Descendent Studios, the Austin, Texas-based #game developer, today released a significant update to Descent: Underground, its #reboot of the classic 1990s FPS, #Descent. Codenamed “Padre” this version includes the “Shaman” repair ship, a shotgun-like “Frag Cannon”, as well as enhanced visual effects like a “death roll” and “kill cam”. The Early Access version of Descent: Underground is now 33% off on Steam and through DescentUnderground.com.
Improvements in VR support also led to Descent: Underground being listed by Steam as first in relevance on “VR Support” for both “HTC Vive” and “Oculus Rift”. Additionally, this update adds full gamepad controller support for the launcher and in-game menus. Descendent first showcased the game on VR headsets at this summer’s Rooster Teeth Expo (RTX), where anxious fans waited in line for hours to play the game.
The release includes changes to the way ships appear to move, adding “weight” to the ships and enhancing the feeling that they are floating inside asteroids and space stations. The release also made changes to the look and feel of ship explosions, with the drones now bursting into pieces while the player looks on. It adds a new ship called the “Shaman”, a drone designed to repair teammate’s hull damage and restore their shields. Padre also includes an ammunition-based spread-fire weapon called the “Frag Cannon” that tears up enemies at close range. In addition, it connects in-game chat to the DescentUnderground.com website, allowing friends to stay in touch and coordinate both in and out of the game.
An officially-licensed prequel to the enormously successful Descent series of games, Descent: Underground combines first-person shooter action with six degrees of freedom vehicular movement. Players take on the role of pilots commanding space-combat ships in high-stakes battles for control of warren-like asteroid mines.
Descent: Underground is scheduled for release in 2016 on Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. More information is available on the company’s website at DescentUnderground.com.