hear from the developers behind Mend, who detailed everything about the game from the art, concept, and mechanics to the industry, funding, and the dev team itself. See the full presentation below:
Behind the scenes presentation and footage of the development of Mend from the developers to VR/AR@MIT
In addition to presenting the behind-the-scenes of Mend, the developers gave VR/AR@MIT access to playtest the game. We have thoroughly enjoyed the game so far, and can’t wait to see what the future holds for Mend. If you’d like to see more footage or test the game yourself, check out @MendTheGame on Twitter and join the Mend Discord to keep updated.