World War Z VR Preview
World War Z VR is an immersive single-player first-person shooter from developer Saber Interactive. It is based on the 2013 movie. The VR game is also a follow-up to the 2021 flat version. Like its flat-screen counterpart, you will take on enormous swarms of zombies across three difficulty levels and choose your operator, weapons, and perks to create unique playthroughs.
Unlike the flat screen game version, which supports four-player co-op, in the VR Version, you must face the overwhelming swarms on your own. You, fortunately, have AI teammates. As AI companions, they exhibit the expected limitations in behavior. However, those limitations don’t stand out as much because of the sheer number of zombies that attack. One can’t help but hit targets no matter which direction one shoots.
The prologue and the first Tokyo mission are the only parts accessible in this preview version. The Prologue functions as the training level, which familiarizes you with the game mechanics, such as movement and weapon handling. You also get a taste of how the game handles zombie swarms. It has been stated by Saber that the game can display on screen up to two hundred zombies at once.
While the taste in the training level raises your eyebrows, it’s not until you play the first mission in the Tokyo level that the zombie hordes will impress you. To see them in the distance streaming over buildings like a swarm of locusts is a sight to behold. It becomes even more awe and terror-inspiring as those initially small zombies get closer and closer, growing in size, until they get closer and become life-sized. It’s a sight to behold. Especially in VR.
Weapons and Ammo, and Grenades, Oh My!
Almost as impressive are the level details. Initially, the training level is disappointing because of the amount of fog employed to hide distant details, but the Tokyo first mission really turned my opinion around. The game features highly detailed and colorful graphics. There is a cattle chute vibe that games on standalone VR headsets employ because of hardware limitations. However, the game does a decent job of minimizing that feeling with the addition of alternate paths and areas to explore.
As you battle your way across the level to reach the final objective, you’ll be scooping up ammo, health, weapons, keys, and grenades. There is a wide range of weapons, from revolvers to rifles to a variety of rapid-fire machine guns to rocket launchers. And you will end up using a lot of them as well as ammo. The zombies keep on coming at you at a relentless pace with little time to rest and get your bearings.
There are several zombie types in the game. You have your generic zombies, which present the usual challenges tied to their sheer numbers. There are several more troublesome types, like the screamer. A screamer’s specialty is their scream, which is used to attract fellow zombies. The sooner you kill a screamer, the sooner a zombie attack will end. There are also zombies that explode and release a toxic gas. There are also zombies that simply explode and cause damage to anyone in their vicinity.
Showcase Standoffs
At certain points in the level, you will hit a larger area, which signals a stand point for you to face a zombie horde. During the swarms in the first Tokyo mission, I had to find a way to kill a screamer enclosed in a bulletproof glass case. A screamer is one of several zombie types. Their specialty is their scream, which is used to attract fellow zombies. The sooner you kill a screamer, the sooner a zombie attack will end.
At another choke point, the level allows you to use collected keys to activate electrically charged floor plates and operate large-caliber Gatling guns. This was the major showpiece of the first mission and does a great job of mixing a sense of panic with your combat strategy.
Despite the lack of cooperative play, the game creates an intense level of gameplay. You’re so busy scrambling around an area, shooting zombies, grabbing ammo and guns, plus activating traps and throwing grenades. The action is intense, and the pace is relentless. Overall, I am impressed.
World War Z VR is coming to Meta and Steam from Saber Interactive on August 12th. If you are a fan of zombie killing and the World War Z franchise, keep that August 12th date in mind.
***Meta demo code provided by the publisher***
