A few years ago, Ubisoft was stepping into the VR in a big way – now they’re back with Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, endeavoring to bring the beloved franchise into the virtual reality realm with a mix of parkour, stealth, and combat. Having played it on a Meta Quest, it captures the essence of Assassin’s Creed, and although the experience could have been more polished it’s a great AAA title for VR fans.
The game introduces an intriguing narrative concept where players dive into the past using the Animus VR system – where you can dive into the past of the celebrated franchise through three of its iconic characters. However, juggling between three characters and their own individual storylines can feel a little disjointed if you’re used to a regular Assassin’s Creed experience where you spend 40+ hours with a single character. Also, while Nexus VR tries to capture the open world feel of the flat screen games, having to rely on objective markers and pop-ups can be a bit immersion breaking for VR players.
The adaptation of combat and stealth elements is a mixed bag, but ultimately feels much more rewarding than frustrating. The stealth mechanics, once you grasp them, offer an engaging cat-and-mouse experience that works fantastically well in virtual reality. However, combat, which is of course a core gameplay system, lacks a certain degree of polish when you compare it to what Schell did in a game like Until You Fall. The blocking and parrying system is functional, but doesn’t feel as satisfying as the stealth sections do. The recharging health system undermines the potential tension between stealth and combat as well, allowing players to easily retreat and regenerate, reducing the stakes (and thus immersion factor).
The parkour system – obviously a must in an Assassin’s Creed game – generally works well, having been adapted from the franchise’s third-person origins. It’s not perfect and the immersion can briefly break when you stumble in the middle of a high speed chase, but hopefully a few post-launch tweaks can make the controls for parkour feel a bit less finicky. There’s a very inviting and expansive environment to run around in here, so we’re definitely keeping our fingers crossed.
In terms of audiovisual performance, Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR presents impressive visuals in expansive VR spaces, though the NPC animations and facial expressions aren’t as convincing as their flat screen counterparts. It’ll be a few more years before VR catches up in that sense, at least on the Quest platform.
Gameplay-wise, the inclusion of innovative mechanics, such as whistling gestures and a fun lock-picking system, adds immersive touches through motion-controlled gameplay. The game also strikes a good balance in terms of comfort, offering a diverse and mature set of options for player preferences in terms of movement. Teleportation is included as well, even though it’s not a natural fit for a game like this – which is best enjoyed by gamers with a decent tolerance towards VR.
Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR successfully incorporates the franchise’s core elements into virtual reality, and despite a few rough edges it’s a must-play VR title for anyone who was hoping for a AAA-type experience in VR this holiday season.
Score: 8.3/10
Press Play Media 