From the moment you wake up as Agent I, with your memories erased and a neuralyzer in hand Men in Black: Most Wanted lands its premise with purpose: you step into the suit and sunglasses of an MIB agent, rediscovering your identity while being thrown into an alien conspiracy. For longtime fans of the franchise, that opening pays off: there are enough nods to tone and lore to stoke nostalgia without over-relying on cameo appearances.
Once the missions begin, the mix of investigation, infiltration, and occasional alien takedown reveals both the strengths and the limitations of the game’s narrative pacing. The game often rushes past the initial “are aliens real??” moment and dives into action – a pragmatic choice to keep the pulse racing in VR, but one that sacrifices a bit of wonder or disbelief that might have deepened engagement. Still, as a framework for a VR shooter with some spy-flair, it’s serviceable enough: you get a linear but coherent flow of briefings, fieldwork and shootouts, with the occasional detour into scanning for alien tech or disposing of evidence.
What shines most is the core gameplay loop: the weapon load-out, the gadgets, and the simple but satisfying shootouts. Pistols, shotguns, SMGs – even the later unlockable upgrades like a “mini-gatling” – carry a satisfying heft, and watching morphed aliens dissolve under laser fire never gets old. The game keeps things accessible rather than punishing: enemy AI isn’t overly clever, and even when multiple foes surround you, things rarely get overwhelmingly difficult. That means less tension – but more reliably fun chaos.
The non-combat mechanics, like scanners, drones, “magnet gloves” and teleport grenades, demonstrate ambition: the idea is there, to build a world of stealth and alien investigation beneath the surface of the city. But execution is inconsistent. Some gadgets work well and add variety; others, especially the magnetic gloves, feel imprecise or lacking in responsiveness. The result: stealth and investigation often take a back seat to straightforward blasting – which is fine if you came for the guns, but limiting if you hoped for a deeper detective-spy vibe.
Visually and aurally, the game adopts a bold cel-shaded style that leans into a comic-book sci-fi aesthetic – not realistic, but colorful, clean, and tonally fitting. On the Meta Quest – with its hardware limitations – this approach works remarkably well, giving the levels, characters, and aliens enough pop and personality to feel lively without pushing the system too hard. Audio complements this nicely: ambient city noises, alien chatter, blaster and gadget sound effects, and light background music all help with immersion. Character performance and voice-overs – especially the aliens – add charm, even if the scenarios tread familiar ground rather than surprising you.
That said, the game isn’t without flaws. We saw a few bugs (no, we don’t mean that kind) and some sections – particularly stealth and non-shooting segments – don’t always flow well; distractions may fail, or stealth kills might feel awkward, nudging you toward simply pulling out the guns instead. As a result, the experience leans more toward “action shooter with a sprinkling of spy-tools” than “full-fledged stealth-in-the-shadows VR espionage.”
In the end, Men in Black: Most Wanted doesn’t reinvent VR or elevate licensed games to new heights – but it does a more than solid job of delivering an accessible, playful, and often entertaining VR shooter. It captures enough of the MIB spirit with its the secret-agent fantasy, the alien weirdness, the absurdity, and the silliness, and all that is wrapped in a six- to eight-hour campaign plus a wave-based “Invasion” mode that gives it modest replay value. For fans of the franchise, or anyone looking for a lighthearted VR action romp, it’s a worthy pick and well worth the modest asking price. For those seeking deeper stealth, rich investigation, or challenge, it may feel a bit shallow – but that doesn’t erase the fun it manages to deliver.
Score: 7.7/10
Press Play Media 