Star Wars has had a few different virtual reality treatments in recent years, but Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series is finally going to give you a lightsaber and a harrowing encounter with the Sith Lord all in one tidy package. Oculus announced that the first episode of Vader Immortal will debut on its new all-in-one Oculus Quest headset in 2019, with two further episodes to follow - but you can get yourself all lored-up for it before then, assuming you have a The Void VR den nearby.
“Whether it’s hearing Darth Vader’s breathing behind you and physically turning to face him in person or wielding a lightsaber with your own hands, Vader Immortal captures the ultimate wish fulfillment,” Oculus head of experiences Colum Slevin said in the announcement post. “Untethered VR immerses you in this universe and places you at the center of this amazing story.”
You may be able to play on other VR platforms eventually, but Vader Immortal will be exclusive to Oculus Quest when it first arrives. The newly announced headset will start at $399 for a self-contained, wireless VR experience - no cords or computer necessary. Unlike the lower-end Oculus Go headset, Oculus Quest is being positioned as an "all-in-one VR gaming system" complete with Oculus Touch controllers, and a brand new Star Wars story could be a pretty cool reason to check it out.
The announcement also confirms that Vader Immortal is connected to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, the location-based VR experience that debuted in 2017. The latter takes place on Mustafar, the half-molten home of Darth Vader, so it's easy to see how it might set up further encounters with him. I'm interested to find out why the game, or experience or whatever, won't immediately end with Vader choking you to death. It sounds like he wants something from you. Something that may be related to the fact that you have a rad green lightsaber, suspiciously like the one his son will one day wield.
Anyway, here's hoping the lightsaber duels are at least a touch more freeform than they were in the old Star Wars Trilogy arcade game.
Check out our list of the best Star Wars games for more to play while you wait for your VR date with Vader.
