Unplugged [Quest 2] | REVIEW

After years of playing with plastic instruments as I blasted out a myriad of rock classics in the likes of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, I was excited to play Unplugged – the evolution of the genre that eliminates the need for peripherals and also adds more immersion by being played in virtual reality. However, the idea of rhythm-based guitar gameplay without a physical instrument to hold did leave me questioning how natural it would feel to play. It’s all well and good having your finger movements recognised, but would it feel weird when you’re just doing it on an air guitar?

Well, I’m happy to say that it all works really well in-game and makes for an addictively enjoyable experience. Whilst the finger tracking might not be perfect on the Oculus Quest just yet, Unplugged shows that it really can work in a fleshed-out game.

Check out a gallery of screenshots down below:

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Unplugged’s gameplay sees players rocking out on an air guitar, with their finger movements tracked as they line up to form chords and match the notes that are shown in-game, all whilst strumming along with the song using their other hand. Basically, it’s just like playing guitar, except the guitar isn’t physically there, but come on, you can’t pretend you’ve NEVER played an air guitar before… you know exactly what you need to do.

There are different note types that you need to hit when playing, with some requiring players to simply strum once, some seeing them hold their fingers in place until the note ends, some seeing players quickly move their fingers between chords, and others letting players go all out and move between any notes they want like they’re bursting out with some epic solo.

It’s the same sort of thing players have seen in Guitar Hero really, so if you’re familiar with those games, it’ll be easy to grasp what you need to do. Of course, the big difference here is that you’re not actually holding an instrument, with the Oculus Quest’s hand tracking making sure you’re playing efficiently. Admittedly, it can take some getting used to, especially if you played Guitar Hero in the past and are used to mashing buttons on a plastic guitar, but it does feel natural after playing a few songs. The tracking itself is pretty accurate too, though there were a few times where I’d move my hands a little too much and it wouldn’t pick up on the inaccuracies; you’ve got to find the perfect position to ‘hold’ your air guitar and stick to it, otherwise mistakes can happen. For the most part it works really well though, so it’s hard to complain.

“Unplugged’s gameplay sees players rocking out on an air guitar, with their finger movements tracked as they line up to form chords and match the notes that are shown in-game, all whilst strumming along with the song using their other hand.”

It’s all well and good having some cool gameplay mechanics, but titles like this NEED a good setlist. Thankfully, Unplugged delivers on that front too, with bangers from The Clash, Steel Panther, Rush, Lynyrd Skynyrd (damn, I love ‘Free Bird’), Tenacious D, and Weezer just some of the twenty-three songs that are available in total. The track list is a lot smaller than those seen in similar titles, but with the game coming in at under twenty quid, you won’t feel short changed – the quality of the tracks on offer is top notch too, with something there to please rock fans from different eras.

The only thing that annoyed me was that you had to unlock tracks as you play, with different challenges gating access to them. Whilst it’s cool to have a sense of progress in the game, it would’ve been nicer to have it tied to cosmetics as opposed to the main gameplay experience, especially since players might not be that interested in some of the initial songs that are available. But hey, at least the challenges themselves are fun to complete, so there’s something for players to work towards outside of simply playing songs.

“It’s all well and good having some cool gameplay mechanics, but titles like this NEED a good setlist. Thankfully, Unplugged delivers on that front too, with bangers from The Clash, Steel Panther, Rush, Lynyrd Skynyrd (damn, I love ‘Free Bird’), Tenacious D, and Weezer just some of the twenty-three songs that are available in total.”

That’s not to say Unplugged won’t keep you coming back just to enjoy its gameplay though, whilst the increasing difficulty ensures that it’ll take some practice before players can master songs. Even metal heads who are experts with their own real-life axes might have trouble keeping up with the frantic pace of the game on some of the more challenging tracks, especially on the tougher difficulty settings that’ll see players zipping their fingers all over the place. It’s never frustratingly hard though, but instead encourages players to keep practicing and getting better at the game. I actually found it more enjoyable to play on the higher difficulties once I got used to the gameplay, so don’t be afraid to try them out.

The game certainly looks the part too, with the locales you rock out in growing in scale and bringing with them more visual pizzazz. The selection of guitars you play are impressive and detailed too, whilst the effects brought as you play added plenty of splashes of colour to the experience. Of course, it’s all played on the Oculus Quest, so it feels all the more immersive and special anyway thanks to the power of virtual reality – especially when playing in front of a rowdy crowd who aren’t afraid to let you know if you’re playing good or bad…

Developer: Another Way
Publisher: Vertigo Games
Platform(s): Oculus Quest 2 (Reviewed), Oculus Quest
Website: https://vertigo-games.com/games/unplugged-vr/