Pixel Gear (PS VR)

Editor's Notes

Digital PS VR version reviewed using a standard PS4, and a PS Move controller.

Introduction

'Pixel Gear' is a relatively simple first-person shooter that feels like the VR successor to the light gun arcade games of yore. Using the PS VR headset to look around and a Move controller to aim and fire the gun, it’s up to the player to take out all manner of nasty pixelated baddies — such as ghosts, skeletons and undead knights.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

'Pixel Gear' is about one thing and one thing only: shooting stuff, arcade-style. I have to admit I got a big kick out of my first few minutes with the game; there was something ultra-intuitive about being able to physically look around by turning my head and aim by moving my hand. I had way too much fun at first holding the gun sideways and putting it up in front of my face to admire the details (although the rather muddy textures made me put it back down quickly).

As for the actual gameplay, this is your prototypical light gun shooter, albeit with the player’s perspective planted firmly in place. Enemies come in, mosey about, then aim to kill — giving the player plenty of time to knock them out before they can land a hit. After each round, a number of ghosts and angels fly up into the air; shooting the ghosts earns points and adds whatever item they’re holding to the inventory, while shooting the angels causes the score to plummet by a whopping 2000 points. This was a particular annoyance when the 2D ghost and angel figures overlapped, causing me to shoot an angel I didn’t know was there.

Some of the ghosts carry coins, which can be used to purchase additional weapons and upgrades in between rounds. When it comes to weapons, I had my pick of a machine gun, sniper rifle and grenade launcher, each of which could be added to my inventory with enough cash. The former’s rapid-fire capability is the most useful, while the latter two seemed to be a waste of space from my perspective. Sure, the grenade launcher can hit multiple enemies within a wide range, but its low ammo and clip counts rendered it impractical for most levels. As for the sniper rifle, well… it's farcically useless. Unlike the other weapons, which have laser sights that make for easy aiming, the rifle makes use of a ludicrously blurry scope — ironically making it the most difficult weapon to be accurate with.

I may have had fun with my first few moments in 'Pixel Gear,' but the cracks started to show sooner rather than later. Make no mistake, the gunplay is viscerally satisfying outside of the problems with the two aforementioned weapons, but the issue comes down to the lack of variety. With few enemy types and just three levels to battle them in, the realization that there isn't much content here sets in fast. And while the level-ending bosses are a welcome change of pace, unmatched in spectacle, I have to admit I found many of the "strategies" to defeating them odd. For example, the boss in the third level — an admittedly cool-looking dragon — must be shot during one specific frame of animation to take damage.