PlayStation VR Previews – Page 4 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

August 23, 2017

Preview: Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV – Not the VR FF Title Most Were Hoping for

Ever since Square Enix first showcased its Final Fantasy virtual reality (VR) experience during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2016, everyone was hoping for an immersive adventure that would appeal to both VR enthusiasts and Final Fantasy fans alike. Unfortunately that’s not come to pass, as the studio unveiled Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV during E3 2017. So can a fishing videogame based on the hit franchise be enough, from this early look, no not really.

That’s right, if you didn’t know already Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV arms you with a rod and reel to go on the hunt for fish. Rest assured these aren’t any normal aquatic creatures, such as pike or carp in the murky waters.

After a brief introduction to the basic controls – the left PlayStation Move controller has a sonar device and winds the reel, while the right holds the rod – it was then time to catch some fish. This entailed activating the sonar which highlighted several locations with blue rings. It was then a case of casting into one of these areas and hoping for a bite – which usually occurred fairly quickly. As with any fishing videogame, getting the casting just right requires a little bit of practice, but it’s not that difficult to pick up after a few swings.

Once caught it’s then time to reel in the catch. This was temperamental at points, never really feeling like the winding motion was truly 1:1, but this is mainly due to PlayStation VR’s tracking technology which isn’t as accurate as rivals. Naturally the fish do fight back with indicators at the top of the rod showing which way to pull it. Once fully reeled in the fish is dropped into a net and it’s on to the next one. There’s an indicator bar at the top which slowly fills after every catch, the bigger the fish the more the bar will increase. Once it’s been filled then it’s time for the next section.

Up until now Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV hasn’t actually featured any monsters – some big fish but nothing dangerous. This next part fixes that, suddenly the videogame switches into a mini boss battle with a giant, razor finned creature emerging from the depths. Now instead of a rod and reel there’s a crossbow in your hand. The boss has a health bar and once this is depleted with enough bolts it’s time to fish it out of the water. Same fishing rules apply although this beast takes a bit more work.

And that was the end of the demo. At no point was there an opportunity to move to another fishing spot on the side of the lake, or take a boat out – although screenshots do seem to indicate this latter feature – making for a static gameplay experience. Plus for a studio of Square Enix’s calibre the graphics weren’t exactly amazing. When compared to titles like Lone Echo or EVE: Valkyrie it still looked grainy and lacked detail.

At present Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV seems like a cash in experience. Make something to do with the franchise and fans will still lap it up. But that’s not what VR gamers want or deserve, as there was so much Square Enix could have done to make a killer Final Fantasy VR experience. Maybe at launch the title will reveal some hidden qualities that’ll make it shine, because at the moment it’s not got a lot to recommend it over PlayStation VR’s top end content.

August 16, 2017

Preview: Shooty Fruity – Should’ve Taken that Job in McDonald’s

Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives was undoubtedly a highlight of the first wave of modern virtual reality (VR) consumer software, and so it’s perhaps inevitable that a number of copycat titles would emerge. While this argument could easily be levelled at nDreams – which readily admit Owlchemy Labs’ hit was an influence – Shooty Fruity does bring something unique to the mix.

Shooty Fruity screenshot Cast as a cashier in a convenience store, everything seems fairly normal. Ahead is the view of the shop floor, stacked with a variety of generic goods, and were it not for the lack of any customers you’d believe that the videogame was little more than simulation of that summer job in Tesco. Scanning products that come along a conveyer belt and dropping them into a collection area; this isn’t rocket science. However, above is a moving rail from which guns can be collected. Not your average retail establishment, then?

Before long, menacing looking limes start encroaching on your position. Lemons, berry and gigantic melons are your adversaries in Shooty Fruity. The objective of the videogame is relatively simple: shoot the fruit while still processing the purchased goods. Using the HTC Vive motion-controllers, Oculus Touch or PlayStation Move, Shooty Fruity tasks the player with balancing the swiping of items with the shooting of bad guys. At first it’s a little like rubbing your belly while patting your head, but soon it becomes a test of visual assessment over any kind of strategy.

Scanning more goods will light-up icons on your checkout that will reward you with better guns, but you can only sustain a small amount of hits from the fruit (designated by light bulbs atop the checkout) before its game over. Maintaining balance between the two tasks is Shooty Fruity’s core gameplay loop.

