Apex Construct in the PSVR test

You are the last human being on earth. You are guided only by Fathr, the anti-god of Mothr. But even after several hours of play, you still don't know exactly who of the two creators seeks to destroy the world and transform it into a new planet. Just trust that Fathr is the good Lord. In any case, ruthless experiments have taken place and it is you alone who now have the fate of all mankind on your hands. The exploration adventure "Apex Constuct" (we reported) from the forge of ex-developers of "Battlefield" and "Mirror's Edge" (DICE), who in turn have founded a VR studio in Stockholm, is available from today exclusively for PlayStation VR. available and will also be released for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift one month later. We had the chance to try it out before the release. Our test.

A divided world

In "Apex Constuct" you travel right from the start to a future world in which the flora still seems intact, but the fauna has already been replaced by a host of AI-driven robots. Fortunately, Fathr, your guiding god, trains you in martial skills right away. This is apparently still done in the tried and tested tradition with bow and arrow. In order to survive in the atmospheric first-person action-adventure game, however, you constantly improve your freely purchased skills, the options of which are not immediately flooded in "Skyrim"-style. Fathr is supposedly only pursuing peaceful intentions, because he also wants to bring humanity back to the planet. However, he would prefer to prevent any communication with Mothr.

Target arc exercises with stutter tracking

The game is played sitting or standing with the two PlayStation Move controllers; however, sitting is not possible without contortions, even with the most flexible exercise ball. It really is about time that Sony introduced new Move controllers. publishes. Archery is actually a sport that can be addictive in VR, but when the aiming of the enemies keeps stuttering, it can get a bit annoying after several realignments of the PS4 camera. Thanks to Fathr and Mothr, you don't mainly just have to fight robot battles. Fortunately, the enemies only appear sporadically, but the action would be a tad more gripping on PSVR as a result. Maybe the Day 1 update on today's release day will fix a few last bugs.

Weapon upgrades for new switches

Fortunately, there are always upgrades such as electricity-charged arrows to activate additional switches or to discharge enemy shields. The real attraction, however, lies in exploring the mystical world. There was, for example, a longer section of the game in which you operate all kinds of equipment. After the creaking lift has been supplied with battery cells lying around, you suddenly find yourself on a metal construction and have to pull a large tin robot upwards, which you then gallantly manoeuvre in one direction with electric arrows in order to bring down a bridge. It's pretty cool, but also reminiscent of similar gameplay concepts in other VR titles like "Vertigo" or "Heart of the Emberstone".

Individual sections from the post-apocalyptic Earth repeat themselves and are enriched with new tasks. The game is structured in such a way that you return to a cosy hideout after each main mission, but from there you can also travel to earlier worlds again.

Multiple locomotion options

By default, you teleport around and can quickly re-align yourself with the PlayStation camera outside the PS4 tracking area at the touch of a button with a 180-degree turn. Free locomotion controls are also available as an option, which experience has shown is not compatible with all players' stomachs. "Every player should be able to determine his or her own experience," says Oskar Burman, CEO and co-founder of Fast Travel Games, explaining the decision, which we approve of. However, we feel that the factory default settings are extremely well solved for a PSVR version.

Do you like your new hand?

The holographic inventory menu on your virtual robot hand is very stylish. You can use it to scroll quickly and easily through the weapons, bombs and items you have picked up. In contrast, the complex inventories of epic role-playing games like "Skyrim VR" seem simply overloaded, as if they had been transferred one-to-one to VR. Mind you, quite a few development studios can conjure up beautiful VR menus, but in the end, switching between actions must also feel fluid. And here, Fast Travel Games has done a great job on the PlayStation VR, in our opinion.

In terms of playing time, the mystical adventure can be completed in about five to six hours. The difficulty level is easy to master on the normal level, even for not very experienced VR Legolas aspirants. You don't have to be a "Myst" veteran to solve the puzzles of uncovering your path. You might miss a few password clues here and there that you need to open new doors. Yes, even the developers had to help me out at the very beginning, but who likes reading long VR texts? The inscription "Nothing in excess" is said to have already been attached to the archway of the Oracle of Delphi.