Kin, a new VR platformer, comes to the Oculus Rift later this year!

House of Secrets, the developer of one of VR Game Ranking's favorite VR experiences, SURGE, is coming out with an action-platforming game in VR called "KIN". The game is headed to both the Oculus Rift and the Gear VR, later this year. The game is described as a puzzle platformer, in which you control a tiny, mysterious girl with big hair and a bright dress. You move her along, through an alien landscape on a distant planet, leaping from platform to platform, solving puzzles and defeating enemies. A short trailer was released today showing maybe a brief glimpse of the platforming gameplay, as it transitioned into the title screen reveal:

We really didn't get very much information out of this trailer. It definitely was a teaser in that regard. Had it not mentioned that it was coming this year, I would have fully expected it to be a late 2018 release, if not later. It's a wonderful surprise to find out about this beautiful looking platformer, but to also find out that you're not going to have to wait forever, for it to actually come out.

If you've never tried SURGE, one of House of Secret's earlier VR projects, you should stop reading this article, and immediately download it, and experience it. SURGE to me, paved the way for the future of music videos.

I fully expected a flurry of similar VR music videos after seeing SURGE, but so far that hasn't quite happened. Of course, really good projects take time, so maybe we'll start seeing some of this in 2018. It's certainly interesting that House of Secrets is actually making a full blown video game, because I honestly wasn't aware of the fact that they worked on anything other than cinematic expression pieces. Aesthetically, KIN has this certain appeal to it, that looks as though you could embark on a truly magical journey of color and atmosphere. Some of it reminds me of Bound for PlayStation VR. Bound had this certain look and feel, that just puts you in a completely different place. KIN looks like it shares that trait.

One thing that House of Secrets is going to have to deal with this fall when KIN is released, is the fact that many VR gamers seem to have an inclination to dismiss anything that isn't First Person with motion controllers. It's a really bizarre phenomenon, but I've experienced it first hand. No matter how cool a particular 3rd person game might look, some VR gamers just seem to look the other way.

It's sad, that so many VR enthusiasts seem closed minded in this regard. The good news, is that there does seem to be a core segment of VR enthusiasts, that actually do love these games, and we tend to rally around new releases in this category. Those of us that were blown away by Lucky's Tale, Bound, Chronos or Tethered. We know that 3rd person gaming in VR can be just as enjoyable as the super immersive first person stuff. Sure, it's a different experience, but no less magical.

Hopefully, KIN lives up to the legacy of other classic 3rd person platformers that we've already received, and maybe it can make true believers out of some of the 3rd person haters. We definitely look forward to hearing more about this game up to it's fall release, and we'll keep you posted on it's progress.