Out of Ammo PSVR Review – Blocky Battlefield Fun

Out of Ammo PSVR Review

If you have always wanted a game that combines the First Person Shooter and Tower Defense genres, with cute Minecraft-style graphics – and oh yeah, all in virtual reality – you’re in luck. Because Zen Studios has ported the RocketWerkz game Out of Ammo to the PSVR. Strap on your PSVR headset and lock ‘n’ load, because you’re in for some adorable, immersive shooting violence.

It’s actually surprising how few FPS games have been created for the virtual reality platform, even now that the platform has had a few good years of maturation under its belt. Out of Ammo is thus a pretty novel and refreshing experience for anyone who is looking for something new. But it isn’t limited to just shooting; Out of Ammo actually combines on-the-ground combat with real-time strategy (RTS) elements. Working as a general, you adopt a bird’s eye view as you set up your base, building structures such as defensive towers and sand bunkers as you await the onslaught of wave after wave of enemy attacks.

When the battle gets underway, you zoom in on the battlefield, taking hands-on control of your soldiers – Riflemen, Medics, Engineers, Rocketeers, Snipers – where needed from a first-person perspective. As you can imagine, all of this switching between points of view and various hot-spots makes for some pretty hectic and demanding gameplay, requiring your full attention and efforts. Your goal in Out of Ammo is simply survive for as long as possible – you’ll eventually be overwhelmed no matter what, so there’s no way to “win” as such. The longer you survive, the more points you acquire.

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“Out of Ammo is thus a pretty novel and refreshing experience”

Controlling is done via the PlayStation Move controllers, which are a requirement for Out of Ammo, unlike some games where you can use a normal controller. If you’re not used to the Move controllers, you’ll find they take a bit of getting used to at first, but I found myself comfortable after not too long. They are actually quite good for shooting, as they mimic the feel of a real gun much more accurately than a gamepad.

The problem of movement (always a consideration in VR) is solved by simply removing it – while in combat mode, you are stationary, held in place and your only job is to look around, aim and fire. This is a compromise that makes the game playable but is a bit disappointing if you are the type who likes to run-and-gun, CoD style. Instead, the shooting portion of Out of Ammo has more of an arcade-style feel, as you try to stand your ground, aiming at and shooting down the enemies coming at you. It’s fun but gets to be a bit repetitive after a while.

Even with the movement compromise, some players might find prolonged play to be physically taxing, due to the need to look around a wide battlefield constantly. The battlefield is all around you, so you’ll find your head swiveling quite a bit, and I found this to be tiring after a while. That, combined with the zooming between different points of view, can make Out of Ammo a bit of a visually overwhelming experience in long sessions.

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“Combat itself is the most fun part of the game, and I really feel like VR is perfect for the FPS genre.”

But despite this, combat itself is the most fun part of the game, and I really feel like VR is perfect for the FPS genre. Your heart will be pumping as you machine-gun your enemy attackers down, and see the game’s Minecraft-style blocky graphics render the violence in cute, low-res beauty. Blood sprays off of injured enemies in little red blocks, and seeing the little body parts fly off the little rag-doll character models as the result of a well-aimed RPG or grenade is disturbing in the cuddliest way imaginable.

Despite the game’s title, you won’t find yourself lacking for supplies too often – periodic supply drops via helicopter will deliver new and fun equipment to keep the old ultraviolence running smoothly. As mentioned before, limited amounts of RPGs and other toys – and even artillery strikes – can, if deployed wisely, help you turn the tide when things look bleak. But no matter how well you manage your forces, the enemy will eventually overwhelm you – once you’re defeated, you see your stats and see how many points you earned as a result. If you’re a player who needs to “win” at a game, you might not like the survival-based gameplay. Regardless of how well you do, every game will end in “defeat,” and that left me walking away a bit frustrated after playing.

Out of Ammo offers eight different maps to choose from – not a huge selection, and here’s hoping that more are coming after release. The current maps are quite good, however, and my personal favourite was the desert, which really gave me the feel of taking part in a fire-fight in an Operation Desert Storm-like scenario, complete with blocky palm trees and a harsh, hot sun. It doesn’t matter too much, though, which map you choose; I found the basic gameplay really didn’t change much other than the lighting.

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“Out of Ammo is a fun, cute, violent VR first person shooter that I definitely recommend to PSVR owners.”

Out of Ammo is a fun, cute, violent VR first-person shooter that I definitely recommend to PSVR owners, especially at the decent price of $20.00. The first-person gameplay is where the game really shines, offering immersion to the genre that only VR can. It’s arcade-style endless wave of survival isn’t exactly my bag, and I found the fun faded the longer I played. Not everyone will dig the Minecraft-style blocky visuals, but I found them to be charming, and even kind of an amusing when combined with the hyperviolent combat. If you’re looking for something different, grab your weapon and take cover, and dive into the VR action of Out of Ammo.

** A PSVR code was supplied by the publisher **