Vader Immortal Episodes I-III Oculus Quest Review
Fast Facts
Vader Immortal Episodes I-III
Developer: ILMxLAB
Publisher: Disney Electronic Content, Inc.
Website: https://www.ilmxlab.com/
Genre: Adventure, Narrative, Movie
Platform: Oculus Quest
Age Rating: PEGI 16
Release Date: 21/05/2019
Price: £7.99 per episode
A code was provided for review purposes.
A Galaxy Far Far Away
Vader Immortal Episodes I-III places you in the shoes of a smuggler aboard the Windfall after evading the Hutts with a shipment of spice. While jumping through hyperspace, you’re immediately taken captive by Darth Vader and held in his prison upon Mustafar. The VR experience found in Vader Immortal is similar in scope and scale to the Batman VR experience on PSVR. While going through Vader Immortal’s three episodes you more or less play through a short 90+ minute movie, where you teleport from point A to B while engaging in various puzzles and interactive areas within your ship, the castle above ground, and the lower portions of Mustafar, as you travel deeper within the depths of caverns and mines.
During your three chapters you team up with the likes of ZO-E3, your droid companion which helps to narrate the story along as you venture within Darth Vader’s compound. Along the way you meet other NPCs that will ask for your help in unlocking your true potential and eventually uncover the mystery of the Bright Star crystal, which Vader seeks to use to bring Padmé back to life. As you learn of your tasks from Vader, you also learn that you possess the force and will use it to wield a lightsaber and toss rocks and Stormtroopers around.
A Jedi You Must Become
The early chapter of the game has you escaping the prison and making your way down to an alien race of miners on Mustafar. Before that though you will work your way out of the prison and through hallways and elevators, evading Stormtrooper gunfire and teetering along ladderlike pathways. By the end of the first episode you have a lightsaber at your disposal, and will from time to time need to use it to fight off droid assassins which also wield lightsaber-like weapons of their own.
Later on you learn that you possess the force and using your hand to make a gesture, holding out your open hand, you can push and pull items and enemies towards you. Quickly the use of force powers and lightsabers make you feel invincible and very much like a Jedi, which is Vader Immortal’s greatest strength.
There’s one section midway through the game that has you moving through the underground attacking and avoiding a rancor. The set piece has you throwing rocks at the beast while also striking its incoming claws. The feeling of immersion and anxiety is one of the best VR experiences I have felt.
Experiential & Experimental Treatment
VR games and experiences are best when you feel like you are somewhere else. Vader Immortal is no slouch to those feelings as the sights and sounds of the Star Wars universe from the whirring engines of TIE Fighters, blaster fire whizzing past your head, to the growl of the aforementioned rancor, and the blips and boops of computer panels. Vader Immortal is an immersive experience any Star Wars fan and really anyone looking for a VR experience should play.
While the story is very paint by numbers, and the gameplay is mostly low interactive elements, the saber duels and use of force powers is an epic experience.
A Shortened Saga
The entirety of Vader Immortal can be played in one sitting. While that may not be a big deal for most, the $30 price tag for all three episodes may be a turn off. The main story is linear and once you have completed it, there really isn’t much reason to go back.
There are a few extras though like the Lightsaber Dojo that beckon multiple playthroughs as you try to reach perfect scores. Lightsaber Dojo is similar to Pirate Space Trainer in that you need to defeat waves of droids targeting you as well as stormtroopers. Since you have your lightsaber, dual lightsabers, force powers, and blasters, it is a mode that you could spend countless hours in feeling the force run through you.
Rapid Reviews Rating
You can purchase Vader Immortal Epsiodes 1-3 through the Oculus Quest store on the following links:
You can read our VR game reviews over at vrgamecritic.
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