Developers involved in creating VR games clearly like several genres. On this type of platform, we can find a whole lot of first-person action games or productions that focus on music and rhythmic gameplay. It's hard not to notice that there are some undeveloped niches to stick into, as long as you have an idea. The creators of White Noise Games may have reached the same conclusions with their Eternal Starlight, which is ... a cosmic strategy in virtual reality, which also includes roguelike elements. Admit it sounds at least interesting ...
The plot that was served to us in Eternal Starlight is much less interesting. This is a collection of clichés characteristic of the science fiction genre. The Earth is not suitable for further living on its surface, so people go into space in search of a new home. This turns out to be a planet called Proxima, but unfortunately it is also of interest to other cosmic races. So what is left for us? Well, nothing else but to fight for a place to live. For this purpose, we use technology similar to the solutions from Ender's Game, namely Neural Link, i.e. the ability to take control of space vehicles and use them to fight in such a remote way.
Space battles resemble real-time space action strategies like Homeworld, but with all the pros and cons of using virtual reality. We mark the ships by grabbing them with controllers, and by dragging them, we draw the route to be covered. We mark the enemies we want to attack or choose special abilities or weapons in an equally intuitive way. We also have the option of giving up control over an artificial intelligence unit that will try to work without our participation. Unfortunately, not everything works perfectly and some things can be irritating at times. Spaceships move slowly and are not very maneuverable, so sometimes we watch them spin for a long time to change course. This has a negative impact on the dynamics of the battles, which are very short, because most of the missions can be completed in just a few minutes.
Mastering the basics is very simple here, so that people who so far rather avoided classic RTS can easily handle it. This is also helped by the fact that initially our "fleet" is limited to one larger ship, so there is no need to think about movements or take over some micromanagement. Oh, we choose the unit, we mark the target and… that's it. It doesn't mean, however, that Eternal Starlight lacks depth, as there are many more attractions and challenges, but they are added gradually.
For completing tasks, we get rewards and a currency that allows us to buy equipment or unlock places for their installation in our ships. In this way, we improve our fleet, increasing its offensive or defensive potential, while preparing to undertake more and more difficult missions, the emergence of which is only a matter of time.
Most likely, sooner or later we will come across impassable stairs, and this is where the roguelike elements mentioned at the start enter the arena. There is a permadeath in the game, which means you lose progress and have to start over. It is a bit frustrating at first, but just like in the case of good representatives of the genre, it works quite well in practice here, motivating to combine and try again. Using various tactics and testing equipment makes it possible to spend a lot of time here, if of course you like the gameplay.
Eternal Starlight is a fairly successful, though not flawless experiment that shows that there is room for really different experiences on VR platforms. Not everything came out to the creators, but the overall impressions of this title are very positive.
PROS:
MINUSES:
