Vox Machinae coming to Meta Quest 2 is a huge achievement for Space Bullet, it’s great to see this title finally hit the standalone headset and reach a wider audience. Sitting inside those mechs is a joy and never gets old when you’ve got a few buddies watching your back, stomping around the battlefield unleashing lasers and rocket barrages. It isn’t all plain sailing though, glitches were noticeable throughout and that 10-hour campaign makes for heavy, painful going. If you love giant robots fighting and always wanted to partake then Vox Machinae provides a grand (multiplayer) mech experience.

UNBINARY delivers a wonderfully paced puzzle experience that’s vivid and alive, even if it’s meant to be a digital simulation. Those pretty visuals aside, it’s such a shame that so many other factors hamper the overall enjoyment. Those random walking issues, janky teleportation and random bugs like preferences being in Portuguese when the language is set to English. For a game that lasts around 3-4 hours depending on where you get stuck, it needs more polish, so that completion feels truly fulfilling. There were moments where it was delightfully satisfying to be in UNBINARY as if trapped in an abstract painting you don’t mind being locked inside. By the end though it was nice to get out.

On the whole, Anshar Wars 2 does a great deal to stand out. Where the game could get bogged down by repetition, the developers have gone to great lengths to keep the missions unique, mixing up objectives or giving you different ships with other abilities to use. Several moments during missions had me grinning like a loon as I piloted the ship through tight ravines or zoomed through closing doors, creating cinematic memories. It’s a shame the story isn’t as cinematic and does little to set itself apart from other space adventures to make this a must-have.

Final Space has a legion of loyal fans and that’s exactly who Final Space VR – The Rescue is being catered towards. If you’ve never seen the show and you buy this as a single-player shooter you’ll be disappointed. It looks good, sounds great and plays well yet there’s so much missing to make this an awesome sci-fi FPS. You need friends who love the cartoon to truly get something out of Final Space VR – The Rescue. Another concern was that there was no teleport to be found and no additional gameplay modes. A co-op like this would’ve benefited from a horde mode or something to keep you coming back for more. Final Space VR – The Rescue had its fun moments but just like the show, it ended too soon.

It’s great to finally see Windlands 2 on PlayStation VR and remember what made this VR experience so enjoyable in the first place. Alas, with a heavy sigh this just doesn’t match its PC brethren when comparing the entire package. What this release really does is demonstrate PlayStation VR’s ageing technology and how it was good for some but not all VR videogames. However, Psytec Games has confirmed it’ll patch PlayStation VR 2 support into Windlands 2 when available, which could really help to unshackle the gameplay. At the moment, Windlands 2 only really soars half the time.

Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall offered the prospect for the sort of adventure Games Workshop’s brutal universe is renowned for, and the history and narrative is certainly there. Yet there’s no connection to or development of the main character, the action is mostly forgettable and there are just too many little glitches and inconsistencies to create a world Warhammer fans can really immerse themselves in. Warhammer Age of Sigma: Tempestfall isn’t a bad VR game, there were enjoyable moments and with a bit of refinement it could be a decent game; at the moment being a Stormcast Eternal just isn’t a blockbuster experience.

Sweet Surrender is very much a no-frills type of roguelite. It covers all the basics with a reasonable amount of variety in the weapons, enemies and upgrades, all displayed in a very nice, low-ploy aesthetic. There’s still finessing that needs to be done though, weapon balancing, a bit more room variety, tougher enemies and progression expansion. Great for those that love easy to digest action-oriented shooters, not so much if you want a roguelite with mechanics you can really dig deep into. Still, even after all of that Sweet Surrender has that addictive quality that draws you back in. Hopefully, Salmi Games continues its refinement.

nDreams is well versed in making highly polished VR titles and Fracked is no different. The art style is gorgeous, adding a comic book blend to the action playing out. And there are some wonderful ideas and mechanics employed. Unfortunately, they’re not given the time and breadth to be expanded upon, and that’s certainly the case when it comes to the narrative. Fracked is exuberant and exciting to play, it just burns too bright and fast.

Arashi: Castles of Sin has some solid ideas and mechanics going for it, from the wealth of tools available to the ability to pick and choose how you attack each castle. Yet the issues do hamstring the experience and stop it from being the great VR ninja game it could have been. You’ll get a good 5+ hours out of Arashi: Castles of Sin, and whilst you can retackle levels however you wish, there’s no incentive to go full stealth or completely on the offensive. Scampering across rooftops flinging shuriken is still fun though.

Stride is a very mixed experience on Oculus Quest. Whilst that might be due to the PC version still being in early access and you’re essentially getting the same version here, this is still a full release for Quest, hence the review. Stride’s parkour mechanics are what really sell the experience as there’s nothing quite like it for Oculus Quest. There are points where the gameplay is very addictive and engrossing as you try to perfect each jump and wall run. On the other hand, Stride can get repetitive too quickly and lacks that spark to make it a great VR game.

Winds & Leaves has some nice ideas and for those looking for a nice tranquil VR experience with some light puzzles, it perfectly suits. The problem is Winds & Leaves can be a bit too quiet. Lush green grass and colour forests are all well and good but they’re still devoid of life, no animals suddenly return. So you end up walking through your lovely forest world alone, it all feels a bit soulless. Winds & Leaves was enjoyable for the 7-8 hours it lasts yet there was no desire to return.

On first inspection, A Rogue Escape didn’t seem like it was going to do anything too different yet it showcases how a traditional escape room videogame can be recreated and enhanced by VR. Playing around with all the systems is a lot of fun with a run through taking around 2-3 hours. The real shame is the replay factor, there is none. Once you’ve figured out what does what that initial spark is lost, and there’s nothing else to explore. But the same can be said for most games of this ilk. Even so, A Rogue Escape had its moments of greatness.

On the one hand, the weapons are great and you could easily spend hours in the shooting range mixing and matching components. The 4-5 hour campaign is ok until you get further in and notice some of the glaring issues and glitches like the AI or the rather bland design choices. Best played on the hardest difficulty setting for any real challenge, Zero Caliber: Reloaded gets enough right to be worth a look, but only just.

Little Chicken has managed to take an unusual idea and make it work really well as a virtual reality (VR) experience. Best played in short 30-minute durations as it can become a little grinding if you try and play for over an hour straight, nonetheless Traffic Jams provides an enjoyable and engaging arm flailing time. It would’ve been nice if the multiplayer had some more substance to really trip the VR player up though. The kind of VR experience everyone can have fun with no matter their skill level.

Day of Heroes: D-Day offers some nice level ideas and decent visuals that do allow you to become engrossed in the gameplay at points. But it is a very middle of the road VR shooter with mechanics which could do with some refinement and more comfort options to support player requirements. One aspect Day of Heroes: D-Day does completely miss is heart, you’re in the midst of a war yet it feels very ‘by the numbers’, a videogame you could like but never love.

Drawing inspiration from The Little Prince, the early 20th-Century novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Stargaze feels very much like a piece of children’s piece of interactive literature. It offers a pleasant narrative set amongst the stars with enough wonderment and interactive controls to keep them entertained. For most players this will be a one and done experience that’ll last a couple of hours at most, even the last couple of puzzles aren’t too difficult. Short, wholesome VR puzzle gaming.

There are points where A Wake Inn provides some superb VR design more games should have and it never felt like there was nothing to do. But clunky elements stutter the experience making it less refined. It was close to being a great VR title, instead, falling into the average horror crowd.

Ryte: The Eye of Atlantis is a story-driven puzzle title with a nice flair for the dramatic. Grand elements are littered throughout, from the giant centurion battles to the towering temple at the city centre, yet there’s a sense a lot of this grandeur has been cut back. Especially when the first playthrough unlocked the Steam achievement for completing the videogame in 1 hour 30 minutes. It isn’t a complete one and done thankfully as there are multiple endings depending on five key choices you make along the way which gives the gameplay some much-need depth. Ryte: The Eye of Atlantis has some great ideas whilst seemingly missing some obvious ones.

