I really miss the days of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, the crazy collections of music, all the plastic instruments, and fun gathering of friends. Thankfully, virtual reality has ignited a new surge of music games and not just the body rhythm games like Beat Saber and Synth Riders, but ones with virtual instruments. It’s time to get the band back together…we’re on a mission from God.
It’s been over a year since Drums Rock beat its way into the launch line-up for the PSVR2, and now it is finally taking center stage on the Meta store. I have to admit, I was pretty excited to go back to band camp one more time and see if it was any better on the Quest 3. As far as any differences between this version and last year’s console game, the new Quest 3 version supports AR passthrough, so the opening menu can now appear in your own space rather than the virtual garage. It’s cool once or twice and then you’ll forget about it, especially since once you start a game you are put back into VR, so the augmented reality mode is pretty weak. The one thing I did notice was the Quest 3 version had zero latency and flawless 120hz, so everything was smooth and jitter-free no matter how busy the screen gets.
Drums Rock offers up all the usual ways to play a music game including a robust Campaign mode that will take you through multiple sets, and with four difficulty settings and a classic star reward system to unlock new content, there is no shortage of gameplay. The game is single player but there are online leaderboards where you can compete for high score fame. A nice tutorial gets you familiar with the multi-colored drum kit and the demonic note stream, also with matching colors before sending you on your way to becoming a rock legend. You’ll earn in-game currency for completing gigs that can be used to purchase all sorts of customized gear like new drums, sticks, gloves, and even tattoos, and each song performance has bonus objectives that will earn you stars to unlock progression.
Gameplay is straightforward with a stream of colorful bobble-head demons coming at your drum kit, and you need to hit the matching drums or cymbals (sometimes at the same time) to match the beat of the music. It’s really no different than the note streams from Rock Band and Guitar Hero, only this game is really diving into the whole heavy metal imagery with cartoonish demons, fonts, environments, and even track offerings befitting the genre.
While a lot of the music in Drums Rock can be unlocked by earning stars while playing, you can be sure that this core offering is merely the gateway to 20+ DLC music packs, so you are sure to find something you enjoy if you have an open mind and an open wallet. Sadly, if you are coming from the PSVR2 version, any songs you may have added to that library will need to be re-purchased. If you are a music lover like me, this can be a dangerous rabbit hole, but Drums Rock’s fun factor is seamlessly linked to the music you are playing, so spare no expense I say.
Drums Rock is obviously a seated experience, so motion sickness is not really a thing. It’s honestly a great way for any music lover or aspiring drummer of any age to experience VR, and the game is turning out to be really hard to describe with words, so how about watching this short fun video of the game in action.
Yes, this is PSVR2 gameplay, but I assure you the game looks and plays identical on the Quest 3, and once you see it played (even poorly by me) you’ll be headed to the Meta store to start your own band. See you on the leaderboards…
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