Shooty Fruity screenshot During VRFocus’ playtest, wherein the four minute sample level was played through multiple times, it was discovered that the enemy arrangement isn’t random. Specific enemies will approach in a set order, but even then finding the right balance between aggression and ‘work’ wasn’t obvious. Shooty Fruity does have a surprising amount of depth in the assessment required, if not in the bulletpoints of the gameplay design.

The gameplay progression in Shooty Fruity is still being kept under wraps. We’ve been promised a great deal of variety in the weaponry and different gameplay modes, but exactly how much depth this will add remains to be seen. Despite suggesting Shooty Fruity will launch at a budget price, there’s still a concern about the longevity of the title. Many of VR’s early adopters would argue that not every videogame needs to expect to be the player’s first VR experience, and Shooty Fruity runs the risk of not delivering anything new to this core audience.

The suggested 1950s Americano theme currently feels lost in the swathe of bright colours and fruit with faces. The weaponry is supposedly tied to the era though in practice there was little to distinguish it from generic pistol, generic magnum and so on. The promise of customisable weaponry in the final release version could certainly change this, however.

Shooty Fruity is essentially an enjoyable VR experience that feels a little too late to make any real impact. There’s lots of potential to add more core mechanics and expand on the formula, but at present there’s little sign this will occur prior to launch. VRFocus will be getting more hands-on time with Shooty Fruity in due course, and will keep you updated as the videogame approaches launch on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR later this year.

July 24, 2017

Preview: No Heroes Allowed! VR – Micro Managing Monsters on PlayStation 4

Sony Computer Interactive’s (SIE) Japan Studio made the surprise debut of a western version of No Heroes Allowed! VR back at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Los Angeles, in June. Confirming the western release of No Heroes Allowed! VR complete with an English language build, the team representing the videogame were very enthusiastic about putting the videogame in the hands of American and European industry representatives, despite the fact that a busy show floor is not the ideal venue for a first hands-on with a real-time strategy (RTS) videogame.

However, given the value of virtual reality’s (VR) added level of immersion, No Heroes Allowed! VR didn’t fail to remove the player from the event and instead through them into a mythical world of monster baiting. This, in the short demonstration version that VRFocus experienced, is the long-and-short of No Heroes Allowed! VR’s unique take on RTS gameplay.

Beginning with a capital in the lower left corner of the map, the player had to plot a path to the enemy base in the upper right corner. Doing so requires careful strategising to ensure that your monster minions are not overstretched; while taking the offensive you must also ensure that your lines are not broken, and your own base remains defended.

To begin with a small amount of monster food is available in the environment, and the most basic of units will eat this food as they prepare for battle. You must always keep your monsters fed in order to keep them in play, however the trick of No Heroes Allowed! VR is that more powerful monsters feed on lesser monsters. This leads to a slow evolution of the beasts in your command as you move your way across the battlefield.

Small slug like creatures soon make way for slimes, flying insects, and eventually dragons. The player can build hives to expand their territory and must do so strategically to allow their units free movement whilst blocking the enemy. Ensuring even the most basic creatures have enough food to survive through placement of these hives is essential for attaining greater monsters; simply diving straight into big beasts will leave you without defences should they fall.

The player has indirect control of their army through banner placement which commands specific units to move and automatically engage in combat with enemies they get in range of. A number of special abilities and more direct control of larger units complete a range of opportunities for aggression as you attempt to eliminate the enemy base.

No Heroes Allowed! VR’s story, as may be assumed from the title, sees the player cast as the bad guy. However the aesthetic of the videogame is perfectly designed for family-friendly gameplay; whether or not No Heroes Allowed! VR will include a player-versus-player (PvP) mode remains to be seen, but arguably could provide the videogame with a much longer lifespan than a single-player campaign.

Recently confirmed for a 2017 release, No Heroes Allowed! VR will be part of the PlayStation VR’s second holiday period software line-up. There’s a chance then, that it may be overshadowed by bigger titles. This would be a real shame as even in its current form, on a crowded show floor, No Heroes Allowed! VR provides a compelling RTS experience unique to VR.

July 5, 2017

Preview: Stifled – Sound is Both Your Enemy and Your Friend

Even with the virtual reality (VR) industry being so nascent, there has been a tendency by some developers to stick to easy norms – wave shooters anyone? – but that’s not the case across the board. A lot are trying to be innovative with this expanding medium, experimenting with ideas that aim to push the boundaries of VR and what an immersive experience can be. Gattai Games is one such studio, going for a visually simple, highly stylised design with its sound-based stealth thriller Stifled.

