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Press release:
Kyoto, Japan, December 16th 2021.
Today Skulls of the Shogun and GALAK-Z developer 17-BIT has released its highly acclaimed VR survival adventure “Song in the Smoke” on SteamVR, allowing compatibility with Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality headsets, and others.

It’s also now available on Viveport today. This follows its release in October on Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, and PlayStation VR.

This SteamVR release is the ultimate version of Song in the Smoke, offering additional graphics options to take advantage of high end PC rigs. It also adds additional difficulty options – including Gentle, Normal, Savage, and an ultra-punishing hidden difficulty that will challenge even the most hardcore masochists. There are also a number of quality of life improvements, along with expanded graphics settings and VR tuning options. This new content is now available on all previous platforms as a free update.

“We were very pleased with the glowing reception Song in the Smoke received upon its launch in October, so we’re thrilled to bring it to players of all VR platforms now with this SteamVR release,” said 17-BIT founder and creative lead Jake Kazdal.

“This version offers the best experience yet, as it looks incredibly detailed and has all new features and quality of life improvements. If you’ve not played Song in the Smoke before, there’s never been a better time to jump in! And if you played it already, it’s worth revisiting for the new additions. I’d highly recommend trying the new, harder difficulty levels. They’re my preferred way to play!”

Song in the Smoke utilizes VR to its full potential, allowing players to expertly identify threats with sound, sight, and smell. Use the world to your advantage, and stalk your prey from the tall grass. Intuitive VR controls let you line up the perfect shot with your bow — but be careful to listen out for the creatures that may be hunting you, or else you’ll have to fight for your life with clubs, sticks, or anything else you can get your hands on. Get ready to embark on an epic quest in a mysterious prehistoric world full of strange beasts where you must craft, forage, hunt, and fight to survive.

Built upon concept art by famed illustrator Katsuya Terada (The Legend of Zelda, Blood: The Last Vampire, The Monkey King), Song in the Smoke creates a primordial wilderness unlike any other. Part survival game and part mysterious adventure, Song in the Smoke’s fantastical creatures and stylized scenery lend an eerie, otherworldly tone to an experience that’s both action-packed and intimate.

For more information on Song in the Smoke, Japanese gaming documentary studio Archipel released two behind the scenes videos exploring the creative process behind the game’s development. This first, Call of the Wild, focuses on creative director Jake Kazdal’s inspirations from Kyoto’s lush wilderness. The second video showcases renowned illustrator Katsuya Terada’s contributions to Song in the Smoke.

What critics are saying:

“An intoxicating trip … an experience directly connected to the beating heart of nature and acutely aware of the structure and interaction needed to make its survival gameplay work in VR.” – Upload VR

“Song in the Smoke is an unrivaled VR survival game” – Screen Rant

“Excels with fantastic controls and VR mechanics, accomplishing some things that veteran VR developers still struggle with.” – Gaming Nexus

“Game of the Year. Best Survival Game in VR yet. Intuitive, immersive, incredible. One of PlayStation VR’s very best games.”
10/10 – PSVR Without Parole

Visit the Song in the Smoke website: http://17-bit.com/
Follow 17-BIT on Twitter: https://twitter.com/17_BIT
Like Song in the Smoke on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeventeenBit

About 17-BIT
Founded in 2009 as Haunted Temple Studios, 17-BIT began as a small Seattle studio composed of veterans from Sega Japan and EA Los Angeles. Since its inception, 17-BIT launched the turn-based tactics game Skulls of the Shogun, and the love letter to 1980s arcade shooters that was GALAK-Z. Now based in Kyoto, Japan, 17-BIT developed its most ambitious title yet with the VR survival adventure Song in the Smoke, out now on PlayStation, Oculus, HTC Vive, and SteamVR platforms.