Oculus Quest tested version
Shooting with a bow is one of the most satisfying things you can do in VR and, probably, one of the dynamics of the game that is most able to mark the difference compared to "flat" games. Nocking, aligning arms and eyes to aim, stretch and then shoot the arrow are gestures impossible to replicate on a pad but which in virtual reality appear extremely natural. That's why every time a new VR game where you can use a bow and arrow pops up it gets so much attention.
In Death: Unchained however, it is not new: developed by Superbright and appeared for the first time in 2018 for SteamVR and PSVR, it is now re-proposed in an updated version in exclusive to Oculus Quest betting on the tracking inside out capabilities of the Oculus stand alone headset.
Hurt me
In Death: Unchained is one rogue like shooter in which, using only our arrows, we will have to make our way on a dreamlike journey into the afterlife that reminded us more than once of some of the splendid illustrations of the Divine Comedy by Gustave Dorè. The reference to the Divine Comedy is not causal, in fact the settings and the entire imagery of the game is chock full of religious references.
Like any self-respecting rogue like, the game is punitive, simple to understand but difficult to master and work your way through. procedurally generated levels it's not really a health walk, on the contrary. Also consider death as an essential element of the game, useful to improve your skills and allow you to get ready for the next fight. At each game over you will have to start all over again, it is true, but with the upgrades that you will unlock for your weapons the operation will certainly be less frustrating.
The Oculus Quest version has also introduced a number of save points and places where you can catch your breath, which you will need, we assure you, if only to rest your exhausted arms after 20 minutes of shooting. arch.
Despite thehigh degree of difficulty (a godsend for lovers of the genre), the game nevertheless knows how to be loved, rewarding your every effort with upgrades for your bow / crossbow, gold and other game items and with a scoring system that pushes you to continually improve.
Limited arsenal
Don't expect new weapons though. In In Death: Unchained, in fact, the only ones two weapons available are a bow or a crossbow and the only variant to a gunplay that could otherwise be boring is the alternation of arrows of different types: fiery, rain of darts, freezing, explosives and the whole parterre of ballistic shots to which years and years of videogames have accustomed us. There are some goodies such as arrows that can slow down time and others that look like a laser beam or a lightning bolt, if you want.
Eliminating a certain number of enemies with a particular type of arrow will allow you to improve their stats and unlock details perks. This gives the game greater depth and above all exceptional replayability allowing you to level your equipment almost indefinitely. Don't believe it? Try taking a look at this guide made by the Steam community.
Elevator to hell
In Death: Unchained offers the player three different worlds: Sanctuary, Paradise Lost and Abyss (the latter exclusive to Quest), each with its own levels and its own aesthetics which correspond respectively to Purgatory, Heaven and Hell. At first the player will find himself stuck in the Sanctuary and to continue he will have to complete the first world by eliminating the final boss; But that is not all. In order to move on to the next world it will also be necessary to unlock at least 20% of the achievements of that world. At the second, the same speech but this time the difficulty level rises and to continue further you will have to complete 40% of the achievements and so on. These mechanics, in addition to giving you an idea of the degree of challenge of the title, also say a lot about the pleasant perversion of the developers.
The enemies are quite diversified both aesthetically and in attack techniques and will require, especially when you begin to face the title in a more systematic way to unlock upgrades, achievements and score, some programming of your inventory of arrows. In fact, some may be more suitable in certain situations and for certain enemies and others less, but to find out you will die many, many times.
Technical sector
Although the differences compared to the SteamVR version from the graphic point of view are evident, given the disappearance of the high definition textures, the scarcity of enemy animations and the almost total absence of those light and particle effects that contributed to making the PC experience, In Death: Unchained for Oculus Quest it continues to keep its charm unchanged also from the visual side. In fact, settings and atmosphere, combined with the frenzy of the gameplay, make it possible to overlook the technical shortcomings of the production due certainly not to the development team but to the reduced hardware capabilities of Quest.
The tracking system generates some problems instead, especially if your hands are too close to the viewer's cameras to nock the arrow. In these cases, the controller of your dominant hand, out of sight, freezes or starts to shake, thus preventing you from aiming accurately. It is not a particularly relevant defect, as it is enough to slightly change the amplitude of your gestures (and believe me you will be forced to do so if you do not want to find yourself with sore arms the next day) or prefer the crossbow to the bow, but it is still one of the disadvantages of inside-out tracking.
Comfort
The playing comfort is really great: In Death: Unchained it is also usable by those who do not yet have the so-called "VR legs" and therefore still suffer from motion sickness. The title offers two different types of movement teleportation (the only one present in the original version for PC): the first is the classic variant with arrow indicator, which can be customized if necessary in the variant that can be activated by throwing a magic fragment in the position in which you want to move. The other movement mode added just a couple of days after launch is the smooth locomotion, which allows you to move using the analog stick.
As for the rotation, you can set a jerky movement (in the settings you can also adjust the rotation angle for each shot) or smooth rotation. Needless to say smooth locomotion and fluid rotation, while ensuring the highest degree of immersion, were the hardest for our stomach to digest, while we found the best compromise between immersion and comfort with the combination of smooth locomotion and rotation in 15 ° steps.
Finally, the game allows you to play both in room scale and seated. Although the second option is certainly the most comfortable, there is no doubt that standing without feeling tied to a thread thanks to the Oculus Quest is able to guarantee unparalleled immersion. In fact, it will not happen a few times to leave your game area, transported as you will be by the game images.
Final comment
Despite the sacrifices in graphic terms, In Death: Unchained it's the same fun game that attracted public and critical attention a few years ago. This version for Oculus Quest, in addition to introducing interesting innovations such as the new Abyss world and the smooth locomotion, has the great merit of making the experience set up by the Superbright guys even more immersive thanks to the absence of cables that chain you to the your PC (hence the term Unchained for the Quest version). If you are looking for a difficult, punishing but incredibly satisfying title to spend hours and hours with, In Death: Unchained is for you and certainly one of the best games currently available on the Oculus platform.
