No Controllers Required: Save the Planet With Finger Guns in ‘Rogue Ascent VR’ for Meta Quest 2

The world is on the verge of destruction, and you’re the only one who can save it. Luckily, you have the most powerful weapon in the universe: finger guns. Rogue Ascent VR was built from the ground up for our Presence Platform hand tracking technology, which means you only need to point your fingers to fire at enemies and flip your hands up to the sky to reload—no controllers required. The innovative sci-fi shooter is out today on Meta Quest 2 + Pro for $24.99 USD.

Since we first shipped hand tracking on Meta Quest in 2019, we’ve seen the technology help people be more creative and expressive, play entirely new kinds of games that haven’t been possible before, and control their devices in a more natural and intuitive way. In Rogue Ascent VR, simple hand gestures let you interact with everything in the game, like the aforementioned finger guns for shooting your weapons or putting your arms up in front of your face to activate a shield that blocks enemy fire. You’ll also use your hands to teleport from one location to the next and to interact with vending machines and computer terminals.

Your mission is to fight your way through the High Altitude Void Orbital Cannon (HAVOC), a massive space station that also happens to have a planet-killing laser beam. As you get deeper into the facility, you’ll find a wide variety of guns that you can modify and upgrade, as well as use special abilities that differ depending on which class (Intel Officer, Android, Psyops, Medic, and Rogue) you choose. Each run offers a new experience thanks to procedurally generated levels, enemy spawns, and loot.

We caught up with Nooner Bear Studio CEO Jordan McGraw to find out more about Rogue Ascent VR, his thoughts on using hand tracking in VR games, and what players can expect to see in future updates.

Jordan McGraw: Rogue Ascent began as a fairly simple experiment. I wanted to create something that utilized hand tracking as its primary input system. Going controller-free wasn't an afterthought for me—it was the only thought. I saw that there was an opportunity for innovation, and Meta’s approach to the technology proved itself to me immediately. I knew it could be done with what was available.

JM: There are currently five player classes in Rogue Ascent, each with their own distinct gameplay style and pacing elements. Additionally, each class has a unique ultimate ability that complements their gameplay, making the core experience dynamic. As you progress through each run, you have the opportunity to acquire perks and upgrades that level up your character's stats, enhancing their capabilities. To create something new, you can locate enemy crafting benches to modify or combine your weapons. It's important to note that, as this is a game in the rogue genre, these abilities only persist until you die.

However, across runs, you can discover collectibles that unlock new weapons, attachments, and playable characters, allowing you to expand your arsenal and explore new possibilities.

JM: The primary game mode is Ascent: The player battles their way up a super-powered space station to protect their homeworld from cosmic annihilation. It features dynamic boss battles, multiple biome sectors, and narrative character interactions. Secondary to the main game mode are the holodeck battles. These are a mix of arcade and sandbox-style experiences that offer the same hand tracking action in different gameplay settings.

JM: During the development cycle of our game, we were fortunate to have a supportive community of players who provided valuable feedback through the App Lab review system. This player feedback was crucial to the game's success, as it helped us identify areas for improvement and gain a better understanding of what players thought of the game. I believe actively seeking feedback is essential, particularly when designing new methodologies.

JM: Rogue Ascent will feature a new boss battle and introduce a new pillar to the game: the Character Dialogue System. Between floors the player will receive transmissions from the other playable characters, which take the form of bonuses, insight into the next objective, or banter that explores the game’s narrative universe.

JM: Occasionally I did encounter technical hurdles that would require me to reevaluate my design approach. Despite being sound on paper, some designs wouldn't hold up in practice. To inform my approach, I turned to established fields like Ergonomics and Human Factors for guidance and best practices. Although there are few handrails to lean on when working with emerging technologies, I was determined to incorporate the insights from these fields to ensure a smoother design and better outcomes.

JM: Start with hand tracking as a given. Anchor your designs around motions which can be repeated often and systematically without drawing fatigue upon the user. Never remove ergonomics from the question. Give players the opportunity to relax their hands without it disrupting your control schemes. The hand gesture input space is enormous, so take time to explore it.

I actively chose to keep things simple and focused on static hand poses rather than using multi-stage or overly dynamic gestures, as those could become difficult to perform, overlap with other gestures, or become unreliable. I found these two developer articles, Designing for Hands and Best Practices, to be particularly insightful about what’s at play with hand tracking.

JM: In the future, Rogue Ascent will feature new boss battles, new playable characters, added perks, and much more. Player feedback will help determine how this technology gets put to use and how we grow as a community.

JM: I’m super thankful to everyone who has helped make this project a reality and bring it to where it is today. I’m optimistic about the future and can’t wait to see what’s next in this exciting new era of gaming.

See how long you can survive while infiltrating the HAVOC in Rogue Ascent VR, now available on Meta Quest 2 + Pro.