Setting you on an adventure on a deserted island, Pirates VR: Jolly Roger gives a strong first impression of a promising pirate life. Could there be treasure to be found here? I popped the Pico 4 on and dove in.
Yo Ho Ho
The atmosphere of Pirates VR: Jolly Roger immediately impressed me. From the first steps out of the cave, it felt like an amazing environment had been crafted. This carried on throughout the entire game, whether scaling cliffs or diving into underground areas.
Not everything looked as good of course, including enemy models like fairly basic skeletons and how the interior areas were less visually impressive than the starting area, but it looked great overall. I was enjoying exploring.
Admittedly, immersion was occasionally broken by the odd moment of pop-in and nonsensical moments like small rocks that couldn’t be stepped over popped up. Despite this, it was off to a strong start based on looks and how it drew me into the environment.
Gameplay Woes
Sadly, this strong impression didn’t last long. Interaction was a key issue.
I had issues climbing without it suddenly letting go (and not due to stamina running out). There were awkward methods to get onto vines. Swimming needed analog stick usage rather than the standard motion controls. The item menu was awkward to use. It felt like these systems weren’t tested with VR in mind, despite it not being Split Light Studio’s first VR game. The climbing was a particular issue, as Pirates VR: Jolly Roger has a lot of climbing.
In terms of challenges, there is combat and puzzles. Shooting felt very simple too, with no real feeling of feedback and so many enemies that it felt tiresome. Puzzles were fairly simple too, mostly being along the lines of running and looking around for items and basic pattern matching.
While the world felt open at first, I came to find that I was being directed in certain ways and not going along with this had me get stuck to the point of needing a reset, dying, or just not being able to progress even when it appears that I should be able to. Pirates VR: Jolly Roger is only a few hours long, and it’s sad that these moments of frustration are some of the ones that stand out the most.
Verdict
Pirates VR: Jolly Roger gives a good first impression, but this pirate adventure quickly loses its luster. The gameplay has quite a few issues, leading it to be quite a disappointment.
I wish I had more to say about this VR game, but there just isn’t really much worth talking about here. Perhaps there’s some charm here in the environment, but I found myself glad that it was such a short experience.
WAIT FOR SALE ON PIRATES VR: JOLLY ROGER
If you are looking for another VR game, you might want to check out Metal: Hellsinger VR.
Many thanks go to VRKiwi for a Steam review code for Pirates VR: Jolly Roger.
A gamer since the days of Amstrad and DOS and someone who has dabbled in a variety of professions. He enjoys a wide variety of genres, but has been focusing on visual novels and virtual reality in recent years. Head Editor of NookGaming. Follow him and the website on @NookSite.
