PSVR Reviews
Review The Persistence (PS4) - Virtual Reality Roguelike Is Sensationally Unsettling
Space race
Republished on Wednesday, 28th October, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of November 2021's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. The Persistence is a perfect name. Yes, it relates to some sci-fi mumbo-jumbo buried at the very core of the game’s lore, but really it...
Mini Review Gadgeteer (PS4) - A Fulfilling VR Physics Puzzler
Go, go gadget Rube Goldberg machine
Virtual reality is a fantastic arena with which to explore puzzles – especially when the idea is such a fun and refreshing one. Gadgeteer sees you designing amazing Rube Goldberg contraptions by placing all the missing pieces to complete the machines, while progressing through an abode’s various rooms. What...
Review Star Wars: Squadrons - This Might Not Be the Game You're Looking For
Squad goals
Republished on Wednesday 26th May 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of June's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Star Wars: Squadrons probably isn't the next title from a galaxy far, far away that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order fans were looking for. It may not even be the...
Mini Review DOOM 3: VR Edition (PS4) – An Improved Version of a Solid Game
Go to hell
Games not designed with VR first have a tendency to be rather hit-or-miss, but the PSVR adaptation of DOOM 3 – the black sheep of the esteemed shooter franchise – is most definitely a hit. A shooter lives and dies by how the gunplay is, and DOOM 3 VR’s shooting is spectacular. While using the PSVR Aim Controller is definitely the...
Review Farpoint (PS4) - Basic FPS Papers Over Cracks with Compelling VR Action
Starship gloopers
Republished on Friday, 26th February, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of March 2021's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. Farpoint is both the most innovative and primitive first-person shooter you’ll play this year. The next tentpole PlayStation VR title, this sci-fi...
Review Yupitergrad (PS4) – A Cheeky VR Platformer That’s a Whole Bundle of Fun
To space, comrades
PlayStation VR games fluctuate wildly when it comes to motion sickness. Some of the simplest ideas can be incredibly disorienting if everything isn’t calibrated perfectly. But what happens when you go to the extreme other end of the spectrum? Yupitergrad is a first-person momentum-based puzzle platformer that takes place on a...
Mini Review The Walking Dead Onslaught - One for the Undead Fans
Building a new beginning
It’s been a good year for The Walking Dead fans on PlayStation VR. Having previously seen The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners back in May by Skydance Interactive, we now have The Walking Dead Onslaught arrive as an entirely separate VR adaptation. Developed by Survios, Onslaught takes us directly into AMC’s television...
Mini Review Budget Cuts - VR Stealth Action Has Never Been This Good
No cutbacks here
Corporate satire is common across gaming but rarely focuses on issues faced by automation. Taking this concept into an action stealth title with murderous robots, Budget Cuts finally lands on PlayStation VR two years after its PC launch and it’s been worth the wait. Developed by Neat Corporation, you play as a human employee of...
Review Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series - Star Wars and VR Are Made for Each Other
Be proud of this technological terror
Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series came as a bit of a surprise. We'd expected a bit of a cash grab, but the actual product is decent if unorthodox package. We get a campaign spread across three episodes plus three waves-based challenge modes. There’s actually a surprising wealth of content when viewed...
Review Pistol Whip - One of PSVR’s Best Experiences Yet
Whipped into shape
What happens if you take the precise gun-fu of John Wick and the rhythm oriented action of Baby Driver then shoved it all into a VR headset? Well, you get Pistol Whip. A brilliant rails-shooter-cross-rhythm-game hybrid, developer Cloudhead Games has crafted one of PlayStation VR's best experiences to date. Set amidst the backdrop...
Review Marvel's Iron Man VR - Armoured Avenger Flies High on PSVR
Put on the suit
Marvel's Iron Man VR represents another concerted effort from the comic book powerhouse to bring its characters to gaming in a meaningful way. Following the immense success of Marvel's Spider-Man, this PlayStation VR exclusive had a lot to live up to. The end result is a highly impressive action title that goes the distance to...
Review Gorn - A Satisfying, Comically Violent PSVR Brawler
Are you not entertained?
Gorn is one of those games you can describe in just a few words. It's a VR beat-'em-up where you engage gormless gladiators in a bloody fight to the death. That's kind of it, really, but that simple concept makes for a more engaging experience than you might think. One of virtual reality's first success stories on PC...
Review Paper Beast - Novel PSVR Experience Is Another World Worth Exploring
Paper view
The thing that's so great about virtual reality is that it opens up all new possibilities for video games. By putting you right into the world, PlayStation VR can provide experiences that a flat TV screen simply can't. It makes a game more tangible and believable when you can literally reach out and grab something, or throw a real punch...
Review Firewall Zero Hour - Tactical PSVR Shooter Has Awesome Action, But Not Enough of It
You've been Tango'd
Republished on Wednesday 29th January 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. We’re not sure whether they’re brave or stupid, but developers will insist on releasing online-only multiplayer games for PlayStation VR...
Mini Review The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets - An Adorable But Brief PSVR Puzzler
Animal magic
The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets is a PlayStation VR puzzle game in which you swivel a handful of dioramas around in search of hidden animals. There's not much more to it than that, but it gets away with such a simple idea by presenting it wonderfully. It's an absolute walk in the park, but there's still a satisfaction to solving...
Mini Review Doctor Who: The Edge of Time - A PSVR Game Only Whovians Could Love
Wibbly wobbly timey wimey
It's always felt like BBC's campy sci-fi show should be a home run in video games, but it's rarely translated well to an interactive format. PlayStation VR adventure Doctor Who: The Edge of Time is an effort to change that, but it's ultimately a bit flat, leaning a little too heavily on fan-pleasing moments instead of...
