Apex Construct is something of a leap forward for virtual reality (VR) titles. Whereas many VR videogames up until now have been relatively straightforward arcade-style experiences, Apex Construct presents a complex story in a fully-realised world.
The experience starts with you floating in a space-like void before a mysterious male voice calls out to you and offers to take you somewhere ‘nicer’. The voice belongs to an AI called Fathr, who has brought you to a world in ruins, made so by a mysterious event called ‘The Shift’.
A ‘glitch’ during transport has apparently left you with a robot hand in place of your dominant hand (the title has a left-handed option), and you quickly pick up a futuristic bow which you can use to defend yourself.
Your enemies in Apex Construct are hostile robotic animals, who are apparently sent by another AI called Mothr, and enemy of Fathr who is out to destroy you for reasons unexplained at first. Your bow also has an energy shield function to protect you from the projectiles fired at you by the robot creatures, so learning the right timing between popping the shield and firing an arrow needs some practice.
As your explore the quite beautiful ruins of the planet, you can stumble across computer terminals. These terminals can contain audio logs from a previous inhabitant which can be accessed by typing on the keyboard and using basic DOS commands such as ‘dir’. These audio logs give you tantalising hints on what is really going on.
Upgrades can be bought using the in-game currency called RP, with your robotic hand and bow both able to be upgraded, with various options available. RP can be found by gathering it from enemies, or just exploring the various nooks and crannies of the videogame world.
All the while, there are hints that nothing is quite as it seems, leaving you with doubt about exactly who you should be trusting.
You can watch gameplay footage of the title below. VRFocus will continue to bring you gameplay footage of newly released titles.