Machizzle is a perfectly likeable puzzle title for fans of the genre. While it doesn’t necessarily set itself apart when it comes to features, the gameplay is solid and perfectly suited for most players as there’s no need to worry about locomotion – there is none. If the studio can build a strong community of players then that’s where Machizzle could really shine thanks to the level editor. VR may have a strong contingent of titles in this genre but thanks to a packed solo campaign and the sandbox mode, Machizzle offers good value puzzling.

Much like the comic books it’s based around, Tarzan VR is a light affair that can be easily consumed in stages. The action isn’t too particularly tough, and the enemies aren’t at all clever but the overall experience is enjoyable enough for a couple of hours. Be aware that the episodic nature of Tarzan VR’s delivery means only buying the first instalment will give you a slice of the tale, rather than each having its own self-contained storyline. It does do a lot of things right as well, lots of interactive elements, great movement and some excellent audio throughout. For a franchise with such a long history, Tarzan VR does it justice.

What you see is what you get with Gamedust’s latest VR experience and that’s no bad thing. From the aesthetics to the locomotion, Yupitergrad is a nicely crafted VR game which was thrilling to play at points. The light humour gives it character few VR titles achieve, nicely offsetting those moments of frustration. It would’ve been nice if there was a bit more because Slavic Spider-Man deserves it.

There’s been so much anticipation for The Walking Dead Onslaught thanks to Survios’ excellent back catalogue that it was predictable expectations were high. The studio has continued its high production values with a great looking VR game, a superb soundtrack and of course the official affiliation to entice fans. Yet there are clearly deficiencies in the gameplay such as the most dangerous knife ever created to the overall lack of depth. The Walking Dead Onslaught isn’t a bad videogame, it just doesn’t do anything special.

Falcone Age is one of those little VR adventures which has bags of character, easily able to charm even the most hardnosed of gamers. The co-op companionship and storyline are certainly its two best features, calling you back into tie-up any missed secrets. There are some areas which aren’t faultless and at points, the locations can seem sparse of things to do but they don’t make the title a bad game. One to consider if you’re looking for a nice, narrative-driven experience where you can raise a falcon.

What Shooty Skies Overdrive offers is an entertaining arcade shooter, great for those times when you want to dive into a VR game that’s not too overly complicated. The powerups help to break up the repetitive nature of the gameplay whilst the aesthetics give the overall experience a charming personality which makes Shooty Skies Overdrive great for any age.

The dungeon crawling experience isn’t without its bugs with a little finesse needed here and there. The sword mechanics, story and visuals are all notable highlights while the bow and enemy AI could be improved. Even so, The Morrigan is one of those indie titles with bags of character, a plucky adventure which makes good use of VR’s features and sometimes maybe that’s enough.

For an indie title that was originally just a portfolio piece, Hooplord is an enjoyable basketball videogame with a nice cartoon style. There’s just the right amount of difficulty so that you can’t blast through it in five minutes, the only real frustration is if you’re a rubbish shot. Hooplord isn’t a massive title so it would be great if Wu continues to support it and expand the premise, maybe adding a menu in there.

There are plenty of impressive elements to Ironlights which give the videogame a unique presence in the market. While the style of gameplay can be repetitive and a little frustrating at points, it can also be rewarding and satisfying once the kinks are worked out. There’s also plenty of potential there for expansion both in the single- and multiplayer modes. Ironlights biggest draw is that it offers something a little different from all the FPS and puzzle titles, and that’s no bad thing.

There’s no doubt that Good Goliath is fun in short sharp intervals, drawing you in with its colourful designs and pick up ‘n’ play mechanics. Nine levels might not sound many but you should get a good few hours of gameplay as they are subdivided with checkpoints because of their length. This is rinse and repeat gaming so the gameplay isn’t exactly deep but it’s still mostly enjoyable, great for those looking to steer clear of RPG style titles.