The Singapore-based studio first unveiled Stifled back in 2016, winning several awards prior to its first demonstration at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) last month. The demo, showcased on PlayStation VR – it’ll also support Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and consoles – began in a full colour, 3D world as you would expect from any modern videogame. There’s been some sort of incident where you find yourself in a forest, then as you start to explore the area suddenly becomes dark with white outlines of trees, rocks and other objects only visible. The world can only be seen through sound, a sort of echolocation, where making noise highlights all of the surroundings in a rather creepy line drawn style.

Stifled screenshot 1

It’s this echolocation mechanic that’s the fundamental principle behind Stifled, in which the videogame picks up noise from the headset microphone – ambient or from yourself – to send out a pulse. As the title was being showcased on the convention centre floor (that sort of environment is naturally very loud), Gattai Games also employed a sound button to send out the pulse – a quick press would send out a little pulse while holding down the button would send out a louder shout.

But Stifled is a thriller/horror experience and the echolocation has a twofold effect. You need it to see, don’t make any noise and the world around you is black so you have no idea where to go. So by design you keep making noise to walk through the level, the flip side of this is that there are creatures lurking in the darkness just waiting for you to make yourself known.

It was interesting playing through the videogame with this in mind, the first half of the level was all outdoors and not being able to see any great distance certainly made Stifled feel compact, even claustrophobic at points. Because of this you don’t tend to dash through like you might normally do, making progress slow but steady, ramping up the tension as you just don’t know what’s going to happen.

Stifled gif

After the forest Stifled then moved underground, into some sort of sewer type environment, with loads of pipes, railings and walls making that sense of confinement even more pronounced. Up until this point very little has happened, there’s not been a great deal to actually do or interact with. But it’s here that the first glimpse of an enemy appears, and vividly so. The black and white environment suddenly gets a flash of colour, the white lines turn red as a creature scrambles about behind a partially broken wall, looking like some weird baby as it screeches away.

The demo finishes with you and the creature in the same room, lurching towards you, death seemingly imminent. It’s an experience that leaves a feeling of puzzlement and intrigue all in one. Gattai Games has certainly created a title that builds a unique atmosphere that likely builds in longer play sessions. The downside to it all was the fact that apart form the echo location the demo really didn’t let you do a great deal, just a lot of wandering about.

Stifled definitely has a character all of its own. The concept plays with your mind in ways other horror experiences try and fail at – playing in a home environment will likely make that even more pronounced. An experience that just keeps you tense and on-edge isn’t enough however, so hopefully there’s more to uncover in the darkness.

June 20, 2017

Preview: Preta: Vendetta Rising – Cross-Platform ARPG VR Gaming

Illion Games’ Preta: Vendetta Rising has had a rather muted unveiling. There was no big splash before its playable debut at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Los Angeles, and only a trailer made from captured in-game footage. VRFocus was surprised to learn then, that the videogame is already looking in a fairly complete state, with Early Access versions set to launch for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR this summer.

Preta: Vendetta Rising is a third-person action role-playing game (ARPG) set in a high fantasy world. It’s a combination of martial arts and magic, dungeons and demons, real-time combat and cooldown timers. In fact, it’s everything you’d expect from the genre – including co-operative gameplay – but with the added element of virtual reality (VR) implementation.

The demonstration version of Preta: Vendetta Rising made available at this year’s E3 was undoubtedly limited. Using an Oculus Rift and Xbox One controller, the player was invited along a linear path teasing the story and offering a light introduction to the combat. Basic three-hit combos are standard, with dodge and block available to prepare for counter-attacks. Three additional attacks are also available, dependent on the character selected, using the X, Y and B face buttons. The more powerful attacks require a cooldown period before repeated use, as would be expected for an ARPG.

The core differences between Preta: Vendetta Rising and a traditional entry in the genre do of course relate to the VR element of the videogame. The camera is situated in a familiar third-person position akin to a Dynasty Warriors title or Brutal Legend, opposed to an isometric or fixed camera view as with genre stalwarts Diablo and Sacred. This allows the player to view a large area of the battlefield without demanding that their avatar remains within the field-of-view. The gameplay potential for this is obviously significant, through VRFocus is yet to witness any intentions of exploring those opportunities.

The other significant difference born of VR is the lack of any on-screen furniture. The traditional heads-up display (HUD) has been downsized and placed above the player’s head, only visible when needed (when in direct combat, when a special ability is used etc.) thus removing any artificial barriers between the player and the on-screen action.

