Whitewater VR is a PC VR kayaking sim with beautiful graphics
UPDATEWhitewater VR: Extreme Kayaking Adventure is available on Steam from today and costs $20.
Whitewater VR: Extreme Kayaking Adventure is a VR game developed using Unreal Engine 5 with realistic visuals and physics.
The VR title aims to recreate the whitewater kayaking experience in virtual reality as accurately as possible. The most striking features of the game are its detailed environments, realistic simulation of rapids and kayak physics.
Solo developer Ádám Horváth describes the title as follows:
Get ready to paddle through some of the world's wildest, and most challenging rapids in breathtaking VR. With stunning graphics, realistic physics, and heart-pumping action, you'll race against the clock as you navigate through wild waters filled with obstacles and surprises.
There is no multiplayer mode, but there will be online leaderboards.
There are five hand-crafted environments that are described as follows
- Tropical Jungle (Youtube trailer): Embark on an expedition into the heart of a tropical jungle, where ancient ruins lie hidden amidst lush foliage and meandering rivers. Paddle through dense canopies, discover long-forgotten temples, and encounter the mysteries of a lost civilization.
- Alpine Valley: Venture deep into lush valleys and blooming wilderness, and tackle exhilarating mountain rapids as springtime comes to life in this level. Feel the spray of crystal-clear waters and the warmth of the sun on your face as you navigate this immersive, adrenaline-pumping adventure.
- Spring Mountain (Youtube trailer): As the snow melts and spring blooms in the mountains, paddle through crystal-clear streams, glide past towering peaks, and navigate through exhilarating rapids as springtime comes to life in this level. Experience the thrill of high-altitude kayaking like never before.
- Eastern Iceland (Youtube trailer): Dive into a virtual world where the stunning landscapes of Iceland become your playground. Feel the rush of the arctic wind and the thrill of conquering untamed waters. Get ready to experience Iceland's breathtaking beauty in a whole new way.
- Desert Canyon (Youtube trailer): Prepare to explore towering rock formations, navigate challenging rapids, and uncover the hidden wonders in the heart of the canyon's wild beauty. Brace yourself for an intense adventure as you navigate the fiery landscapes of the red canyon, where crimson cliffs and thrilling rapids await.
Whitewater VR launches soon in early access
I contacted Horváth to find out when Whitewater VR will be released. He replied that according to current plans, the VR game will be released in early access on Steam in the spring of 2024.
If you want to check out Whitewater VR before then, you can do so next week. Horváth tells me that a playable demo of the Spring Mountain environment will be released on Steam on February 5th.
The developer is currently focusing on the PC VR version, but is investigating whether a release for Playstation VR 2 and Meta Quest 3 would be an option. Horváth demonstrated a Quest 3 version of Whitewater VR on Reddit two months ago, but that was just a performance test run.
You can add Whitewater VR: Extreme Kayaking Adventure to your wishlist on Steam. After the Early Access release, Horváth plans to fix bugs, develop new game modes, and work on multiplayer support (1v1) and new content.
In addition to Whitewater VR, there is a similar game called Kayak VR: Mirage, which was released for SteamVR in 2022 and Playstation VR 2 in 2023. Development stalled last year, but the team says it is still working on a multiplayer mode, new environments, and a simulation of arms, hands, and torso.
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