White Lotus Interactive is releasing its crowdfunded adventure game Xing: The Land Beyond this Thursday, September 21st. Over five years in the making (and delivered only four years late) Xing will initially support Windows PC in 2D keyboard/mouse and VR Oculus, Vive and OSVR with tracked controllers.

As a Kickstarter backer, owner of Oculus Rift/Touch and reviewer of games, White Lotus offered me an early release copy for preview/review. I’ve not yet finished the game, but I wanted to provide my first impressions.

Xing is a classic point-and-click adventure. You have just died and now find your immortal soul at an oasis surrounded by four gates to other worlds. You must go to these other worlds and complete tasks. Sound familiar?

The graphics are gorgeous. I don’t want to show much, if anything, because I don’t want to ruin the experience of seeing these places for the first time. It is quite a trip. I suggest watching the several trailers on the Steam Store page and imagine yourself standing in those worlds in VR.

The music is lush. What I have heard so far is fully instrumented, not just a synthesizer doing chordal progressions.

The puzzles are logical with only minimal inventory (inventory is limited to what you can carry in your two hands).

You are all alone. No dialog trees. No soap operas to take part in. No clock breathing down your neck.

And the one twist is that you can affect the environment of each world in a different way. For example, in the first world you go to you can change day into night or back again each time you step in the enchanted ring.

I have just about competed the first of four worlds and so far the game has lived up to its promise. I will let you know in the review if it completely fulfills it.

Until then, get over to the Steam Store page and at least watch the trailers. Just be sure to bring a towel to drool into.