Preta: Vendetta Rising is currently in development for all three major head-mounted displays (HMDs), and is intended to support cross-platform gameplay regardless of which format you choose. Exactly how this will be executed remains to be seen, but Preta: Vendetta Rising does promise a rewarding co-operative ARPG experience at present, wherein four players can battle together against increasingly difficult opposition. Preta: Vendetta Rising will soon be available via Early Access instalments, and VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details.

June 19, 2017

Preview: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – Top Gun for VR

The Ace Combat franchise has been a highly successful series that’s going to spawn its seventh iteration in 2018 with Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam. In addition to the standard console and PC versions Bandai Namco has developed a virtual reality (VR) component which will be exclusive to PlayStation VR, and during the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2017 in Los Angeles, VRFocus got some hands-on on time with the experience, taking to the skies in the latest fighter jets.

Well just one plane to be more precise. The demo available to attendees equated to around 10-15 minutes of gameplay starting on an aircraft carrier. From here the demo fired you into some sunny, cloud filled skies, above some exotic looking islands. There was no time to waste looking at the pretty scenery as you were instantly put into a dogfight with several hostiles.

Ace Combat 7 E32017

If you’ve played flying experiences like EVE: Valkyrie you’ll be instantly at home with Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. Cocooned in the cockpit – decidedly less roomy than the space title – you can instantly see every knob, dial, button and instrument panel, recreated in fantastic detail even though you can’t use any of them. It’s your heads-up-display (HUD) that gives you all the info you need, most importantly when your missiles are locked on to take out those pesky enemy fighters. There were two different sets of missiles available, depending on your range, as well as machine guns for that up close and personal touch – really only useful for expert pilots or for those that waste all of their missiles.

Being an Ace Combat title, it’s all about arcade action in the skies – its not trying to be a simulator – so all the flight control were handled by the left stick, with the face buttons and triggers for firing weapons and activating the afterburner. All simple and self explanatory, it only takes a couple of minutes to get the hang of the basics and you’ll be flying (almost) like a pro in no time. The initial dogfights don’t present too much of a challenge, once you’ve got a target lock-on just let the missiles do their job but you do need to keep the enemy in your sights just in case they manage to evade.

The real joy in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – and any VR cockpit-based title – is the ability to properly look around for those targets. While they do become highlighted in your HUD, flying at thousands of feet above sea level whizzing through the clouds hunting down opponents really does immerse you in the combat. The title provides just the right amount of control to make you feel like a Top Gun pilot without being super realistic and overwhelming.

What wasn’t clear in the brief demo is how much VR gameplay there is to enjoy. As VRFocus has previously reported Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown will feature a separate VR off-shoot from the main campaign featuring portions of the main title as well as specific VR features, but as yet they’ve not been fully announced. With what’s already been shown it would be a shame if the VR portion only included small gameplay segments rather than a fully realised videogame.

In its present state Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown promises high octane flying action for PlayStation VR players that’s sure to encourage legions of fans to try the VR compatibility. As long as Bandai Namco manage to provide enough content to satisfy then PlayStation VR is likely to have another killer exclusive title when the videogame finally arrives next year.

June 19, 2017

Preview: Bravo Team – Army of Two on Steroids

Let’s start with a statement: Shooting stuff in videogames is great. You know it is. Whether it’s first-person, third-person, side-scrolling, or anything in between, if a percentage had to be put on the amount of titles that allow you to kill something with a gun it would be high, very high. And that’s no different for virtual reality (VR), in fact VR is dominated by them – generally wave shooters – so even after a year in consumer hands some refreshment is needed, but don’t necessarily expect that from one of the latest titles to be revealed for Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) PlayStation VR, Bravo Team.

Debuting at the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2017, Bravo Team is one of two titles unveiled at the event by Supermassive Games – the other being The Inpatient. Both go for a high level of realism, then splitting into a team based first-person shooter (FPS) and creepy horror respectively.

Bravo Team E32017 (3)

Developed for PlayStation VR and it’s Aim controller, Bravo Team will be familiar to anyone who’s played any sort of co-op FPS – especially titles like Army of Two. For the show demo two players had to make their way down a bridge filled with wrecked cars and other vehicles, taking out enemies en-route. This is your usual cover and shoot affair, where movement is limited to running between cover points, designated by half or full shields – a la XCOM. You could then peek out to shoot bad guys, or communicate with your partner to try and flank them.

