Here’s What We Learned About ‘Vader Immortal’ At Star Wars Celebration

ILMxLAB unveiled a new story trailer for Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series along with lots of new details for the upcoming game at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago.

The new game immerses the player into the Star Wars galaxy as the Captain of the Windfall, who has been taken to Mustafar and chosen by Darth Vader. While it’s not clear exactly what the player has been chosen for, the iconic Sith Lord puts a Lightsaber in your hand begging the question as to whether or not you’ve been chosen to become an apprentice to Darth Vader.

“Vader Immortal lets you step inside a Star Wars story, so you’re not just observing what’s happening. You’re the lead character,” said director Ben Snow. “As a fan, I’ve always wanted to feel what it’s like to be close to Darth Vader. So to have him walk right up in VR — not only with his mechanical breathing, but talking to and addressing you directly — is something that I think is going to be meaningful for a lot of fans.”

In addition to revealing the first trailer along with new story details, Maya Rudolph was announced to have joined the cast as ZOE3, a quick-witted droid co-pilot that your smuggler character partners with throughout the story.

“Much in the way Alan Tudyk did with K-2SO, we needed somebody for this role that could create a unique character using their improvisation and performance skills,” said writer and executive producer David S. Goyer. “Maya truly was the first person we thought of, right from the very beginning, and her contributions and sense of humor have guided ZOE3 every step of the way.”

While Vader Immortal was originally announced last year to launch with the untethered Oculus Quest headset, Slevin revealed this weekend at Star Wars Celebration that the game will also be coming to the Oculus Rift family of headsets, including the upcoming Rift S.

“Oculus Quest unlocks new ways to create. It shifts the design paradigm by freeing creators from certain constraints, and the untethered form factor was one of the key reasons we partnered with the ILMxLAB team on this project” said Colum Slevin, Head of Media, AR/VR Experiences Group at Oculus. “What makes Vader Immortal so exciting is that this kind of story, this kind of moment in the Star Wars canon, can only happen in VR. You’ll see what I mean the moment you fire up a lightsaber and wield it in your hands.”

During Star Wars Celebration, fans had the chance to experience the first episode of the series, which puts the player directly in front of Darth Vader — which is extremely intimidating — before handing them a Lightsaber to face off against a Remote Training Ball and sparring against several droids. Vader Immortal is incredibly fulfilling for fans wanting to experience using a Lightsaber.

If you’ve waited this long to try out the Oculus, and you’re a fan of the franchise itself, you won’t want to miss out on this game. While there is a bit of a learning curve to the gameplay for first timers of virtual reality, you’ll find yourself so immersed in the Star Wars universe, you’ll have to keep reminding yourself you’re in a video game.

You can check out the story trailer for Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series below.

Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode I releases this spring.