Live Out Your Epic Movie Star Fantasies in ‘Action Hero,’ Out Now for Meta Quest

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Dec 12, 2024

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Do you often feel like the confines of a single game's narrative and world are too constraining for your ambitions to be a hero? Maybe sometimes you want to punch a dinosaur but other times you want to battle shotgun-wielding ninjas and having to seek out multiple experiences is too exhausting. That's a problem that Action Hero is here to help you solve!

Action Hero is the latest action-packed VR action game from Fast Travel Games and it blasts its way onto the Meta Quest platform today for some serious blockbuster action thrills. To learn more about the game and its development, we spoke with game director Christopher Smith from Fast Travel Games.

First of all, can you run us through the concept for Action Hero?

Christopher Smith: In Action Hero the player stars in five different movies (and an equal amount of remixed Director’s Cuts). Each film has its own story and setting, but since you are the action hero, clearing scenes by blasting enemies is your number one job. The gimmick is that time only moves when you do, so there is plenty of room for planning your actions and looking great doing it. At times the game almost feels like one big coolness simulator. But don’t let that fool you though, it will also offer quite the challenge.

This is such a fun concept for a game. Where did the inspiration come from?

CS: Most of the inspiration comes from classic movies of various genres: adventure, heist, sci-fi etc, and we’ve had some truly amazing team movie nights. As for the core mechanics of the game, I think most VR players will recognize our love for Superhot.

The game features five "movies"—can you tell us a bit about just how different each movie actually is in the game?

CS: Very different. Each movie is completely unique in terms of setting and story. As a player you’ll be hunting forbidden treasures in lost temples in one film, only to next seek revenge on a vicious ninja clan somewhere in the ancient east. Certain enemies and weapons also vary between movies to make sure we stay within the genre. The original scope was actually much more limited, but then we just couldn’t help ourselves and the game grew.

From a development perspective, it sounds like a lot of work to essentially create the framework of five entire game worlds. What were some of the biggest challenges?

CS: Each game always comes with its own set of challenges, but one that is true for most is: time. We knew we had so very many great ideas that we wanted to pack into Action Hero, and figuring out what to prioritize and what darlings to cut was a challenge.

Do you have a favorite example of just how silly and fun this game can get?

CS: Even though the regular movies are quite over the top, it’s in the remixed Director’s Cut versions that just about anything goes. Velociraptors might learn how to ride motorbikes for instance, who knows?

Designing the game this way seems to really lend itself well to being scalable and modular. Are you planning to release DLC that includes new movies, or even open up modding functionality for the community?

CS: Without going into details, we can confirm we have some very exciting new movies already in production. More on that after the holidays.

Do you have any tips for players before they dive in for the first time?

CS: It’s a challenging game, and the most common mistake is to try and rush it. Take in each scene, plan, then act. You will most likely fail a lot, but try to keep your cool. Finally mastering a movie is incredibly rewarding. If you do find yourself struggling too much, there are a few relaxed settings to ease the experience, even though I sincerely suggest trying without.

Where can people find out more about you and your work?

CS: Action Hero is available now on the Meta Horizon store for Meta Quest, so you can grab your copy and become the hero of your dreams.