Space Ops VR is a brand new upcoming VR shooter by FIBRUM and this is our preview of the space VR shooter. Space Ops VR is FIBRUM’s latest project in which the game puts you in the shoes of a fresh trainee who must complete the training while fighting aliens and giant monsters. I got a chance to play an exclusive demo that was provided to us by the developers.
For the preview, we used an HTC Vive headset along with its controllers. The game does not support mouse and keyboard so using a controller is necessary for playing the game. Other than that, you can play the game both while standing up and while sitting. I played the game mostly while standing up. Right, now that we have the initial setup information out of the way, let’s get to the actual game.
The demo started with a basic tutorial about the game teaching us the basic mechanics of Space Ops VR. I highly recommend that you use HTC Vive headset because its controllers are just perfect for playing this game. You can also use other controllers for the game but the HTC Vive is the best for shooting games for me. The tutorial will teach you everything about the weapon system and the inventory system of the game.
The primary weapon is stored in the top slot while the secondary weapon is stored in the lower slot and you can change to them quickly by moving your hand to the desired slot and pressing the button. This whole mechanic is pretty confusing and will take some time to get used to. This is especially hectic while fighting enemies in the game because you have to focus on avoiding them as well as changing the weapon at the same time.
Weapons themselves are pretty decent in the game. Each weapon comes with two unique firing modes. The primary mode is normally a straight forward firing mode while the secondary mode is usually charged up shots that sacrifice rate of fire over increased damage per hit. They are effective against bigger enemies in the game because they are slow to move around. Another cool mechanic of the game is that you have to use both your hands for the secondary mode.
To take out items from the inventory, you have to look down where you will see all items in your inventory and you can then use the controller and move your hand to pick up the desired item. The whole inventory and gun storing mechanic could have been a lot better as in its current form, it is not very convenient while playing the actual game. There were times when I was unable to see the box where I was supposed to take out my guns or grenades from.
The in-game reticule will also change colors to confirm that the weapon is now is in its secondary fire mode. This is a very helpful and cool mechanic because it makes you feel like you are actually holding a weapon in your hand and firing it. Pressing the button again will switch the gun back to the primary firing mode. Heavy weapons require both hands on the gun to be used.
The demo featured both PvE mode called Sandbox mode and PvP mode called Skirmish mode. Depending on your mood, you can jump in solo or online modes. Jump in the Sandbox mode and you start with the game’s solo experience. At the start, you will get an option to choose your desired loadout. Once you are done, you can head out to face your enemies.
Once you have spawned in the actual level, the gameplay feels solid. The movement is fluid and the combat is very brilliantly made. At the start of the level, I was under attack by some medium-sized spiders who were very easy to kill thanks to the brilliant movement and combat mechanics. The game will show you damage dealt to enemies with each hit and their life bars at the top of them. The UI is very minimalistic yet it tells you everything that you need to know.
The in-game reticule is very cool and for me, it is one of the best reticules that I have seen in any VR game. The way it is made, it made me feel that I was looking down a 3D path which is normally set for space ships or aircrafts guiding them to land or take off. It made shooting enemies very easy. The gameplay is extremely smooth and satisfying. You can leave your weapons back in your inventory to give them time to recharge their ammo.
Visually, Space Ops VR does not disappoint. Granted it is a VR game, it looks amazing. The special effects in the game are very good and it makes you feel like you are actually inside the game. Every time you fire a weapon, the heat effects coming out of it looks amazing. Enemies will splatter blood when you land hits on them and the environment detail looks amazing as well. For some places, you must use the teleportation method to advance in the level.
The level and enemy design are decent as well. The demo level featured a wide variety of environments ranging from a spaceport full of containers to an open-wide forest full of trees and foliage inside the same facility. During the demo level, I came across a decent variety of enemies as well which included flying alien enemies, giant mosquitos, sentry guns to giant spiders including a boss battle at the end. None of the enemies were too hard to kill however I can’t wait to see what the full game has in store for us.
Space Ops VR feels like a solid VR shooter and it is brilliant to look at as well. My favorite aspects of the game after playing the demo are the minimalistic UI and the crisp gameplay. The inventory system, on the other hand, feels broken and it looks like it could be improved because I had a lot of trouble changing my weapons while under attack and in general as well. The full game will feature a lot more features, content, weapons, and enemies when it comes out next month.
Space Ops VR is coming out in May 2019 and you can head over to its Steam page to wishlist the game to purchase it when it comes out.
