Earlier this year we reviewed Gunjack on the Oculus Rift at which time we declared it one of the best VR games available for the new system. Now that game comes to the PSVR, and while the designers were able to preserve the incredible first-person head-targeting shooting mechanics at the core of the gameplay, the underpowered PSVR is hardly up to the task of recreating the visual splendor of the game we played on the Rift. Hopefully, gameplay will triumph over visual fidelity for those who decide to try it.
Gunjack puts you in the cockpit of a bubble turret and launches you outside of a giant capital ship where you must defend against increasingly difficult waves of hostile space pirates and maybe shoot down a few incoming asteroids from time to time. This is pure arcade gameplay at its finest with the pirates swarming onto the screen in Galaga-like fashion as you unload your massive chain guns and whatever secondary weapons you manage to salvage from the debris.
Collect the spinning boxes to gain temporary perks like lock-on missiles, smart bombs, time warp bubbles, turret repairs, and even the chance to swap out your main cannons for a deadly cutting beam laser. Enemies come in patterned waves from all directions with the occasional mini-boss and major boss ships warping in for a more advanced challenge. Larger ships can launch their own guided missiles, forcing you to be even more strategic when it comes to reloading your main guns. In fact, the reload time is your biggest enemy in Gunjack, so make sure to tap that reload button whenever there is a lull in the action. There is nothing worse than watching the lengthy magazine-swap animation while a dozen missiles are bearing down on you.
Being primarily an arcade game Gunjack is admittedly a bit light on story. There is a very cool opening cinematic (make sure to look behind you the minute the game starts) and a brief narrative about working for the mining company and defending against space pirates in the Outer Ring. Apparently, humans are better than automated turrets – even in the future.
The PSVR does a respectable job of putting you in the game. Prior to each mission you are treated to a pre-launch sequence that shows you strapping into your turret and bringing down the control arms much like getting ready to ride a rollercoaster. As you are gently pushed down the launch tube into the vacuum of space, you’ll have only seconds to view the scenery before the pirates arrive. You could be orbiting a planet or fighting in a nebula or blasting your way through an asteroid belt. It’s also cool to just look around your cockpit and appreciate the small touches like post-it notes on the walls and all sorts of lights and control panels that encompass your fully rendered body and arms. You have a full 180-degree viewable area through the glass canopy that convincingly cracks and shatters when you take too much damage.
Comparatively speaking, the PSVR is half the quality of the game I played on Oculus Rift. The backdrops for each level are much lower resolution with less objects and diminished details. Interestingly enough, the cockpit graphics aren’t as noticeably scaled back, but what is totally distracting, almost to the point of making me sick is the “ghosting” (double vision) you get when moving your head and panning the camera/turret. Everything from the bullets in the ammo display to any subtitled dialogue (I had to turn that off) will leave a duplicate trail of itself during any camera movement. Even during the opening elevator ride to the launch tube, all the graphics are blurred or doubled. It’s sad really, because we praised Gunjack on the Oculus Rift as one of the most comfortable games you could play, and on the PSVR is has become potentially one of the most nauseating unless you can learn to look past the HUD and focus solely on the enemies.
The controls for Gunjack are still some of the best of any VR game I’ve played to date. Arguably, they aren’t that complicated, but the combination of gamepad triggers and head-guided targeting is a revelation to the shooting genre. Just look at your enemy, squeeze the trigger and enjoy the lightshow. Red arrows indicate incoming ship directions, and your remaining ammo meter is at the bottom of your HUD. It’s so minimal in execution, but the ramping challenge starts to creep in around level six and then it’s time to sweat.
Gunjack is easily one of the more approachable PSVR games at launch, not only with its affordable $10 price tag, but also thanks to its totally addictive arcade game design that will have you playing far longer than you probably should and keep you coming back for more. It’s designed for short sporadic gameplay sessions, and the leaderboards provide an endless incentive to keep besting previous scores and earn all the gold medals. If you own a PSVR then Gunjack is certainly worth a look.
