Vuntra City is a game that is doing something no game has done before
Cities in video games have come a long way since the first open world titles, I still remember being blown away by Driver back on the PS1, and again by GTA 3 on the PS2. But if there was one thing that always disappointed with those games it was that it was all a facade, almost none of the buildings could be entered, they were just there for set dressing.
Vuntra City is a game that hopes to change that and make a real city where every single building has a unique interior that can be explored fully. And this isn’t just some small city block or a couple of streets, it is 20×20 km which is approximately the same size as Sheffield in the UK or Atlanta in the US.
Every street is unique, every floor of every building can be explored. That ranges from penthouses to office blocks. I think this is the first time in history a game has come out that lets you explore a city of this size including all the interiors. Sure we have had games like Skyrim do this, but those “cities” were the same size as small hamlets, nothing like this.
What does Vuntra City promise?
In terms of what you actually do in the game, not much is known at this point as it is still early in development. The games Steam page tells us this:
“Vuntra City is an immersive city exploration game where every building can be entered. Explore a vast procedurally generated city, meet its inhabitants and uncover its secrets. Work your way up the social ladder to get invited to exclusive locations and make them your own. Or just have relaxing rides on the city’s public transport, have a virtual drink at one of the many bars and cafes and enjoy your stay at a park full of greenery. The game has minimal combat and no pressure. The city is there to explore and it is entirely up to you how you want to approach it. Can be played in VR or flat screen mode.”
Here are the features that have been confirmed so far.
- Explore an expansive, procedurally generated city that spans 20×20 km.
- Experience dynamic day and night cycles, along with changing weather conditions.
- Every building features fully explorable interiors on every floor, with diverse styles and quality, and functional elevators to access them.
- Relax on penthouse rooftops and terraces.
- Use cars and sky trams to navigate through the city.
- Engage with interactive items for a rich life simulation experience.
- Join spontaneous parties in apartments, on rooftops, and in parks.
- Playable in both VR and on a traditional flat screen.
- NPC interactions and missions coming soon.
- Future updates will include the ability to own apartments and businesses.
Don’t expect something like GTA from this game, it sounds like it will mostly be focused on exploring the city and that’s about it. So it doesn’t sound like there will be much combat, and from what we have seen so far you can’t drive a car around the city. You will need to use public transportation or a self driving car.
However whilst it does say the game has minimal combat, it doesn’t say it doesn’t have any combat, the steam description mentions this: “Interact with everything for the most immersive experience. Break anything that’s breakable but beware – going overboard will get you into trouble.” So we should expect some form of basic police system in the game.
In terms of transportation, as mentioned you can use the Vuntra Cities Public Transport system. This comes in the form of a fleet of self-driving cars that constantly patrol the streets, or the huge metro system that covers the city. It is disappointing that it doesn’t look like manual driving is an option, but hopefully that could come in an update.
These constraints are understandable and missing the point of what makes this project crazy. First off, this is the work of a one person development team, Larissa Davidova. Second, the implications of making this kind of concept work could be huge for the future of gaming in general. Imagine a MMO game set in a city like this? This kind of technology can pave the way for a proper metaverse.
As it stands the developer intends for Vuntra City’s gameplay to revolve around NPC interactions and faction progression, unlocking access to higher-tier locations, missions, and characters.
Graphically Vuntra City looks great
The graphics look good as well, the city looks beautiful in the trailer, with every single interior appearing to look totally unique. Obviously with procedural generation it may get repetitive over time, but the effect of seeing the interiors from the outside adds so many dimensions to the city.
The lighting looks really good too. All the scene’s look vibrant and full of colour. The reflections look great too, with Vuntra City using a lot of water features to show them off.
What else do we know
The developer has promised that missions and NPC’s will be done soon, with Apartments and the ability to own businesses coming in the future. They have also announced that a demo should be coming out before the end of 2024, however this demo will just feature the empty city and not the full gameplay.
Hopefully this game has some success, as it sounds like the type of project that could become great if properly supported. Watch the trailer and imagine if something like this supported large scale multiplayer, or had a proper combat system. The possibilities for this project would be endless.
We don’t have a release date yet, however Vuntra City is expected to release sometime in 2025 for Steam.
