Lucasfilm’s ILMxLab is back for more “Star Wars” virtual reality action: The studio released “Vader Immortal Episode II” on Facebook’s Oculus Quest VR headset Wednesday. The new episode features Maya Rudolph as the voice of ZO-E3, a robot sidekick.
In the new episode, players get to learn from the Sith Lord, and battle new “Star Wars” creatures while uncovering the secrets of Mustafar. Just as the previous iteration, Episode II will once again combine a narrative experience with a light saber dojo where players can use the force to face off against enemies.
“At its core, ‘Vader Immortal’ allows audiences to explore one central question: what would it be like for you to be a hero in a ‘Star Wars’ adventure, and learn firsthand about Darth Vader’s mysterious plans,” asked ILMxLab senior producer Alyssa Finley during the keynote. “We can’t wait for audiences to continue their journey with Episode II.”
In an interview with Variety, Finley said that ILMxLab learned a lot from having the first episode out on the market. One of these lessons was to give people more agency, and also give them even more of a chance to test their light saber skills. “A lot of people really liked the light saber dojo,” she said.
In Episode II, this training ground is becoming a lot more challenging, giving players the ability to combine light saber fighting with the force. For instance, you can throw the light saber at enemies, and then retrieve it again. “There is a lot more to it,” said Episode II director Ben Snow.
ILMxLab released the first episode of “Vader Immortal” when the Quest came first out in May, and consumers may not have to wait too long for the third and final episode. “We’ve been working on Episode II since before Episode I came out,” Finley said. “We’ve been working on the whole of the thing in parallel.”
The duo also made it clear that ILMxLab won’t be done with VR even after the three-part series concludes. “It’s an opportunity to tell great stories,” said Finley. Snow agreed: “We have more stories to tell.”
You can watch a trailer for “Vader Immortal Episode II” below:
