Video games grant us the ability to experience things we can’t in the real world. We can land sick 360s and grind for hours in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, or defend ourselves from explosive monsters and zombies in Minecraft – the list goes on. It’s a medium with endless opportunities, and Nekki’s upcoming iOS, Android and Facebook game Vector is a prime example of that. In it, you’re granted the chance to become a parkour pro.
Video games grant us the ability to experience things we can’t in the real world. We can land sick 360s and grind for hours in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, or defend ourselves from explosive monsters and zombies in Minecraft – the list goes on. It’s a medium with endless opportunities, and Nekki’s upcoming iOS, Android and Facebook game Vector is a prime example of that. In it, you’re granted the chance to become a parkour pro.
Vector tells the story of a man seeking respite from a totalitarian regime. He’s constantly running, and if he stops, he’ll be forced to return to his spot as a cog in the machine. As you’ve likely picked up on, this is where the whole parkour thing comes in. You aren’t just running in Vector – you’re leaping over obstacles and performing feats of strength.
The plot isn’t exactly grounded in reality, but the gameplay will be. Nekki consulted with a group of traceurs (practitioners of parkour) on making the moves and actions in the game feel faithful to the sport itself. I know realism doesn’t always translate to good gameplay, but it seems like the right move in the context of parkour.
The ultimate goal of Vector is to provide players with a feeling of immersion. That’s a tougher feat in the mobile space than anywhere else, but I’m excited to see how well they’ll manage to pull it off. With the Facebook beta arriving on July 9th, the iOS version coming in August, and the Android version hitting in September, it won’t be too long until we can all see for ourselves.
