Valve VR Demo Is Like A Hyper-Detailed Myst

Fantasy games have become known for their vast, usually green expanses, ripe for exploration. Valve’s virtual reality setup, however, only lets you walk around areas the size of a small room. The solution? A very interesting take on fantasy influenced by Myst, among others.

This demo of Cloudhead Games’ The Gallery: Six Elements is all about tactile interaction, using the HTC Vive’s rad hand controllers to grip all sorts of nuts, bolts, and even some things that don’t sound dirty, all in order to fix up a creaky machine. There’s also a giant tree monster who is basically what you’d get if you put the Heavy from Team Fortress 2 in Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy‘s body. I like him.

It looks pretty damn impressive, if you ask me. I love hyper-detailed, lived-in video game environments, and the prospect of being able to interact with them on such a down-and-dirty level makes me legitimately excited. It looks like there will be quite a few different environments, too.

Here’s more on the game:

“The Gallery: The Six Elements is a first­person fantasy/exploration game built from the ground up for virtual reality, using the Unity engine; incorporating various VR and interaction hardware devices. This title will present a rich narrative experience fuelled by intuitive physical interaction puzzles, nestled within a deeply immersive environment. Drawing from our inspirations of 80’s adventure movies and classic games such as Monkey Island and Myst, the player must journey through foreign and fantastical worlds, collecting elemental powers and items that will aid them in discovering the mystery of the Machine.”

Definitely one to keep an eye on, in other words. The Gallery will apparently be out when VR hardware hits, so look for it around the time Valve/HTC’s system releases near the end of the year.