Review Golem - The World Is Not Enough to Save This PSVR Title from Itself
Rock slide
Have you ever had one of those games you were really excited for, but once the game finally comes out you end up not just disliking it, but actually kind of hating it? Enter Highwire Games’ Golem. Despite being delayed over and over since 2015’s announcement, it doesn’t feel like a stretch to say more delays may have been the right...
Mini Review Audica - Harmonix's PSVR Rhythm Game Is Right on Target
Rock n' roll is king
PlayStation VR isn’t hurting for good experiences, but it’s time to throw another on the stack. Rhythm kings Harmonix are back with Audica, a VR music experience where you shoot at notes as they fly towards you. While its gameplay may be more comparable to the Persona dancing games, the gameplay loop is every bit as...
Mini Review Last Labyrinth - PSVR's Most Baffling Experience
At least it's the last one
Every so often, a video game will come along that seemingly defies all preconceived logic and common sense. That can be a good thing, or it can go the way of The Quiet Man. Unfortunately, Last Labyrinth is a PlayStation VR title that very much belongs in the latter category. Its core mechanic is sound enough, if a little...
Review Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son - Time-Looping Puzzler Can't Live Up to the Iconic Movie
Phil Connors simulator
In Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son, a virtual reality sorta-sequel to the classic movie, you play as Phil Connors Jr. -- the cocksure son of Bill Murray's character and social media influencer on the rise. He's back in Punxsutawney to see his family and celebrate the unveiling of a statue in his father's honour. It's meant...
Review The Copper Canyon Shootout - A Fun, Compact Light Gun-Esque Experience in VR
Once upon a time in PSVR
The Copper Canyon Shootout's name evokes a specific image. What kind of game might it be? Some sort of Western, maybe a cowboy shooter is probably your first thought. If you pictured that, you’d be partially correct. Does it make you think of robots? Probably not, but as it turns out, all of your enemies are made of metal...
Review Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot - An Unexpectedly Impressive PSVR Excursion
I, robot
Machine Games and Arkane Studios’ Wolfenstein collaboration spans two titles, but much of the emphasis during marketing was on the cooperative shooting of Wolfenstein: Youngblood. The PlayStation VR title, Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot, has hardly gotten any attention. It was shown – briefly – at this year’s E3, and apart from the odd...
Review Telefrag VR - A Slight But Slick PSVR Arena Shooter
Quake-ing in our boots
When a shooter is at its best, everything just feels right. Controls are snappy, shooting is satisfying, the environments are fun, and getting a “frag” is appropriately rewarding. Keep each of these elements in mind, and then toss PlayStation VR into the mix, and that’s how it feels to dive into Telefrag VR. Telefrag VR...
Review Sairento - A Fun, Kinetic Ninja Action Game for PSVR
Be a slicer and dicer while wearing your visor
PlayStation VR is seeing quite the resurgence recently; it seems like every month in 2019 we’ve been treated to an excellent new game or experience to enjoy when we put on our headset. Sairento looks to continue that hot streak, and offers a short but sweet burst of ninja justice on PSVR. Do you...
Review Vacation Simulator - It's a Jolly Holiday with You, Bot
Trip Ad-visor
We're sure the irony of taking a fake holiday within the confines of virtual reality isn't lost on Owlchemy Labs, a studio that revels in the absurdity of what it's making. Job Simulator was one of PlayStation VR's first games, a series of silly sandboxes stuffed with interactive objects and madcap characters. It's about as far from...
Review Luna - A Sweet, Meditative PSVR Excursion
By the light of the silvery moon
Every now and again, it's nice to just play a game that makes you smile. In between all the games about shooting and killing and gore, there are games that are just so unabashedly sweet that you can't help but grin as you play them. Enter Funomena's Luna, a PlayStation VR puzzler that tells a tale about connectedness...
Review Mini-Mech Mayhem - Silly Turn-Based Strategy from the Makers of Velocity
Go ahead, Mech my day
PlayStation VR really is a treasure trove of new ideas, and FuturLab’s latest is certainly just that. The developer of the excellent Velocity 2X has brought multiplayer turn-based strategy to the platform, and while it isn’t without its issues, it offers something wholly unique. Mini-Mech Mayhem begins with customising an...
Review Trover Saves the Universe - A Frenzied, F-Bomb Fuelled Fever Dream
Where do we even start
In a way, Trover Saves the Universe almost feels more like a Rick and Morty video game than Rick & Morty: Virtual Rick-ality. It shares the zany, off-the-wall humour of the popular show, but also its sense of adventure. You join the titular character on a journey across the cosmos to thwart an evil power, and no...
Review Blood & Truth - Confident Cockney Crime Drama Is a PSVR Dream
Marks man
As far as tech demos go, the London Heist – which launched as part of London Studio’s varied compilation disc PlayStation VR Worlds – was a convincing one. The short, hour-long crime drama effortlessly captured the potential of Sony’s pricey PSVR headset, demonstrating how it can enhance immersion, story-telling, and interactivity...
Review Everybody's Golf VR - Hot Shots in a Different Dimension
Putt to the test
In the 2017 instalment of Everybody’s Golf, veteran developer Clap-Hanz – supported, as always, by Sony’s own industrious Japan Studio – attempted to reinvent the decades-old franchise, adding open world elements to the classic click-click-click arcade action of yore. Everybody’s Golf VR represents another stark change for...
