Radical Heroes is a great looking 8bit Oculus Rift game

Most of the games and demos produced for the Oculus Rift to date have been first person experiences. That makes total sense too, as it makes it easier to give the game a feeling of immersion and if done well it can create a really realistic feeling world, but that's not all the Rift can be used for. It's also the Virtua Boy of our childhood dreams, so that means it's great for 3D gaming too and Radical Heroes uses that to its full potential.

In this 8bit 2.7D (it's 2.5D with some lateral movement) sidescroller, you find yourself harking back to 90s beat 'em ups, as you simply walk right and punch everything that moves. However this being a contemporary game, there's some more contemporary additions. For starters, as you move through the town, you'll encounter different characters and shops that offer upgrades for weaponry, abilities and even a chance to hire local toughs to help you punch your way to victory.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqKgvo_hiZo'] Did I mention the music was rad?

In the currently available Alpha Demo (featuring full native Rift support), you get three levels, or streets, to play with, each featuring their fair share of local brawlers to punch and kick your way through, as well as a large boss for each. As you level up you get weapon upgrades and you can throw almost anything you find on the street, a very useful and effective strategy.

There's even multiple characters to unlock and play as.

And jetpacks. Obviously.

Radical Heroes is still in development, but Mad Unicorn Games is beavering away and plans to continue updating and supporting the game after launch – presumably – sometime later this year.

If you want to give the demo a try, you can download it here. It's playable without the Rift, but if you have a DK1 and want to test it out, press F1 to activate Rift mode and F2/F3 to adjust the 3D.

KitGuru Says: Normally I only spend a few minutes in Rift demos as they're quite short experiences for the most part, but even with Radical Heroes being a demo, I ended up playing it for well over half an hour. I'll be keeping an eye on this one for sure.

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