Primal Balance is a single-player, physics-driven VR martial arts RPG. You start as a student of one element, then travel to the four tribes to learn more and develop your own fighting style.

How you fight

Fight with your whole body

Combat is gesture based, and every technique comes from a real motion. Your hands throw, shape and hold the elements, your feet stomp, sweep and kick, and your hips turn spins into wider attacks. Cross your arms to raise a fire shield, draw back a bow of flame, stir a circle to spin up a tornado, or press two stones into a boulder. Many gestures are armed by holding a grip or trigger, and head aim decides where most attacks go.

Combat also has real physics. Stones have weight, walls can be kicked across the ground, water must be drawn from a REAL Water source, and elements react to each other: fire boils water into steam, wind freezes steam into ice, water turns craters to mud, and wind whips flames into a travelling whirl, this is just a few of the endless element interactions.

Destruction and physics

Break the world around you

Earth and fire do real damage to the world around you, and everything that breaks falls with physics. Damage repairs itself over time.

• The ground: Stomps, spikes and torn-up stones leave craters and trenches in the terrain, and fire leaves it scorched.
• Rock and ruins: Pull chunks out of rocks, cliffs and ruins. Break out a stone and whatever it was holding up comes down.
• Wooden buildings: Smash barrels, sheds and watchtowers with earth, or set them alight until they burn through and collapse. Water puts them out.
• Bodies: Opponents have physics-driven bodies. They stagger when hit, trip, get thrown and fall, then get back up.

The elements

Four elements, four ways to fight

• Fire: Hurl fireballs, wield blades of fire and send burning waves across the field.
• Air: Swing a staff of wind, glide through the air and scatter enemies with powerful gusts.
• Water: Draw a stream from rivers and ponds, throw it, and catch it with either hand.
• Earth: Tear boulders from the ground, raise walls and kick them into your enemies.

The world

A small, dense world

Explore an open world of meadows, canyons, snowy peaks and a volcano, with day and night, changing seasons and weather. Visit four tribal villages, each with its own people, architecture and traditions.

Your enemies are the Primal Cultists, who hold the dungeons and roam the overworld. They fight with all four elements: earth shapers use terrain and cover, water shapers redirect your attacks, fire shapers press forward, and air shapers stay mobile and turn your projectiles aside.

The RPG

Develop your style

Primal Balance is an RPG at heart. Create your character, talk to the people of the four tribes and gain their trust, keep what you find in an inventory you use with your own hands, Quests, loot and stat bonuses are on the way.

New techniques are earned by exploring and completeing procedural dungeons, finding masters, and completing quests. You can Seamlessy switch between the elements you unlock or even combine them!

Questions

FAQ

When is it coming out?

There is no release date yet. Primal Balance is in early development; follow along on social media for progress.

Which platforms?

PC VR headsets through SteamVR. A standalone release is possible later.

Do I need full-body tracking?

Full-body tracking is recommended: hip and foot trackers bring kicks, stomps and spins into your fighting style. You can also play without trackers, standing or seated.

Is there multiplayer?

No. Primal Balance is a single-player experience.

Can I playtest?

Not yet. Subscribe on the home page and you’ll hear first when playtests open.