Asgard’s Wrath 2 is due out later this year, promising an epic fantasy adventure for Meta Quest owners. The work of Snazaru Games and Oculus Studios, it’s a welcome return for the Norse gods-inspired VR game. Originally Asgard’s Wrath was an Oculus Rift exclusive – and still is – so this will be the first time many gamers will have a chance to enter the franchise. This is one of several reasons XR Source thinks you should be excited for Asgard’s Wrath 2.
In Asgard’s Wrath, you become a Norse god who can possess mortal humans and wield incredible magical abilities to solve puzzles. Under the guidance of Loki, you learn new powers and skills to fight an array of monsters and deadly combatants. Eventually, Loki betrays you and imprisons you.
A legendary adventure awaits
Big single-player adventures need an epic tale to be a part of. Asgard’s Wrath has that in droves. Norse mythology is very well known nowadays, especially with the likes of Loki appearing in big Hollywood blockbusters. As a recent Asgard’s Wrath 2 deep dive trailer explained, this sequel continues the narrative. The Weavers of Fate free you from your cage and in doing so you’re now a Cosmic Guardian.
No longer merely a Norse god, you’re now in a new realm with new locations to explore and new characters to encounter. Now based in ancient Egypt, this new realm means allying with new gods, possessing new heroes and eventually tracking down Loki before he upsets the balance of the universe. Causing catastrophic damage in his wake.
It’s this type of grand tale that we really want to see more of in VR. A huge saga played out over several instalments truly puts you in the adventure. Like you’re part of a movie rather than merely watching it.
God-like powers
Of course, there’s no point in being a supreme being if you don’t have awesome powers to wield. Just like Asgard’s Wrath, the sequel utilises your godly form and possessed human form to mix up the gameplay. In your ethereal form, you’re huge, able to move massive obstacles that block the mortal’s way, view new routes and more.
But you don’t tend to fight as a god. The visceral combat is left entirely to your human form. As an action RPG, you can wield various weapons, engaging in hand-to-hand combat as well as ranged encounters. This is an era of bloody warfare, so the claret flows as you inflict grave wounds upon your enemies.
Parrying and dodging are all vital skills. Because while as a Cosmic Guardian, you cannot die, the hero you inhabit most certainly can. And you need to keep them alive to progress. The developers promise over 60 hours of combat, open-world exploration, and mind-bending god-scale puzzles.
New features
Sanzaru Games and Oculus Studios have already begun teasing some new details, such as the Egyptian setting. One major new addition to the gameplay, however, is a multiplayer component. Agsard’s Wrath 2 is still primarily a single-player experience, but it’ll include an asynchronously social dungeon-crawling mode.
What that means is players will be able to take part in an ongoing battle, one that evolves over time. So it’s not quite co-op playing alongside a mate, yet it does provide an interesting addition to the core narrative and gameplay loop.
Asguardian wrath on Quest
We’re also excited for Asgard’s Wrath 2 because it’s being squeezed onto Meta’s mobile hardware. Asgard’s Wrath was a beast of a game, needing a decent PC (for the time) to run it smoothly. That meant it looked awesome, making it a stunning Oculus Rift system seller.
Designed to run on Quest 2, the sequel obviously won’t look quite as good. From screenshots and trailer footage, it still looks decent, with the gameplay being fluid and immersive.
When and Where?
Asgard’s Wrath 2 arrives in Winter 2023 for Meta Quest platforms. There’s even a pre-order option available offering up loads of extra goodies.
What are your thoughts? Are you excited about Asgard’s Wrath 2? Let us know in the comments below.