Played on GTX 1060 (6gb), HTC Vive TL;DR It's not very pretty, the controls can be awkward, the sound needs some work, and it's pretty buggy at times. Basically the same experience I've had with the real PUBG on Xbox. This one, however, is in VR, and that makes all the difference. You can tell straight away that it's an early access game, but if you're willing to look past that, it can be a really fun experience. Warnings: Motion Sickness, Occasional Low Player Count (although improving), High Price Gameplay: Just like PUBG, you are dropped via parachute onto an island full of murderous people. You scavenge buildings for weapons and gear, and you compete to be the last man standing. As you participate, you get points and unlock loot boxes that contain clothing for your character. You can select your character in the main menu. You can customize his/her appearance with clothes you get from said loot boxes. These are gender locked, however. So if you unlock a pair of shoes, for example, and you don't find them on the customization menu, it's likely because it belongs to the opposite gender. Once you're done, click on "ready" and you'll be taken to the lobby. Here you can sort of explore the map a bit and test out some of the weapons while the game gathers enough players to start. There should be two(2) different maps at the time of this review. Once the game starts, you'll find yourself on top of an airplane. Not in it... on top. Those who suffer from motion sickness should probably close their eyes at this point. You can see the island in the distance but you cannot jump off just yet, you need to wait until you're inside of the blue circle. You can check here you are by looking at your left wrist, here you can see a map of the entire island and where the barrier is. On the top you can find the player count, and on your watch there is a red number that pertains to your current health. Once you're inside of the circle, you can press the right trigger to jump off. Once you're off the plane, you may use your left trackpad to move to the area where you want to land and go scavenge some gear. You can actually land inside buildings through windows and other openings if you time it right. Find weapons as quick as possible and be the last player a live to win the game. Be careful to always stay inside the barrier. Periodically, the circle will get smaller and smaller, and you’ll take damage if you remain outside of it. The game will announce when this happens so you want to use your map to know the location of the barrier. Movement: Once you land, either trackpad moves you around (sometimes it can be a bit unresponsive). The only movement option available is smooth locomotion so players who experience motion sickness should be wary. You also have the option to enable snap turning to your right track pad, although you may not want to. Sometimes it is convenient, but as of this moment, it's more of a headache (see Weapons). You may also vault over objects like fences, railings and even enter buildings through windows by using the top button of your wand. This is especially useful when traveling on tough terrain. Your character won’t be able to walk up very steep hills but sometimes you can that button to climb it (sometimes). Weapons: As far as I can tell, there’s only one(1) melee weapon (combat knife), and you can't punch people. You’re supposed to be able to also throw the combat knife, but I have not yet been able to perfect the technique. Once you find your first weapon, you can use the grip buttons to equip it. This applies to guns, knives, and grenades. For other items like ammo clips and health pickups, you may use either the grip buttons or the triggers. The grip button picks up and holds the item until you press it again, the trigger picks up but only holds the item as long as you have the trigger pulled. The weapons seem to be random and they "respawn" a while after you've picked them up. They come in a variety of models and configurations. Some may only have iron sights, but sometimes you may find the same weapon with a scope, for example. You need to manually reload and "c0ck the gun" or chamber the rounds. There's usually ammo for that weapon beside it, so you want to load your weapon and store the rest. You do this by taking the extra clip and sticking it onto your body (even behind your back or over your shoulder). There seems to be an invisible bubble around you that "holds" items for you. If you grabbed the clip with the grip button, press the grip again near your body to stick it there. If you grabbed it with the trigger, just let go of the trigger near your body and it should stick. One thing to note is that you CAN carry multiple weapons on your person, and even dual wield. There seems to be a limit on how many items you can carry, however. I can't say for sure what the cap is, but chances are, you'll most likely die before you get to use them all. Some weapons feature different firing modes, however, when you try and change it, your character will either move or rotate (depending on your settings) because you need to press the trackpad to change firing mode. If you didn't enable snap turning, it's no big deal, your character may slightly move. But if you did, you might find yourself getting killed because you turned away from the enemy while trying to change from single to auto. Some weapons, like rifles, you can hold with two(2) hands, although I have not noticed and improvement regarding recoil when you do, I'm still testing it. You may also find health pickups like fruit or painkillers scattered around the map. You may use these to heal yourself by grabbing and holding them near your face. You may check your current health status on your left watch. Grenades go boom, remember to throw them AWAY from you and never stick them to yourself once you’ve pulled the pin… There’s also smoke grenades. Oh, and don’t shoot yourself... Vehicles: There are several vehicles found throughout the map, they are HORRIBLE to drive but it's so much fun mowing people down with a machine gun while riding around the map on an ATV. There's also a buggy, a motorcycle, and even a helicopter. Those that suffer from motion sickness should probably walk. To drive you do NOT need to "enter" the car like other games. Instead, you literally walk inside or through it and position yourself where you want to drive. Then press any trigger to accelerate, you will then use that same hand to steer. It's awkward and weird... but fun. You don't want to "pretend" you're holding a steering wheel. Instead, try and keep your wand straight and steer by moving it left and right in front of you. You may use your remaining hand to shoot at other players while driving. Once you want off, just let go of the trigger and walk away. Final Thoughts: At this time, I think the price of admission is a little too high. Maybe around $15 would have been the sweet spot for me. But all in all, it was a fun experience. Not without its faults. There are plenty of things that need work, but if the developers actually keep supporting it, I think this game could be great. I do recommend you try it, especially if you enjoy PUBG. *Edited for grammatical errors, may update as I play more.
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