By Grit Alone is a new sci-fi take on VR gaming that blends combat with an unsettling horror vibe. Developed by Crooks Peak for the Meta Quest, the game carves its niche in the VR horror shooter genre by focusing on a tightly crafted narrative, atmospheric environments, and intense action. Drawing inspiration from genre greats like Dead Space and Resident Evil 4, it delivers a visceral experience that aims to be both thrilling and unnerving, and it mostly succeeds albeit with some design quirks that can impact your sense of immersion.
The narrative is a standout, leveraging an anthology-like structure to create a varied yet cohesive story. Each derelict ship you explore has its own eerie backstory, shaped by different writers known for their work on high-profile games and shows. The result is an engaging blend of cosmic dread and personal terror. The environmental storytelling shines as you piece together the fates of the doomed crews, although some of the exposition can feel heavy-handed at times.
Gameplay focuses on frantic action and survival, with swarms of grotesque alien creatures relentlessly pursuing you through claustrophobic corridors. The lack of a traditional inventory system or limited ammo supply keeps the combat intense, emphasizing speed and precision over resource management. While this streamlined approach adds to the urgency, it can also feel one-dimensional, especially during longer sessions where the relentless and almost arcade-like combat begins to overshadow the otherwise excellent atmosphere.
The controls leverage the Meta Quest’s VR capabilities well, offering responsive and intuitive mechanics that make shooting and movement feel fluid. However, the fast pace and absence of a cooldown period between encounters can make the experience physically demanding, particularly in extended play sessions.
Visually, By Grit Alone uses the Meta Quest hardware effectively, creating environments that are equal parts grotesque and fascinating. The derelict ships are rendered with an impressive level of detail, though occasional texture pop-ins and less-than-polished lighting effects can slightly detract from the overall presentation. On the audio front, the game excels in crafting an oppressive soundscape, with haunting ambient noises and monstrous roars that keep you constantly on edge about what’s coming. The voice acting is serviceable but occasionally inconsistent, which can diminish the impact of key narrative moments, but presentation-wise this is still an impressive Quest-only title.
By Grit Alone succeeds in delivering a gripping VR horror experience that rewards quick reflexes and a high tolerance for tension. Its anthology-style narrative and relentless action set it apart from more traditional shooters, even if its unrelenting pace and occasional technical issues might not appeal to everyone. For fans of VR horror or anyone seeking a high-octane but still lore-rich adventure, this is a journey worth embarking on – but be prepared that it can be an intense one.
Score: 7.4/10
Press Play Media 