Players are spoilt for choice as far as virtual reality is concerned right now, with a wide range of headsets available that vary in both power and accessibility. We’ve primarily focused on two headsets in particular on the website: PlayStation VR and the Oculus Quest. After comparing the two in a recent article (you can check that out here), one of the things that came up was the game selection on both and which one offered the better exclusives.
PlayStation VR won in that category, but that doesn’t mean that the Oculus Quest is short of quality releases. In fact, it has a good selection of exclusives that you won’t be able find outside of the Oculus platform that certainly rival some of those on PlayStation VR – there is no denying that the future is bright for Oculus Quest gamers. With that in mind, we’ve decided to cover some of those releases so that early adopters of the Oculus Quest headset know which exclusives they won’t want to miss out on.
As a note, some of these may have already appeared on the Oculus Rift, but our coverage of them primarily focuses on the Oculus Quest versions of each game.
Journey of the Gods
One of my favourite things about virtual reality is how involved it makes you feel on each adventure you go on, with the added immersion really making you feel like you’re there battling enemies or exploring this grand environment. Journey of the Gods does this brilliantly, with its fantastic combat mechanics and intuitive controls making you feel like you’re really there having these showdowns with epic creatures. Oh, and you get some God-like powers too, which is always a plus.
Players are able to use both a sword and a shield together or a crossbow in Journey of the Gods, with enemies able to be taken down from up close or from far away. A lot of virtual reality titles haven’t managed to nail the feel of a sword and shield properly, but it’s satisfying to use here thanks to the 360-degree movement and the room scale features of the Oculus Quest headset. Add to that the dual-sticks on the Oculus Touch controllers, and you’ll quickly find that it’s incredibly easy to move around whilst pulling off combat manoeuvres.
Then you have your God powers, which see you changing in size (you’ll literally be looking down on the world as a giant) as you interact with the environment in different ways. Whilst this use is most effective when solving puzzles or clearing pathways, it’s also effective in combat with the player able to bring down lightning bolts to take out foes. You’ll unlock new abilities as you progress too, so you’re constantly utilising your powers in different ways.
It’s this clever blend of ground-based battling and air-based puzzle solving that just makes Journey of the Gods so fun. It makes for a grand adventure where you’ll explore a vibrantly large (although sometimes slightly vacant) world and take down a ton of enemies, all whilst playing God in-between. What more could you want?
Vader Immortal: Episode I
The fact that Vader Immortal: Episode I is a narrative-driven Star Wars game that features the most iconic villain of all time and takes place in virtual reality would probably be enough for most people anyway, though knowing that it’s a genuinely entertaining experience does help.
In Vader Immortal: Episode I you don’t play as the Sith Lord himself, but rather a smuggler that finds themselves stuck on Darth Vader’s home planet of Mustafar. Fortunately, Darth Vader needs your help, so you’re not doomed to a force choke – instead, you’ll work with him. Whilst I’m sure some gamers would’ve loved to be taking on the role of Darth Vader, playing in virtual reality and feeling his foreboding presence around you is actually a lot more satisfying.
Add to that the fact that you’ll get to use a lightsaber (with realistic sounds) to both deflect and slice at enemies and you’ll quickly find yourself totally immersed into the experience – especially with the brilliant tracking of the Oculus Touch controllers. There’s also a wave-based combat mode for those who’re just here for the combat, which offers a series of challenges to prolong your experience with your lightsabre.
The only downside is that Vader Immortal: Episode I’s narrative is only around fifty-minutes long, with the game ending just as things start to get really interesting. It’s a lower priced title though so it’s easy to forgive, whilst the excitement that’ll build during it will have you eagerly anticipating future episodes of the game.
Robo Recall: Unplugged
Robo Recall: Unplugged already had a good reputation as one of the stand out releases on the Oculus Rift, so I’m glad to report that the robot-annihilating experience is just as enjoyable on the Oculus Quest.
