DOOM VFR

VFR does not compromise when it comes to visual beauty, but talking about controls and gameplay, Doom does not really seem fit for VR. We miss the raw feeling and the cockiness of this loved shooter.

As a huge fan of Doom and someone interested in the possibilities of virtual reality, I came away from VFR immensely disappointed. Outside of some nifty moments involving the slo-mo mechanic, VFR just isn’t compelling. The finicky teleporting mechanic hinders movement, the levels don’t accommodate VR well, the protagonist is annoying, and the combat isn’t fun. The biggest selling point for VFR is that it’s a full campaign in virtual reality, but with stiff competition in the genre like Robo Recall and Superhot VR, it’s hard for me to recommend Doom VFR to anyone.

DOOM VFR delivers a fun VR experience that gives you a tiny taste of an excellent meal, a meal that’s full of stunning visuals, demon stomping, and a satisfying blend of upgrades and the weapons we know and love from the DOOM universe. Unfortunately, a few bugs and some questionable design choices mar an otherwise fantastic VR game.

Doom VFR has some of the most satisfying and gratuitous action you can get in VR.

A touch on the short side, and with more than a few gripes around the control mechanisms, DOOM VFR, like most Bethesda games, is made better through mods and community support. That said, even without it, there’s a serviceable vertical slice of the best parts of last year’s flatscreen title. I just wish the damned game would let me punch something!

DOOM VFR is one of the most action-packed games I’ve ever played using the HTC Vive. It’s a shame Bethesda ignored the huge amount of progress that has been made in VR development. DOOM VFR is a good game, but with a number of changes it could easily become a great game. Do not buy this game if you suffer from motion sickness as you simply won’t be able to play it for longer than five minutes at a time. However, if the locomotion issues don’t bother you, DOOM VFR is definitely worth picking up.

Doom VFR is a brave shooter that proves that VR games don’t have to be conservative with movement to work. Fast-paced action with a great stable of recognizable weapons and enemies makes it a challenging rush, once you find your VR legs. It’s a shame VFR story didn’t get the same self-aware treatment as Doom did, but even if it’s all about warping and gunning, that’s more than enough.

Clunky controls and lack of free locomotion puts a serious dampener on this VR-port. Doom is appealing and entertaining in a new form, but id Software have taken some unfortunate shortcuts.

Thanks to 360 degree tracking and a superior button layout (as well as improved visuals), Doom VFR on Vive is a noticeably better experience on PC than on PSVR. The lack of smooth locomotion with the Vive controllers definitely hurts, but the game sets its own unique pace with the teleportation-based combat that regularly succeeds in making you into a demon-murdering action star. That said, there’s still no getting around the fact this is a short game with recycled content that feels cut down and repackaged rather than fresh and innovative. There’s a fun afternoon of thrills here, but we want VR to take us even deeper into hell.