EVE: Gunjack is an action-packed wave based arcade shooter for the PlayStation VR. If the name sounds familiar to you, that’s because it should. For the PlayStation VR launch we received two full games based in the EVE Online universe. EVE: Gunjack is by far the more approachable and less expensive of the two, available for less than $10 on the PlayStation Store.
This title is a port of a game that has come out for pretty much every VR headset so far. With it’s simple one button controls this game was even made available on the GEAR VR. If you are familiar with the common three star mobile game formula, you’ll know what to expect out of EVE: Gunjack. Play through the levels winning stars, use the stars to play new levels, rinse and repeat. I was sad to see that there was no ship upgrade system included in the game. Something like that would have added some strategy on how to take on the later levels.
You play as Eight, a gunner in charge of defending his mining platform, and are tasked with fending off wave after wave of enemy ships that are trying to make off with your precious cargo. You control the turrets by looking at the oncoming ships to target them. The head tracking in EVE: Gunjack is flawless. I was worried that there would be some jitter or lag, which would have been a disaster in a game that is controlled mainly through looking at enemies as they come in, but things were buttery smooth. Other than eventual tiredness from swinging your head all over during the intense fire fights, I have zero complaints with the controls.
Even though the game is basically just a souped up mobile title, the game looks great. The simple cockpit view works well and it’s cool to look out the sides of your pod to see your guns move. The enemies look great and blow up beautifully. So far it seems like keeping the graphics toned down and simple has been working the best on the PlayStation VR. I don’t seem to get taken out of the experience as much as when things are blurry and rife with pop-in.
EVE: Gunjack is a fun title filled with score chasing replayability, if you can get over the fact that the standard mobile game formula isn’t aging particularly well. For less than $10 EVE: Gunjack is a great addition to your PlayStation VR game collection if you need a quick palette cleanser between other experiences.
Pros:
- The head-based aiming is spot on.
- Loads of replayability
Cons:
- No real progression system
- Can we get a patch to shut off the narrator?
[yasr_overall_rating] 3.5/5
I played a digital copy of EVE: Gunjack that was purchased. If you have questions about our review scale please see our About page.