Using the Aim controller feels very natural and intuitive. The normal face buttons let you reload, switch between cover positions and swap to an emergency sidearm in a pinch, as you might expect. While properly looking down the assault rifle’s red dot sight gives you a much more accurate targeting reticule for getting those head shots. You could also quick turn 180-degrees if you moved too far forward and enemies were behind you – also good for returning to a better defensive position. Additionally, the feature is required due to the tracking system on the PlayStation VR, turning more than 90-degrees away from the camera makes the Aim controller highly erratic and almost unusable.

While the demo only showcased Bravo Team in co-op mode there is going to be a single-player version. If it’s the same as the co-op just without your team mate – or possible AI – then Bravo Team should really be looked at as a purely two-player experience, as that going to be where the most fun will be had. Not only will players have to pick each other up should one go down, they’ll need to carefully manage ammo, as the crates available on route only dispense to the player that opens it.

Bravo Team E32017 (2)

Currently Bravo Team feels like a safe bet. A by the numbers approach to VR FPS titles, offering more interactivity and tactical opportunities than the stationary John Wick Chronicles, but lacking that special something that makes these early reveals one to watch. The main draw of Bravo Team is going to be its buddy system, whether that’s enough for players remains to be seen.

June 15, 2017

Preview: Star Child – A Playful Neon Puzzler With Potential

Playful Corp has already cemented its name in the virtual reality (VR) industry with its cute platformer Luckey’s Tale which launched alongside the Oculus Rift head-mounted display (HMD). For its next VR title the studio is sticking with those platformer roots with Star Child, a neon drenched sci-fi adventure for PlayStation VR.

Unveiled during Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2017 press conference with a brief teaser trailer, Playful has shown a very early demo at the event, giving a hint at the rich universe it intends to create.

Star Child seems to be a homage to classic side-scrolling platformers of yesteryear (the 90s and early 00s), enriched with the dynamic depth and immersion of VR. Playing a female protagonist, you run and jump through a world that encourages you to lean in and explore. While the character can only move left and right, you can still peer in and see into this beautiful looking world, so much so that you can even look down the path your character is following.

The demo felt very much like an opening level – a common occurrence with these short presentations – with a short cinematic of a spaceship flying in and landing on an elevator that takes you deep into an alien world. As it descends deeper and deeper you get to see all sorts of luminous creatures scurrying across the walls, and glowing plants creeping up the rock face. Playful has really gone to town on the design of Star Child, easily differentiating it from the far more child like design of Luckey’s Tale.

At this stage the character doesn’t have a great deal of options available, boiling down to running and jumping through the area. What Star Child did offer were a couple of puzzles. With these you approach a console which then activates a giant purple orb. This can then be moved around the area, bobbing it higher with multiple presses of the X button to grab a purple neon string that needs to be attached to a certain point, opening up the next area. The next puzzle offered more of the same, as an early challenge you’d expect it to be easy but it was somewhat rudimentary in nature.

It all came to an end with a big finale. A really big, robotic looking, spider monster came out of the darkness seeming very intent on doing some harm. Luckily a saviour was slumbering, waiting for the right time to come to your aid, an even bigger robot, whose hand you jump onto ending the demo. Naturally, this raises more questions than revealing answers, what’s the robot for? Do you get to pilot/control it in some way? What the hell is going on? And so on.

If the videogame caught your eye during SIE’s E3 2017 press conference – after the massive Skyrim announcement – then you’re right to be intrigued. The Star Child demo was certainly a delightful experience, and over far too soon, so expect good things to come in the future.

June 14, 2017

Preview: DOOM VFR – More than Just a Tech Demo, DOOM VFR is a Huge Leap Forward

Bethesda Softworks’ press conference early this week seemed to disappoint many. Most to the titles revealed for console and PC formats have been deemed predictable sequels or updates, with little innovation on show. For virtual reality (VR) aficionados however, it was one of the most exciting showcases of this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

Both Fallout 4 VR and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR have proven to be popular amongst VRFocus’ audience, and now it’s the turn of DOOM VFR to be blown wide-open through the team’s hands-on preview. You may recall that year’s technical demonstration of the DOOM VR prototype was fairly bland, but now DOOM VFR stands as an original piece of content specifically designed for VR, and it’s wonderful.

