Back when PSVR was still known as Project Morpheous the idea of console VR gaming was seen as hokey by many including myself. It wouldn’t be until I’d checked out Arkham VR that I became a believer in the tech. While that game stood out as the thing I show people who have never tried VR, it was still only a promise of what immersive superhero experiences could be. Fast forward to 2020 where studio Camoflauj and Marvel Games have fulfilled that promise in superhero VR games with style.
Marvel Iron Man VR
Developed By: Camoflauj
Published By: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Available For: PlayStation VR (July 3, 2020)
Marvel’s Iron Man VR blends much of the MCU Tony Stark with classic comic book tales such as Armor Wars. This Stark is a man coming to terms with the war profiteering legacy of his company while trying to do real good in his world. When an unknown enemy from Tony’s past comes back to haunt him, Iron Man suits up for a compact Marvel-style adventure.
Where the game blows away the admittedly outdated tech is in its use of the move controllers. Iron Man isn’t on rails, you’re in full control of the character once you suit up. With an icon as unique as Iron Man you need an uncanny feeling of motion. While most of the game is in flight, you’re far from a sky tank or a jet, your movement is very in control at all times with a forgiving level of physics. As the sticks act as your hands you’ll fly and steer by seemingly using palm thrusters and head movement as Iron Man does. It takes some getting accustomed to in order to switch from flight mode to battle ready by mastering arm placements and memorizing where the buttons are on the move controllers.
Once you do, rocketing past a group of armored enemies and quick turning to fire repulsors at them is a sh** ton of fun.
What Camoflauj gets right with the aid of Marvel Games is that Iron Man is a character of constant evolution. As Tony, you’ll be able to earn upgrade points and unlock upgrades and suit variations.
Where Iron Man VR is limited is in its depth. If you don’t know Iron Man from movies or comics, one could easily get the idea that his world is very small by the amount of variety in the game. You’ll only battle a handful of enemy types with very limited variation in the strategies used to defeat them. Just know you’ll be doing a lot of missile lock on once you unlock it.
Like most VR games, I wished the story would have been a bit longer (about 6hrs total) in order to dig into this part of Marvel’s history. But Camoflauj does a solid job of pacing this VR game to be stop-and-go in order to give players clear points for taking a break so that I don’t feel like I have to go through it all in one sitting.
This isn’t the first VR game to utilize the Marvel Universe, but this is the first one tailored technically to its main character. The experience is made more enjoyable for it. Overall, Marvel Iron Man VR surpasses limitations and expectations.
Oh and play the basketball game in Tony’s house, it’s addicting!
