Theseus

Theseus is a terrifyingly atmospheric adventure that is well worth experiencing for owners of PSVR.

This is one of those games that I would enjoy having friends come over and experience VR for the first time with it. Since you are completely seeing your character in a third-person, there is a minimal risk of motion sickness. Most of the time, you are simply moving Theseus forward and at other times, you need to really look around your surroundings to see where to go. That’s when you really get a sense of appreciation for the way Forge Reply designed the game. The only real shortcoming, is the overall length of the game. At the same time, there's some replayability with item collection which in turn will give you a different ending. Other than that, the biggest challenge will be justifying the price to the majority of PSVR players. I think $20 is a fair price and would recommend checking it out and blowing the dust off your PSVR like I did.

There are two endings to Theseus, though either way the game itself isn’t that long. It does tell the story it wanted to, though, and does so in a comprehensive enough way that I wasn’t left wondering. It’s a crafty little proof-of-concept and experiment in making VR work in the context of a third person adventure experience. It’s a little limited for what I ultimately want VR to deliver, but it’s worthwhile nonetheless.

An intriguing and atmospheric VR experience, held back by a lack of content, screen drifting and loading screens that are a bit to long.

Theseus provides a stunning, atmospheric world to ogle in virtual reality that ends too soon, all the while mired by clunky controls and instant deaths along the way. Although based on Greek myth, Theseus proves to be far from mythic.

Theseus is one of the most atmospherically immersive video games that I've ever played. Although you'll be on the edge of your seat throughout, you unfortunately won't be there for very long.

Quotation forthcoming.

You'll reach the labyrinth's end in under two hours. [Sept 2017, p.85]

Theseus has some good ideas, but its gameplay is boring and repetitive.

Too short, linear, and with a limited gameplay. Theseus has many flaws, but the atmosphere, graphics and the excellent VR management are worth not to be underestimated.

I honestly believe a video game where you play as the eagle that eats Prometheus’ liver would be more exciting than Theseus. Everything about Forge Reply’s game is superficial. It’s pretty to look at, but the gameplay is terribly hollow and lacks variety. Adding to that, it fails to do anything meaningful with VR, using it only to create tension through a series of fixed camera angles whose transition are jarring and disorienting. It pains me to say that this is one game that should have been sacrificed to Hades.

Theseus, more than a mediocre work, is a wasted opportunity.

Theseus offers a different perspective to your usual PSVR games and the immersion and well designed visuals are its strength. The gameplay is its weakness however, with basic exploration, simple combat and rudimentary stealth. Very, very short as well.

Theseus hides some good ideas, but boring and repetitive gameplay, along with an outdated technology and a questionable use of the PS VR, prevent it from being a good game.

Theseus is a story brimming with excitement and wonder, thrown into an experience ripe for improvement. Developer Forge Reply picked a great myth to tackle, and one that works astoundingly well in VR. The shortcomings are too numerous, however, to be overlooked.

Theseus is a game that had a lot of promise. The dark and creepy setting comes through with a strong, foreboding atmosphere that’s often difficult to capture in VR games. But unfortunately the actual gameplay itself feels like more of a chore than anything else. It’s over far too soon and doesn’t feel properly designed for VR from the ground up. The Minotaur is terrifying and intimidating, but getting through everything else just to face him isn’t going to be worth it for most people.

Short and succinct, there’s nothing about Theseus I strongly disliked. That said, beyond the occasional picturesque moment, there isn’t a lot here worth shouting about either. It succeeds in bringing a brutal slice of mythology to life, but lacks the depth or impact of similar action adventure games, putting too much emphasis on style and presentation.

There’s a lot of potential to really have Theseus be a great adventure, but it ends before you can get invested at all, a slow burn with an all too rapid conclusion. It feels like the whole middle part of the game is missing, with a long intro leading right into the climax.

It's a shame there isn't more of an adventure -- or even just more of a game -- to back up the Minotaur encounters. Theseus feels like a small-team effort, and a middle-of-the-road one at that. The myth-turned-game concept is smart, but the execution and scope aren't where they need to be.

While Insomniacs Edge of Nowhere proved that classic action-adventure can be enhanced by VR, Theseus feels like a “normal” game. One, where it seems that Forge Reply didn’t understand the possibilities that virtual reality has to offer. While the meetings with the minotaur are tense due to its sheer size, the rest of the game becomes a tedious below-average experience.