VR Arcade specialists, Zero Latency, have in partnership with Ubisoft launched Far Cry VR: Dive into Insanity, a new multiplayer VR game available at its locations around Australia. Far Cry VR is the first mega-franchise licensed game to appear at Zero Latency, as all of its past offerings have been independently developed for their VR system, with games like Sol Raiders, Singularity and Zombie Survival. We got to take a test-drive of Far Cry VR for its first session in Melbourne, to see what’s in store for players who decide to take the dive. For those wondering what all the Zero Latency fuss is about, check out our recent article about its North Melbourne location.
Based on Far Cry 3, Far Cry VR is essentially an arcade gallery shooter that kind of feels like you’re on a Far Cry theme park ride through the game’s highlights. The premise is simple, you’ve been captured by Far Cry 3‘s resident psycho, Vaas (recreated using voice clips and animation from that game), and you and your friends have to try and escape the Rook Islands, shooting your way out. Your group is separated into teams of 2-3, with whom you’ll be co-operating with to take on waves of enemies from behind cover. You can see the other teams during gameplay taking on different sections of the same general area, but you’re not really competing against them, more with each other as individuals, as every player gets their scores ranked at the end of the game (with current standings viewable on TV’s around the playfield).
You’ve got two weapons at your disposal to take out the waves of enemies, an assault rifle and a crossbow. The crossbow hits harder and at a greater distance, but is slow to reload, while the rifle can be used more reliably to take out enemies closer to you. They both reload in different ways as well, utilising different buttons on the physical gun you’re holding as you navigate the various virtual reality environments. There are explosive barrels to hit that can take out mobs of enemies, as well as destroy parts of the environment, and multiple enemy types including armoured trucks and burly men wielding flamethrowers that like to get up close in your personal space.
Locations include pirate shacks around the island, lifts crossing tropical vistas, mines and ancient ruins, where you’ll be exposed to hallucinogenic spores that warp your perception of the final levels. Well, maybe a little more than warp – expect to see flying sea-life, gravity-defying enemies and a titan-sized Vaas peering down on you like the last chip in the packet. Throughout the game the quality of the visuals, even in VR, is very impressive compared to the normal standard for multiplayer VR games at Zero Latency, especially when taking in the sweeping island views.
The whole experience runs about half an hour, and should be quite a fun trip for fans of Far Cry 3. Replayability really comes in the form of trying to get to the top of the leaderboards, not only in your group but in the overall rankings for the game at Zero Latency. That said, for my money, the most replayable game at Zero Latency remains the simple PvP pleasures of Sol Raiders, which would be a smart second booking after finishing a Far Cry VR session.
Far Cry VR is available at Zero Latency locations around Australia. There are Zero Latency centres in Brisbane, Dandenong, Gold Coast, North Melbourne, Perth, Sunshine Coast and Sydney. Check out their website if you’d like to make a booking.
