Thursday, 29 August, 2024 UTC
Summary
Fracked feels like an exhilarating arcade shooter in virtual reality as it launches on Meta Quest, for good and for worse.
Despite launching on the original PSVR three years ago, Fracked feels like it was made for standalone VR headsets. The first-person shooter puts heavy emphasis on action over narrative, boiling down to a fast-paced experience that feels like a rush to play - even if the experience is a bit too short.
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If you're unaware of Fracked from nDreams (Synapse, Frenzies), our Fracked review covers the gameplay and story itself in more detail. That being said, the general gist is that you play as a hero forced to defeat a force of interdimensional enemies on a remote mountain facility. It's not a focal point of Fracked, but it's at least a driving force of what you do.
Gameplay is easily the strongest element, which works amazingly on Quest 3. Gunplay simply feels good as you mow down waves of enemies unfortunate enough to end up in your path. Numbers pop up as you damage and kill them, giving the vibe of old-style arcade shooters, but without killing you too early and asking for some more money.
However, that will also disappoint quite a few people, myself included. Fracked looks spectacular on the Quest 3 with the incredible cel-shaded-style visuals, but the gameplay doesn't hold up as well after three years of growth in the VR market. Once you've played a few minutes of Fracked, the style remains the same throughout the short runtime with very little difference. However, the ski sections remain a high point, and I wish there were a whole game based on ski-shooting action.
Fracked - screenshots taken on Quest 3
While Fracked runs well on Quest 3 with very few performance issues (if any), it has its fair share of bugs. The avalanche at the beginning had random white spots flash up on the screen in front of my eyes, which looked horrible. Holding on to the drill later in the second mission caused me glitch out and get stuck, requiring a quick reset to the last checkpoint.
If you've played Fracked before on PC VR or PSVR, there are no major differences here. It's great if you want it on a standalone headset, but the core remains the same from our review three years ago, for better and worse. That being said, Fracked remains a solid shooter after years of being on other platforms before Quest. So, if you're looking for a couple of hours of arcade-style action that feels like a blockbuster movie, you're in for a treat. Just don't expect anything more.
Fracked is available now on Meta Quest platforms. It's also available on the original PlayStation VR and Steam.