Robots to the rescue
A PlayStation virtual reality experience for the entire family
VIRTUAL reality computer games continue to get more impressive, especially as the medium starts to move away from gimmicks to using the technology as an integral part of the game itself.
Sony’s PlayStation VR unit has proven to be a success for the company and consumers alike, representing one of the few affordable VR units for the average person.
There are more than 150 games available for the system, and the newest one is Astro Bot Rescue Mission, developed by Japan Studio.
It is a charming, familyfriendly platformer that makes full use of the PSVR’s capabilities to provide a surprisingly immersive experience.
The wafer-thin plot involves a mean alien abducting a lot of the cute Astro Bots – best known from the PSVR Playroom games – so you and the remaining Astro Bot hero head off to a variety of worlds to rescue them.
This is the first truly 3D platformer I’ve played, where moving your head shifts the perspective around so you can see different parts of the level, and it meant what was already a pretty fun little platformer became a very engaging 3D VR experience too.
The art style is clean but cute and appealing and the game is easy to pick up and play, and your controller becomes a multi-tool in game, not only directing the Astro Bot around but becoming a slingshot, a rope launcher and even a water cannon.
Interestingly, there are baddies who are targeting you as the player too, shooting goo on to your visor so you have to physically shake your head to get it off.
The game uses 3D audio extremely well, allowing you to find the missing Astro Bots – and when you rescue them, they jet on to your virtual controller and joyfully reunite with their friends, which is a nice touch.
It’s not a long game – 26 missions, taking maybe six hours or so – but that’s about standard for VR games at the moment since there’s a limit to how much VR time most people can tolerate before needing to have a break.
For something that’s appeared on the scene with no hype or fanfare, Astro Bot Rescue Mission is proof you can still do innovative and fun things with traditional genres.