It has been just a few days since Oculus released its Rift device and made virtual reality available to general public. They have also launched the Oculus store and we immediately rushed to the opportunity to try an official game and the first one we got our hands on was the puzzle solver named Esper 2.
What does it take to get in to VR?
First we have to take into account that Oculus Rift is still not officially available in our region so everything we test will be on an earlier version of the VR headset, the Oculus DK2. Fortunately the Oculus store and most of the games run just as well on this device so it doesn’t hamper the experience. Also when it comes to minimal hardware requirements they are simply nowhere listed – there are the minimal requirements for a VR ready PC that Oculus published and all of the games must run smoothly on such a machine. Also most of the games don’t have any graphics settings, they all must run on this kind of hardware and there is no manual tweaking. Of course a game like Esper 2 that is created to run as well on a mobile device in combination with a Gear VR headset could certainly run on a much less powerful machine, but the standard is there and everybody must adhere to it.
Additionally you need a controller, i.e. and Xbox One gamepad that comes included with the Rift, but in the case that you are running the software on a DK2 like we were you need to get it separately. Some other controllers like steering wheels or joysticks should be supported by developers in the future but they are for more specific kinds of games. You can forget about a keyboard and a mouse, the fact that you can’t even see them during gameplay makes them completely useless.
Strap in, here we go!
The first impression when you put on the Rift is very amusing – the store itself is a big virtual room and you choose the options by looking at them and then clicking on the controller. The experience of the store is fun, and then there are the apps, the 360 videos and lots of other fun stuff. But we are here to play Esper 2!
Upon entering the game you get a sensation of the space surrounding you, starting from the company logo and the name of the game onwards. The game menu itself is an office from which you choose how to proceed. One thing needs to be noted – moving around in VR isn’t actually solved that well because it can cause nausea to people not used to VR. So the first wave of games for Oculus is conceived in such a manner that you rarely ever move your character – you are either in a cockpit, or behind a wheel of a car, or in case of Esper 2 in the role of an invalid that is bound to a chair or a wheelchair. The player himself cannot move the character in space but only look around the room and move to a next location by clicking on it, sort of like the Myst adventure game that the older gaming crowd should remember.
On the other hand the feeling of being in a world is very realistic and you get a sense of really being a part of it. The game setting is that you are a talented guy in the area of telekinesis and at first you are in the facility for exercising your skills. You have to learn how to control things and you do that by looking at them! So you look at something, click the button to grab it and then move it in space by moving your head. First time I did this I played around for about 10 minutes with just one object because it was so much fun! Besides that you use your analog joystick on the controller to move objects in depth and you can use the trigger on the back to throw something away from you, hit other objects etc. Interesting to note that first time the throwing exercise was on schedule I didn’t listen carefully to the instructor and missed the part about using the trigger so I tried tossing the object by swinging my head. And miraculously I succeeded but my neck wasn’t very pleased with my success. So you must always listen to the instructions closely! But in general you get used to the controls very fast and then the fun starts. At all time you have your instructors watching you over video surveillance and giving you directions or advice. It feels so realistic that one of my colleagues complained that he was truly uncomfortable because he felt being watched all the time.
The only thing I really didn’t like was the existence of a virtual chair/wheelchair in the game because it creates nausea. What is it about – the chair in the game turns when you turn your head in one direction and I happened to be sitting in a nearly identical office chair physically. As my physical chair did not turn at the same time as my virtual chair, my brain was having trouble figuring this out and I got sick when I looked down at the virtual chair. An advice to the developers – just lose the chair, it is better if just nothing was there.
Puzzle solving game
The game is comprised of puzzles that you need to complete in sequence in order to advance. The puzzles are not too hard, but are very fun and diverse. The locations you find yourself in are also quite different and you will soon find out that it is not the same thing moving objects in an office, underwater or in space. On the other hand sometimes you get some action elements so you have to defend against asteroids or turn rockets of your enemy on him in order to survive, of course everything by just looking at it and doing the telekinesis stuff. I must admit I really enjoyed what was happening around me and the changes in pace. The game itself is not too long I completed it in about two to three hours of continuous gameplay. I also wanted to test how long I can spend in a virtual environment and not get nauseated or ill in other way and the result is great – I had absolutely no problems during the entire duration of the play.
The game itself has a background story but it isn’t that interesting or something that would keep you playing it. The main incentives for playing are the looking around and solving puzzles. So if there wasn’t a VR component I probably would not be playing it for too long.
In the graphics department it is not spectacular, having in mind that it looks almost the same on a mobile device, but it is quite ok in presenting what it is supposed to. The music is quite good but the most praise in the sound area goes to the voice acting crew that guide you and convey the ambiance.
Are we ready for VR?
VR is still not meant for all games and for everybody but for games like Esper 2 it shows its full potential. It will be some time before we are able to run around in classic FPS titles but I must admit that mu first significant experience with a strictly VR title got me strapped to the chair until I finished the game. That can be a bit awkward when someone comes in to your office and sees you turning in your chair, whining why some ball won’t fit in its basket and all the time you don’t see or hear anything. You actually have no clue what time is it. Although this presents a good opportunity to completely ignore your smartphone or IM apps. Simply when you enter the virtual world all contact with the real world is significantly diminished which is great but you also need to be careful about it.
Esper 2
Pros:
- You are really immersed in a virtual world
- Moving objects by just looking at them is so much fun!
- Diverse and innovative puzzles
Cons:
- You can get nauseated by looking at your chair
- The story is mediocre
- Graphics aren’t great
