Fracked [Meta Quest 3] | REVIEW

After releasing on PlayStation VR back in 2021, the team at nDreams have brought their action-packed shooter Fracked over to the Meta Quest platform. And you know what? It’s still a ton of fun to play, with the insane blend of shooting and skiing standing the test of time over the past three years.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Whilst Fracked does have a narrative that’s based around facing off against an alien threat that has taken over a fracking operation in a snowy mountain, it’s safe to say that it plays second fiddle to the action. Don’t get me wrong, it adds a fun sense of context to the madness you get involved in, but those looking for a story-heavy experience will want to look elsewhere, because Fracked is all about non-stop chaotic gunfights – and I mean that in the best possible way.

The shootouts of the game will be familiar to anyone who has played a virtual reality shooter before, with intuitive motion controls utilised as you face off against enemies in arena-like locales that focus heavily on moving around quickly and continually keeping the bullets blasting. Enemies will constantly respawn until you reach specific points of each area, so you can expect to face off against a constant onslaught of foes if you stay stationary for too long. Not that you’ll mind too much though, with your pistol, SMG, and other specialist weapons making for a satisfying arsenal to use to gun down enemies.

Gunfights feel responsive and satisfying throughout, whilst re-loading manages to feel immersive without being intrusive – whilst you do have to manually load ammo in, it’s all held in place ready for the player with just a few small movements required. It ensures the pace of the game never slows down, with no pressure on the player to stick to one spot or get involved in fiddly motion-based manoeuvres for too long. You’ve also got free-movement in the game which feels great with the Quest 3’s controllers, whilst there are plenty of comfort options on offer if you need them. The intense pace of Fracked might be intimidating to virtual reality newbies at first glance, but it caters for players of any experience with the platform.

“Fracked is an absolute blast to play, with the blend of chaotic cover-based gunplay and skiing action making for a really exciting experience.”

Whilst the blazing shootouts are undoubtedly the highlight of the experience, it’s also important that players keep out of the way of incoming fire when dealing with enemies. Fortunately, taking cover is simple enough to perform, with players simply grabbing at objects and then pulling their body behind them to hide away. It’s quick and easy, which ensures you won’t be stuck in the line of fire for too long provided there’s a cover spot nearby. And believe me, it’s super satisfying to peek out of cover and pick off enemies that are shooting your way, with Fracked offering some of the finest cover-based shooting that I’ve played in virtual reality. Levels are designed to cater for these sort of shootouts too, with each offering plenty of cover spots and angles to blast away at enemies from.

Of course, it’s not all running and gunning in Fracked, with plenty of action taking place down perilous mountains as you ski your way past obstacles whilst shooting at enemies along the way. Sounds a bit overwhelming, right? Fortunately, the controls in these sections feel natural enough to make it easy to weave between trees and shoot at the same time, with your head movement controlling the direction that you move, and the controllers used to shoot at enemies. It made for some enthralling chase sequences that were full of chaos, with enemies shooting from all directions and destructible objects surrounding the player with explosions. I had so much fun playing through these sections, with each standing out as a highlight of the whole experience – honestly, I would be happy to play a game made up of the skiing alone…

All-out action is very much at the forefront of Fracked’s experience, but there are times when the pace slows down a little as the player has to climb through an array of perilous sections. Much like similar virtual reality titles, it’s all about grabbing the right spot and pulling yourself around, though some set pieces that see the areas you’re climbing across fall away as well as the nerve-wracking sensation of climbing across dangerous heights ensure the game’s thrills are still maintained here. It’s nice to have a change of pace that caters to the excitement found in every other aspect of Fracked’s design, whilst it all adds to the variety of the experience.

Check out some screenshots down below:

I’ve got a whole lot of love for Fracked and really enjoyed my time playing, but it does have some imperfections. There’s not a whole lot of variety in the environments you traverse across and enemy types are limited, whilst the AI of enemies could also be a little bit sketchy in places. There were a couple of occasions when they weren’t smart enough to move past an obstacle to shoot me, whilst it always felt easy to outsmart them to get the upper hand. Fracked isn’t an overly challenging experience (though I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel good to be an all-powerful badass), but it would’ve been nice if the enemies were a bit more intelligent when it came to trying to take me down.

I suppose another complaint could be that the game is on the short side, with it only taking around three hours to beat. In fairness, there’s plenty of excitement and variety found across that runtime to ensure you’re getting plenty of bang for your buck, but maybe a couple of extra levels would’ve been nice – if only because I was enjoying the game so damn much.

One thing I’d be remiss not to mention are the game’s gorgeous cel-shaded visuals, which are packed with colour and add a refreshing sense of vibrancy to just about everything in the world of Fracked. Sure, there’s lots of white on show thanks to the fact you’re in a snowy mountain (duh!), but it just makes the action stand out all the more when you’re blasting away at enemies or watching an explosion in the distance. It’s just a very pretty game throughout and manages to look impressive on the Meta Quest 3, though there were a few graphical glitches that stood out here and there. It was mostly with a bit of pop-in or the occasional weird texture so it was nothing severe, but hopefully they’re issues that the team at nDreams can fix.

Developer: nDreams
Publisher: nDreams
Platform(s): Meta Quest 3 (Reviewed), Meta Quest 2, PC VR, PlayStation VR
Website: https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/fracked/8074885222534394/