What would you do if rogue robots started attacking your city? That’s right: you run, hide, and wait for it to all blow over. In Robo Recall: Unplugged though, you take on the role of a Recaller who is tasked with bringing them down. This means taking either dual handguns, revolvers, shotguns or energy guns with you into combat and blasting away at any robot that you see in your sights. It’s good old-fashioned wave-based shooting action, but it’s a heck of a lot of fun.
Taking down the robots is mighty satisfying. You’ll have a pair of guns in your holster and on your back so grabbing at each one feels extra immersive, whilst the fact that you never have to collect ammo and only have to wait for your weapons to recharge means that you’re never kept out of the action at all. Those weapons can be upgraded to add neat new features too, so you do feel yourself becoming more powerful as you progress through each of the game’s nine levels.
Prefer to get up close and personal? That’s fine too, especially since you can rip the limbs off of your enemies, throw them at a robot coming your way, and then use the remaining shell of your foe as a meat… I mean, metal shield. It’s these instances that make Robo Recall: Unplugged feel especially cool, whilst the fact that you earn points for pulling off stylish kills on your enemies will keep you coming back for more as you look to work up those online leaderboards.
It’s just a really fun game to play that’ll really scratch that ‘shooting’ itch for Oculus Quest fans. It doesn’t do anything revolutionary from a gameplay perspective, but it gets all of the basics right and makes for a really enjoyable time.
Shadow Point
Gamers who are more interested in a tale of intrigue and puzzle-solving will find themselves enjoying Shadow Point. It tells the story of a young girl named Lorna McCabe who vanished from the strange Shadow Point Observatory twelve years earlier, with the player taking on the role of Alex Burkett as he investigates the mystery behind her disappearance (all whilst Sir Patrick Stewart narrates the tale).
This paves the way for a first-person puzzling experience that’s full of clever enigmas based around finding and manipulating objects. Of course, there’s more to it than that with the game constantly introducing new mechanics, with each one feeling clever but also embracing the game’s more odd and magical side. Admittedly, some puzzles do miss the mark a little and can frustrate, but for the most part they’re of a high quality and will constantly have you scratching your head with their clever design.
Shadow Point also just so happens to be a very beautiful game, with some picturesque sights to be seen as you explore the observatory and uncover it’s enchanting secrets. Add to that an impressive soundtrack and it’s easy to see that Shadow Point features one of the most mesmerising worlds to explore on the Oculus Quest that really pulls the player in with its excellent sights and sounds.
Sports Scramble
Sometimes you won’t want to go on an epic adventure, shoot vicious enemies, or solve tricky enigmas in your Oculus Quest – sometimes, you’ll just want to have silly fun. That’s where Sports Scramble comes in.
At first glance you might not think too much of Sports Scramble: it’s just a collection of Tennis, Baseball and Bowling, but with the added immersion of virtual reality and motion controls. However, it’s the ‘scramble’ aspect of the game that’s most intriguing. See, you don’t just play the sports in a conventional manner here, but instead see things like your balls, bats and racquets completely change mid-game to spice up the gameplay experience.
This might mean suddenly playing tennis with a golf club as a racquet or a ping-pong ball as a ball, bowling with a pineapple, or even using a fish to try and score a homerun in baseball. Each object acts completely differently too, so you’ve got to be prepared for whatever strange situation you find yourself in. Of course, you can just play with the normal objects if you prefer, but where’s the fun in that?
There are fun challenges and scenarios added to the mix that really twist up the sports even more, so there’s plenty to sink your teeth into with Sports Scramble. Want to know the best thing of all though? The multiplayer, which allows you to take on your friends or strangers across the world in competitive action. Sports games are fun in multiplayer anyway, but one as unpredictable and chaotic as Sports Scramble makes for a brilliant time where you’ll spend hours laughing away.
An Oculus Quest headset was provided to us on loan by Hill+Knowlton Strategies to create this article, but it in no way influenced our opinion.
