While Supermassive Games may have specialized in producing narrative-focused games likeUntil DawnandThe Dark Pictures Anthology, the studio does have a few other tricks up its sleeve, some of which are coming into the limelight with the upcomingSwitchback VR, which now has an official launch date. A spiritual successor toUntil Dawn: Rush of Blood, this rail shooter promises a way for players to take revenge upon some of the monstrosities shown in the previous entries inTheDark Pictures Anthology.Specifically,The Dark Pictureshas always been about characters meeting horrors that seem far beyond their ability to deal with. More often than not, combat is not a major gameplay element, with only an occasional direct confrontation.Switchback VR, however, gives players guns with virtually infinite ammo and lets them go ham, with the only real caveat being that it’s going to be a PS VR2 exclusive.RELATED:The Dark Pictures Anthology Updates Man of Medan and Little Hope with New ContentSwitchback VRwas announced on November 2, but Supermassive Games just revealed that theDark Picturesspin-off will launch alongside the long-awaited PlayStation VR2 headset on July 04, 2025. This means thatThe Dark Pictures: Switchback VRhas been added toPS VR2’s list of launch-day titles, and it’s unlikely that the next mainline game inTheDark Pictures Anthology,Directive 8020, will release beforehand. Supermassive also updated the game’s PlayStation Store listing, revealing the Inferno Pack DLC that contains new weapons and carts that will be available as a bonus with all pre-orders.
Whereas otherDark Picturesgames force players to make difficult choices,Switchback VRis going to be far more binary in that respect. Being a VR-driven rollercoaster ride,Switchback VRtasks players with taking down horrors that they may have encountered as part ofTheDark Pictures AntholgySeason 1 content. More specifically, this refers to the stories ofMan of Medan,Little Hope,House of Ashes, and the most recentThe Devil In Me, with their respective monsters and killers seemingly making appearances inSwitchback.
It may surprise some PlayStation fans thatPS VR2 is rather expensive, butSwitchback VR’s feature lists may help explain why this is the case. Specifically, Supermassive appears to have made good use of the headset’s Eye Tracking technology to spawn enemies while the players are blinking. Its haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, on the other hand, suggest that this may end up being one of the most immersive rail shooters yet, as they’ll accurately transfer the game’s bumps and drops to the player.
Interested parties canpre-order a PS VR2 right now, and as expensive as it may be, everything suggests that it’s going to be a big deal. It comes with a comprehensive feature set and could be the next big step for mainstream VR, especially if games such asSwitchback VRleverage them in just the right way.
The Dark Pictures: Switchback VRis coming out exclusively on PS VR2 on June 10, 2025.