DOOM VFR screenshot Essentially a sequel to 2016’s DOOM reboot, DOOM VFR is just as gloriously bloodthirsty as its predecessor. A huge variety of guns, enemies, locations, exploration and everything that made DOOM one of the best videogames of last year is present and correct in DOOM VFR. But how does such fast and aggressive gameplay work in VR? Well, brilliantly. Yes, even the strafing.

Simulation sickness has been a great concern in VR for many years, and while first-person shooters (FPS) seem ideal on paper, in practice it’s been much more difficult to create a comfortable experience. DOOM VFR is a huge leap forward for that. DOOM VFR uses the HTC Vive’s left circle pad for basic movement, which is snap-movement based and allows the player to tap for small steps in increments. Teleportation is also available, and on stunned enemies can be used to move into them for instant kills (though sadly, the glory kill animations haven’t made their way into DOOM VFR). What about that strafing? Well, Bethesda Softworks has coined the term ‘jet-strafe’, which essentially means the player can launch themselves left-or-right very quickly. This, shockingly, is a perfectly comfortable experience.

More time will need to be spent with DOOM VFR to drill-down on the ins-and-outs, hows-and-whys of this mechanic and exactly why it doesn’t induce simulation sickness, as in previous years of VR experience it most certainly should. However, VRFocus was using combination of snap-moving, jet-strafing and teleportation to eviscerate over a dozen enemies in a single scene without encountering any issue whatsoever. The experience was simply thrilling, without concern of a bad feeling when removing the head-mounted display (HMD).

Traditional videogames coming in 2017 from Bethesda Softworks may be without innovation, but in VR there’s a AAA publisher coming to rule the roost. Next to Ubisoft, Bethesda Softworks are arguably doing the most aggressive innovation in VR coming from any of the big publishers, and DOOM VFR stands as one of the most impressive VR videogames coming in 2017. Could DOOM VFR replace Epic Games’ Robo Recall as the best FPS in VR?

Right now, that’s looking like a pretty safe bet.

June 14, 2017

Preview: Archangel – Get in a Mech, Shoot Everything, Save the World

Skydance Interactive’s first dip into the world of virtual reality (VR) has been met with a considerable amount of anticipation, following a trailer revealed earlier this week. Debuting in hands-on form at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Los Angeles, Archangel has proven to be a good-looking videogame, with a decent enough amount of smarts to back it up.

Archangel screenshot

Firstly, let’s get the stigma out of the way. Yes, Archangel is an on-rails experience. It’s no StarFox, but it certainly attempts to make up for the lack of user initiative by way of its motion-controls. The player is positioned with a skyscraper-tall mech, and is equipped with a small variety of weaponry. More interesting however, is the videogame’s shield mechanic: each arm has a temporary shield that can be enabled, allowing for impenetrable defence within a specific radius around the shield emitter. That radius does not encompass the whole body, and the arm upon which the shield is being emitted from can no longer be used to fire. This results in lots of swift and tactical decisions as you attempt to raise a shield from one arm and shoot around it before switching, throwing your arms across your body to ensure both protection and equal aggression.

The preview build available at E3 2017 consisted of two levels. The first, suggested to be an early level in the final release, saw the player begin without weaponry; simply left to learn the basics of shield use before being allowed to retaliate. Once in motion the player soon enters an enemy occupied city, taking down infantry, tanks and air units with the two available weapons: a machine gun and a rocket launcher. The second level – a much more difficult option – offers more weapons and level interactivity, but essentially remains the same experience.

That level interactivity is based around scripted events which demand the player perform an action at a set time before being able to progress. The first level required the player to punch some stone bridges in order to progress, while the second sought the draining of energy from generators. Both required use of the motion-controllers for direct input, neither seemed to offer any benefit aside from altering the videogame’s pacing.

Archangel screenshot On a visual front, Archangel is a very impressive looking videogame. Far reaching draw distances and densely populated environments are matched by striking particle effects. The animation of the mech’s arms seemed so accurate as to almost know where the player’s elbow was in relation to their movement, and the attention paid to signposting – highlighting of enemy units, indicators for both friendly and incoming fire – has certainly been born of experience.

Archangel was certainly enjoyable for this short demonstration, but it’s difficult not to wonder about the longevity of such an experience. Despite the videogame’s commendable visual design you have to wonder whether Skydance Interactive has kept up with the times; VR at E3 this year is very different to what was on offer last year, and Archangel feels very similar to the first wave of titles made available for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR. It’s only a few weeks until we get to find out whether the development team has made Archangel an experience worth a few hours investment, or fears of simplistic and repetitive gameplay come to fruition.