Grab your goggles, and fake gun and jump into the world of Virtual Reality as some our team went up against Vaas in Far Cry VR!
Video game commentators like me can sing the praises of virtual reality until the cows come home. But it’s off the cards for many people due to cost and space. Even if you have the financial luxury to afford a banger VR set-up at the place where you eat and sleep. You’re still blindly throwing a dart at the board since you have no idea what your tolerance for motion sickness will be like.
This is why venues like Zero Latency can be an attractive proposition. You can tip your toes into the world of virtual reality without making a huge monetary commitment. Thanks to the epic lads at Zero Latency, me and three other members of the Qualbert mob were given a chance to play Far Cry VR.
Upon entering the Zero Latency, you can throw your nicknacks inside one of the numerous lockers. There were two toilets present, which was helpful for someone like me who has more coffee in his veins than blood. Food and drink are limited to the offering inside a small vending machine. If I have any feedback, some ginger tea would be tops since it can help minimise motion sickness and is packed with antioxidants. The latter is good for your skin and makes you more handsome. Not that I need it (since I’m already the most handsome man in Brisbane).
At this point, the game master gives us a quick rundown of Far Cry 3’s storyline before showing some B-roll demonstrating how to play the game. After the inauguration is over, you scan a QR code and enter your desired username.
After calling myself xxxN@SEp1ck3Rxxx, it was time to suit up and don the VR gear like The Lawnmower Man. Minus the distributing love sequences. The game master has you go through some tests with the equipment to make sure everything is calibrated and synchronised. Once everyone gets a clean bill of health, it’s time to return to Rook Island one more time.
Far Cry VR begins with your being locked inside a cell as your handler gives you a rundown of the situation. After the pep talk, Vass makes his appearance and delivers his iconic monologue about sanity. All his dialogue in the game has been recycled from Far Cry 3 and feels somewhat disconnected. But this sequence gives you a chance to calibrate the lens on your VR headset.
At this point, you’re unleashed upon Rook Island and given a chance to practice your shooting on random junk. Once the dress rehearsal is over, you will face some actual foes. Far Cry VR is essentially a wave shooter. Weapon selection is limited to two weapons, a crossbow and an assault rifle. The crossbow requires a steady since you must reload it after every shot. But if you hit your target, it’s a guaranteed kill. The assault rifle on the other hand is for those who prefer to spray and pray. You can switch between these weapons at any given time using the button located next to the trigger. If you’re left-handed, don’t worry because there’s a button on each side of the gun controller.
Once you clear the initial batch of waves, you’ll find yourself in a cave filled with toxic mushrooms that trigger hallucinations. You will start to see giant turtles, sharks, and a giant Vaas head as you fight legions of the undead. Me and the Qualbert team made the mistake of shooting every mushroom since it doesn’t reduce their effect on the player. But it got a laugh or two out of the game master.
After inflicting vitamin B12 deficiency upon ourselves, it’s time for the final battle as the game throws everything at you. This is by far the best part of the game as all eight players must work together to fend off the army of the undead.
The experience only lasted 30 minutes, but it was an exhilarating 30 minutes without any chaff. This was easily the best time I’ve spent in virtual reality. Being able to freely roam around in the virtual world with almost no lag is incredible, to say the least. While I have a high tolerance for motion sickness in VR. I didn’t feel a single bit of fatigue or dizziness after removing the VR headset from my handsome mug. The framerate was solid, and the accuracy of the gun controller was spot on.
The only potential turn-off is the relatively high price point of $49 AUD for each person. But when you remember the cost of building an equivalent VR experience at home, it becomes a more appealing prospect. If you can gather up some mates, I think you will enjoy your time playing Far Cry in VR.
A complimentary session was kindly provided by the team at Zero Latency for the purpose of our coverage. If you enjoy VR, be sure to check out our The Exit 8 VR review and join us over on the Qualbert Discord to chat about the latest VR games!
