Marvel’s Iron Man VR

Marvel’s Iron Man VR

Marvel’s Iron Man VR offers a satisfying superhero experience, even if its story and enemy variety eventually succumb to repetition. Flying in the suit is a joy, with players shooting with their palms up or down to gain altitude.

Adding weapons like pulse blasters, smart rockets, and a chargeable dashing punch further enliven the combat. And the enemies are smart enough to keep things interesting despite the repetitiveness.

4,6 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

User Review Score: 4,6/5
VR Headset: Quest 2, PSVR
Release Date: July 3, 2020
Studio/Developer: Camouflaj
Price: 39,99 $
Free Demo or Trial Link: NA
Game Play YouTube Video Link: Youtube
Other Video Game Play Link if no YouTube:

Story

Marvel’s Iron Man VR is a must-play for V.R. fans. From its stunning cinematic opening to the final credits, it grips you from the first mission and never lets go. Camouflaj has done a remarkable job fixing the issues that held the game back upon its P.S.V.R. release, and it’s now one of the most immersive superhero simulations in virtual reality.

Billionaire industrialist Tony Stark is under siege from his former arms manufacturer past. The terrorist group Ghost is attacking his holdings around the globe in a quest for revenge that even Stark barely understands. He reboots his old A.I. assistant, Gunsmith, and enlists Pepper Potts, Nick Fury, and F.R.I.D.A.Y. to combat this new threat as a holographic support system.

The story is a bit shallow but has enough twists and turns to keep the player interested. The voice acting is excellent, particularly Josh Keaton’s role as Stark. His snarky delivery of lines is a true highlight. Other cast members, like Chantelle Barry as Ghost, also have solid performances.

Aside from the main characters, you’ll also encounter several other heroes and villains. Director Nick Fury (Ike Amadi) and Deputy Director Maria Hill (Ali Hillis) are among the S.H.I.E.L.D. leaders you’ll meet, and they’re joined by a collection of supervillains, including the Living Laser (Leonardo Nam).

Of course, none of this would matter much without a great gameplay experience. Marvel’s Iron Man VR fully exploits the Quest 2‘s capabilities. The game’s flight mechanics are astounding, allowing players to fly with the tilt of their heads and the movement of their hands. It’s intuitive and incredibly realistic, adding to the overall sense of immersion.

The combat is equally impressive, combining simple shooter fun with the kinetic thrill of flying around as a superhero. The enemies are well-designed and varied, too. For example, a hover tank enemy can put a shield up to protect itself from your repulsor blasts, but it can be taken down by shooting its engine and then using a powerful rocket punch. This kind of enemy variety keeps the gameplay fresh, even as the story begins to drag a little at the end.

Graphics

Marvel’s Iron Man VR is a technically impressive PlayStation V.R. game, combining the best technology with fresh gameplay and a surprisingly engaging story. The kind of A.A.A. experience sets a new bar for what virtual reality games should strive for, but it’s not without its problems.

While flying around as a superhero feels fantastic, the campaign does drag in places, and the level design has a lot of repetition. Most levels re-use familiar set pieces, like soaring through cliffs next to Tony Stark’s Malibu mansion or battling enemy drones on the top of a Nick Fury helicarrier. Creating a compelling campaign out of such familiar elements is admirable, but the retreading eventually makes for a stale experience.

On the upside, the game’s visuals are stunning. The worlds are beautifully rendered, and the lighting is spectacular. The headset’s H.U.D. is also a real highlight, featuring snap and smooth turning options alongside customizable vignette settings.

The sound design is also first-rate, with soaring orchestral music that lifts the action to theatrical film heights. There’s also plenty of action noise, from rocket-powered punches to the blasts of the Iron Man repulsors, and it all helps to sell the fantasy of playing as Marvel’s iconic hero.

Unfortunately, the game suffers from performance issues that can be blamed on the P.S.V.R.’s limitations. Every level starts with a lengthy load screen, and numerous cutscenes trigger similar loads. It’s a minor annoyance, but the minutes spent waiting for a game to launch can quickly break immersion and make the whole experience feel sluggish and frustrating.

