‘C-Smash VRS’ Reimagines SEGA’s Futuristic Sport ‘Cosmic Smash’ for Meta Quest, Out Now

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Apr 4, 2024

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In 2001, SEGA showed everyone a glimpse of the future. The game was called Cosmic Smash—part squash, part reimagining of the classic block-buster Breakout, part Y2K aesthetic.

Now it’s back and better than ever. C-Smash VRS, created by RapidEyeMovers and Wolf & Wood, reimagines Cosmic Smash for Meta Quest 2, 3, and Pro. C-Smash VRS mashes up addictive arcade action with a killer soundtrack and presentation. Play it like a real racket sport, or sit back and let the experience wash over you a la Rez Infinite. C-Smash VRS feels like the way Cosmic Smash was always intended to be played. It only took a quarter century to get here.

We sat down with RapidEyeMovers Director Jörg Tittel to wax rhapsodic about the SEGA Dreamcast and the early days of VR, discuss C-Smash VRS showing up at official squash tournaments, and more.

Check out the interview below, or head to the Meta Quest Store to pick up C-Smash VRS.

First, for background: What is Cosmic Smash, and what is C-Smash VRS?

Jörg Tittel: In 2001, SEGA released Cosmic Smash in the arcades and on their ultimate console, the Dreamcast. A futuristic sports game combining racket sports with block breaking, Cosmic Smash combined a beautiful minimalist audiovisual aesthetic with fluid, one-more-go gameplay. Like its fellow SEGA cousin Rez (now Rez Infinite on Meta Quest), Cosmic Smash was way ahead of its time.

C-Smash VRS reimagines it for VR and for online, with both versus and co-op gameplay. C-Smash VRS may be rooted in the past, but it’s the most advanced sports title in VR, featuring full-body avatars and a host of seamless, innovative features and endless fun.

How did your team become interested in updating Cosmic Smash for the modern era? Did you approach SEGA with the idea, or how did that come about?

JT: I fell in love with the original game back in 2001, when I was still writing for the Official Dreamcast Magazine in the US. It felt like a future I wanted to travel to: positive, inviting, physically stimulating and with great music and minimalist design.

SEGA had been an early pioneer in the VR space—they introduced virtual reality in the arcades—and I immediately thought “I would so love to step inside a holodeck and move inside Cosmic Smash.” Thanks to Meta Quest bringing VR to the masses, this is now possible.

I managed to convince SEGA to license the rights to us at RapidEyeMovers and we teamed up with the great folks at Wolf & Wood (A Chair in a Room: Greenwater, The Exorcist Legion VR, The Last Worker) and a host of amazing artists, designers and musicians to craft this labor of love.

The long wait has paid off. This truly feels like a dream come true.

Music is a huge part of the Cosmic Smash DNA. What can players expect from the C-Smash VRS soundtrack?

JT: The game’s soundtrack is incredible and features original tracks written specifically for the game by masters: Ken Ishii (who is one of the world’s greatest DJs—you may know his music from Rez Infinite), synth master Danalogue (front man of bands The Comet is Coming and Soccer 96), as well as a track by UK legends UNKLE.

You can find a C-Smash VRS EP on Spotify and Apple Music, with a full vinyl LP coming later this year. We have a whole lot more musical surprises and guests in store for C-Smash VRS, and the more our player base grows, the bigger the party will become.

What’s next for you post-launch? Anything exciting in the works?

JT: Now that our game is launching on Meta Quest, prepare to see C-Smash VRS appearing on the stage at various sports events, starting with a variety of PSA squash tournaments in the UK. Squash has just been declared an official Olympic sport and racket sports such as padel, pickleball, tennis, and so forth are growing in popularity.

C-Smash VRS isn’t a simulation but a larger-than-life extension of what makes racket sports so special. And it’s also a joy to watch people play it, either alone or with a friend. We will be adding new modes to the game in the near future, making the game even more fun. Like the universe itself, the game will keep expanding.

Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

JT: We are so excited to see C-Smash VRS out on Meta Quest. The game takes players to the very edge of space and time, but to us, being on Meta Quest feels like a homecoming. The game feels so empowering and free on Meta Quest 2, 3 and Pro. It is as physical or chill as you want it to be—you can play it standing, seated, left- or right-, two- or one-handed. Everyone gets to play as equals, regardless of physical preference or ability.

We can’t wait to see you all in space.

Take a trip to the cosmos with C-Smash VRS, available now on the Meta Quest Store for $19.99 USD.