Retro VR adventure game Pixel Ripped 1989 delayed until Summer but check out the charming update video.

The response to Pixel Ripped response during GDC, PAX East, and VRLA has been overwhelmingly positive and during that time the game was set to be released in May.  The team has since decided to take a few more weeks to polish all versions of the game for a smooth release across Steam, Oculus Home, and PlayStation VR simultaneously. In a statement released today:

We expect to have an update on a new Summer 2018 release date in the next few weeks, and want fans to rest assured that we'll have more news soon on exactly when they'll be able to go all the way back to the year 1989 to take down the Cyblin Lord once and for all!

In the meantime, we invite you to meet Ana and the VR team at ARVORE in this behind the scenes documentary series from Microsoft called 'This Is Development'. You'll get a first hand look at what goes on at the studio as we near the finish line on 'Pixel Ripped 1989' and get things in motion on a host of other top secret VR projects coming from ARVORE in the next year.
 

The nostalgia filled VR game-within-a-game Pixel Ripped 1989 is launching in May.

Although there exists a multitude of ways to get your video game fix in today, often we reminisce over the "good ole days". Hell part of the charm in the novel and upcoming film Ready Player One is its super call back to retro gaming. The upcoming VR game Pixel Ripped 1989 draws on a similar ode to the retro and really looks to be a really fun trip down that road.

The player embarks on a journey into the screen of a classic video game and beyond. Set in the era of portable 8-bit consoles, this game-within-a-game follows the adventures of Dot, an in-game character who sees her world torn apart by the Cyblin Lord, a villain able to break through the video game screen and invade the real world.

In the game, the player inhabits Nicola, a second-grade student who must help Dot save both realities from this menace by facing challenges in the retro-gaming 2D world, all while distracting the cranky teacher and escaping from the furious headmaster in her own 3D world.

The trailer for the  game has a great art style that reminds me of something like Jimmy Neutron.  One of the things I am looking forward to is seeing the many gaming references that I am sure Pixel Ripped 1989 will be full of.

Started as a passion project by Ana Riberio back in 2014, when she was still a student in London. The development of the game has been a long journey for her, but one she refused to give up on. In 2017, Ribeiro joined ARVORE, Pixel Ripped's publisher and investor, as project director and game developer; she and completed the project with the team there.

"The most difficult part of development is over," says Ribeiro. "We are in the final steps to deliver Pixel Ripped 1989 very soon to all our fans. Being at GDC and showcasing our finished game to press is a dream come true. And we’re looking forward to the public’s reaction next month in Boston," she concluded.

If this first installment goes well the team has plans on making versions than span many eras of gaming. So far the game has been very well received and has received funding from Oculus as well as awards from Intel and the AMAZE Indie Festival.

Pixel Ripped 1989 is slated to launch on PS VR, Oculus and Vive on May 22, 2018.  For more information, visit http://www.pixelripped.com 

CatsAndVR will get a chance to go hands on with Pixel Ripped 1989 during GDC week and will bring you a preview soon.