The Unspoken Review – Oculus Rift

When the Oculus Touch released last month everyone was talking about how accurately the device was able to create intuitive and functional hands within the VR space to grab and manipulate objects within the game; specifically weapons.   In Insomniac’s new game, The Unspoken, your hands actually become lethal weapons; not of the martial arts type but more like badass dueling wizards. That concept alone should sell you on the game but let’s dig deeper.

Rather than go all medieval or fantasy in theme The Unspoken just assumes magic is real in modern times much like the premise of Syfy’s show, The Magicians, only this game has much more spectacle and flair and they aren’t hiding their powers behind a magically concealed university. In this urban fight club you will get to unleash all sorts of awesome spells to attack and defend in some of the most engaging wizard duels I’ve ever seen, let alone played personally.

It’s best to get the big issue out of the way up front. The Unspoken is an online multiplayer game only. Aside from a brief tutorial there is no single-player content to be had. I’m always nervous when games base their entire existence on other people playing, because if the community dries up you have a worthless game left behind. Thankfully, the game is being bundled with the Oculus Touch, so it’s not a matter of if people own it, but if they are willing to play it.

Before you head out to the urban jungle to dispense arcane justice there are a few variables you’ll want to setup to customize your experience.   There are three classes of wizards; the Anarchist who specializes in fire magic, Blackjack, a stealthy sorcerer armed with magical blades and a deck of cards, and Kinetic, a telepath that can manipulate items within the environment. Each class summons their spells by squeezing the grips of the Touch and making specific hand gestures like pushing your hands together or pulling them apart or making and X with your arms. Prior to each battle you’ll also get to select an Artifact that will unleash more powerful spells by performing more complicated hand gestures. These can only be used once per fight.

Battles consist of three rounds and take place in various maps set in and around Chicago. Each arena is divided in half with each side having a select amount of pedestals you can teleport around during combat, but part of the strategy lies in the fact you can destroy each other’s pedestals effectively limiting their movement. Some pedestals have cover, which comes in useful if you need a moment to breathe. You’ll need to keep moving, not only to avoid incoming attacks but also to collect mana orbs to fuel your own spells.

Each map will undergo several dynamic changes as you advance through all three rounds, providing more pedestals and new environmental hazards. You’ll also want to look out for a glowing orb because the player who attacks it the most will earn an Almighty Summon that could change the tide of battle. The battles can get quite intense with more complex spells and activities requiring you to shift focus from the enemy to the task at hand. The feeling of vulnerability is undeniable in those moments, but the rewards for pulling off some of the more elaborate magic are always worth the risk.

The Unspoken is the first game to really make use of room-scalability and with the two camera system and their default positions in the front of the play space it can cause problems when you turn around to retreat to a platform behind you. You have two options; buy a third camera for $80 or simply never turn your back to both the front cameras. If you stand sideways to the cameras and keep your arms away from your body you should never lose tracking when trying to retreat.

Multiple arenas, three types of wizards, and more than 25 spells will take hours to learn and months to master, and hopefully Insomniac keeps the magic alive with new content to keep gamers coming back for more, because for as awesome as this game is, its survival is solely based on the people who play it. Games like EVE: Valkyrie have already proven there is a place for online-only games in VR when infused with regular content updates.

The Unspoken is easily one of the best examples of how the Oculus Touch changes the way we experience VR. Your hand gestures are realistically captured and virtually reconstructed right down to individual finger movement providing the perfect amount of immersion to make you feel like an actual spellcaster kicking ass in downtown Chicago. Whether you are tossing fireballs, summoning monsters, or unleashing a squadron of fighter jets on your opponent, the concept of dueling wizards has never been this perfectly realized or flawlessly executed.

Author: Mark Smith
I've been an avid gamer since I stumbled upon ZORK running in my local Radio Shack in 1980. Ten years later I was working for Sierra Online. Since then I've owned nearly every game system and most of the games to go with them. Not sure if 40+ years of gaming qualifies me to write reviews, but I do it anyway.

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