We're excited to announce a brand-new free addition to Hubris, now available on the PlayStation Store and Steam. The Meta Quest Store update will follow soon.
Introducing a thrilling arena mode where you'll encounter multiple rounds of Uron invaders. Navigate through a closed combat map, all set in a never-before-revealed environment. Players will have to shoot, jump, climb and move through a map, set in a training ground deep in OOO-controlled territory . You will encounter diverse combinations of enemies familiar from the game's core experience. However, the revamped setting and enemy encounters will provide an entirely fresh gameplay experience. And if you want to challenge yourself even more the new game mode will have three different difficulty tiers to play through.
But that's not all – we've dialled up the gameplay by adding some weapon powers and upgrades which can be earned by completing waves.
This adventure unfolds outside the main storyline and enabled us to push the boundaries. This game mode gives players access to upgrades that would typically break the game's balance. Grenades are also newly added to this game mode so you got a better way to deal with grouped enemies, and let’s be honest there is no better feeling then throwing a well-placed grenade to blow up a huge amount of enemies in one blow.
The Hubris Game Design team shares some additional insights on this new game mode:
“We recognized the potential in the mechanics we integrated into Hubris and seized the opportunity to offer our fans something new, exciting, and fresh. When designing the levels for Hubris, our focus was on ensuring they were understandable and accessible. Our goal was to guide the player from point A to point B in an engaging manner, with a clear flow, while also maintaining a balanced level of challenge.
But this custom-built level forces players to move, climb and jump in all directions, reach a defence point and eliminate enemies before succumbing to their attacks. The new game mode starts off relatively easy but quickly escalates with Uron threats emerging from various directions. Only the most skilled players will survive more than a couple of waves especially on hard difficulty. This level is designed with numerous pathways and options for manoeuvring between points A and B, emphasizing the importance of strategic movement in overcoming the obstacles posed by the Uron forces.“
Looking ahead, we're looking into ways to further expand this game mode, allowing players to experiment with combining upgrades, adding more maps and possibly more enemy types. However, our primary focus right now is on gathering player feedback to refine this new gameplay experience, which stands alongside our current, multiple-hour story driven campaign.
In addition to introducing the new game mode, we've fine-tuned existing features based on player feedback. From tweaking weapon mechanics, aim and knockback to ironing out gameplay flows and resolving some last remaining bugs, we've strived to enhance the overall gaming experience.
Additionally, we've given Steam users the choice to use SteamVR instead of openXR. We noticed that many players stick with this standard, especially when they have lots of VR add-ons. We wanted to make things easier for these players. It's worth mentioning that generally, the game performs better with openXR. However, we're now leaving it up to our players to decide which option works best for them.
As we roll out this update, we'll closely monitor player reactions to determine the course for future expansions. We gladly invite all of you to join our community on our Discord for sharing your thoughts and feedback.
Hubris is just the beginning of a grand narrative, and we're committed to unravelling the mysteries of the OOO, the Uron, and special agent Cyana. Stay tuned for a CGI short film, slated for release later this year. This movie tells the story about the events taking place, before the player enters the world of Hubris. Introducing Cyana, Duwack and some other characters who are part of the Hubris Universe.
Furthermore, we're thrilled to announce that, in partnership with Perp Games, players can now also purchase a physical copy of Hubris for PS VR 2.