It’s time to dust off that Quest 2, or try out your brand new Quest 3, as we check out a trio of new Quest releases. Here are reviews for Survivorman VR: The Descent, Ziggy’s Cosmic Adventures and The Foglands.
Survivorman VR: The Descent review (Quest)
Survivorman VR: The Descent, developed by Descent VR Productions Inc. and published by Cream Productions Inc., offers an authentic and dynamic survival experience on the Quest platform and PCs. Inspired by the TV series “Survivorman,” the game challenges players to survive an Arctic nightmare after a helicopter crash on a freezing mountain. Guided by the well-known survivalist Les Stroud, players must build fires, craft tools, and face real-world extreme challenges across six intense scenarios – making a lot of use of motion controls to draw you in.
The game excels in providing an immersive Arctic environment with fairly realistic visuals and atmospheric sound effects. The gameplay is a bit of the trial-and-error variety, but in a way this mirrors the unpredictable nature of real-life survival situations, creating a challenging yet educational experience where things will no doubt go wrong – with dire consequences, at least in real life. Players must make strategic decisions, prioritize actions, and monitor health using a wrist device. The physical movements required for all of the associated controls enhance immersion, and the inclusion of Les Stroud’s visual and auditory guidance adds authenticity to the survival scenarios.
Part game and part interactive documentary, Survivorman VR: The Descent effectively leverages the capabilities of the Quest platform, with a focused experience that delivers a convincing snowy landscape. The game’s relatively simplicity in terms of a barren environment is quite effective and contributes to the overall immersive quality while also catering to the hardware strength of the Quest. The game successfully delivers an engaging and educational survival adventure, making it a commendable addition for those seeking a highly interesting and well designed test of survival instincts in the virtual Arctic.
Ziggy’s Cosmic Adventure review (Quest)
Ziggy’s Cosmic Adventure, released by Stardust Collective for the Quest platform, offers a unique blend of spaceship management and space combat, placing you in the shoes of a bounty hunter with an alien companion – with the action unfolding as you manage things from inside the cockpit of your spaceship. The premise unfolds as you fend off the pursuing evil Empire, adding layers of urgency to the gameplay and pushing you forward through the narrative. The VR cockpit setting immerses players in a cartoony and lighthearted universe, filled with meticulous details that enhance the sense of piloting a spaceship as you play around with many of the things you see around you.
The game excels in creating an immersive VR environment, allowing players to interact with various ship components realistically. Ziggy’s Cosmic Adventures stands out by incorporating spaceship management alongside combat, introducing a balancing act that requires attention to power distribution, maintenance, and dealing with unforeseen challenges – this one definitely isn’t a casual narrative-driven adventure where you can just lean back. The inclusion of Ziggy, the alien, adds a unique touch, serving as both a fuel source and a charming buddy that can be interacted with, adding to the overall experience.
However, the game faces a few challenges in pacing and balancing gameplay elements, leading to a few overwhelming situations where multitasking becomes a formidable and possible frustrating challenge. The need to manage ship systems, combat enemies, and navigate space all at once may prove too chaotic for some players, detracting from the overall enjoyment. So despite its immersive VR environment, charming design, and novel gameplay mechanics, Ziggy’s Cosmic Adventure stumbles a little in execution, struggling to find the right balance between combat and spaceship management – especially for VR novices. This makes it a challenging experience rather than a seamless cosmic adventure, and one for experienced space pilots.
The Foglands review (Quest)
The Foglands, developed by Well Told Entertainment for the Quest platform, offers a unique blend of sci-fi, western, and horror elements in a roguelike adventure. Playing as a Runner in a subterranean community, the game introduces a mysterious narrative where death is not the end, but a gateway to unraveling the secrets of the fog-infested world. But after an intriguing and atmospheric opening, the game struggles to explain its roguelike mechanics, leading to a frustrating experience. Players collect scrap, runner keys, and ichor (the lifeblood of the gods) on each run to gradually enhance their abilities, but the lack of clear guidance hinders the learning curve.
The gameplay combines gunplay, melee combat, and exploration in procedurally generated levels. The absence of an in-game map can make orientation challenging, and the initial scarcity of resources can lead to frustrating early runs you’ll have to persevere through. Combat, while entertaining, is not without its flaws either, with poor hit detection and some technical issues with glitchy controls. The Foglands introduces a variety of enemies and bosses across three themed stages, but the overall challenge feels lacking, even with the diverse arsenal of weapons and abilities. As long as you have a decent gun, you’re usually fine.
Visually, The Foglands impresses with detailed environments and enemies, showcasing a western-steampunk aesthetic bathed in perpetual fog – which of course isn’t a bad setting for VR. Dynamic lighting and an exaggerated art style contribute to the game’s unique atmosphere. The audio complements the visual design, with a fitting soundtrack featuring guitarplay, though gunplay lacks the impactful sound effects needed for a truly immersive experience. Despite its solid presentation, The Foglands struggles to break free from the repetitiveness that some roguelikes struggle with, and the technical and balancing issues may limit the appeal of the game.
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