Despite these niggles, Marvel’s Iron Man VR is a must-have for any PlayStation V.R. owner. Its intuitive aerial combat stayed entertaining even as mission and enemy variety thinned out, and the extras give completionists plenty to do after the credits roll. It’s not as good as Insomniac’s Spider-Man or a system-selling killer app, but it’s still an outstanding superhero game.

Controls

Iron Man VR does a great job of capturing what it’s like to suit up as the iconic superhero in virtual reality. But it also has moments where it stumbles, including finicky controls and repetitive levels.

The main drawbacks to the game come from the control system, and how it works with PlayStation V.R., The gameplay requires you to hold the Move controllers at your sides, with one hand in each. The triggers are used to activate the suits’ boosters. Pressing them with your palms facing down makes you fly backwards, and pushing the face buttons in a Naruto pose helps you gain altitude. The timing isn’t as smooth as it could be, as your hands can often lose track of the target in action.

Despite these issues, the basic flying and combat sections are fun. The game also adds some depth to these sections with a series of combat challenges that require you to dodge missiles, blast enemies and more.

The other main problem is the repetition of levels. While some of these are visually impressive — especially the Shanghai skyline and a helicarrier soaring in the skies above an abandoned weapon facility — they repeat too quickly. Likewise, the frequent visits to Tony Stark’s mansion and Nick Fury’s helicarrier do nothing but add padding. The gimmicky tasks, such as answering the phone or putting away a box of mementoes, aren’t necessary and feel like they were added to fill out the game.

The final issue is that the game’s visual quality suffers from inconsistent textures and low resolution. This is most noticeable in the smaller environments, but the larger set pieces can look rough and outdated, especially on older PS4 systems. It’s a shame, as the more open-air flights and the ‘look up in the sky’ approach to V.R. should have helped the game look a bit better. Hopefully, Camouflaj will patch this issue on launch day or soon after. The lack of button remapping is also a worry. While this isn’t a massive issue for most people, those who have spent time with other V.R. games will find it frustrating.

Combat

Iron Man VR is a flight-based shooter with an innovative control system. Learning takes a little time, but once you do, it feels natural and intuitive. It’s the most immersive way to fly a superhero ever created in virtual reality. It’s a vast improvement over the P.S.V.R. version of the game.

In this Marvel-licensed VR game, players take on the role of Tony Stark in the Iron Man suit to battle a villain intent on destroying his company. The story is an original variation of the existing MCU and comic book lore, but there are plenty of references to moments that fans will recognize from the films and T.V. shows.

The plot centres on a terrorist hacker and weapons designer named Ghost, who wants to prove his mettle against the awe-inspiring tech of Stark Industries. To confront this threat, Stark enlists the help of F.R.I.D.A.Y. and The Gunsmith, two holographic assistants he designed to match his personality while upgrading his sleek armour in his garage.

Throughout the campaign, players will go on missions that include rescues, interceptions, and assaults on enemy bases. The game’s combat is accompanied by large explosions and a realistic soundscape that simulates gunfire and missiles hitting the ground and detonating. The gameplay is the same as any standard third-person action-adventure, with the player taking on hordes of enemies and destroying their tanks, aircraft, and drones using lasers and missiles.

One thing that sets this game apart from similar titles is its augmented reality menus and holographic assistants, allowing players to customize and upgrade their armour and weapons. After every mission, the player earns stars to spend on upgrades. They can also unlock new auxiliary weapons by completing specific challenges.

The holographic assistants will show off the player’s achievements on-screen, and they can help the player with various tasks. For example, The Gunsmith can be used to repair a damaged arc reactor, and F.R.I.D.A.Y. can be called on to activate shields or reload ammunition.

The voice cast is solid and includes Josh Keaton as Stark, Ike Amadi as Nick Fury, and Chantelle Barry as Ghost. The game consists of several additional actors, including Leila Birch as F.R.I.D.A.Y. and Jennifer Hale as Pepper Potts.