Shaun Munro reviews Atomic Ghost Fleet…
Alchemy’s Atomic Ghost Fleet meanwhile shifts the action to Bikini Atoll to examine the remnants of the 1946 Operation Crossroads nuclear tests performed there, which in turn transformed it into a World War II warship graveyard of sorts. This 18-minute documentary gets up close and personal with three warships, including the USS Saratoga, the largest ship sunk during the course of the tests.
There’s undeniable educational merit to this VR doc, though it’s bogged down by many of the same issues that made Cocos: Shark Island so underwhelming, particularly the low video quality and that pesky screen tear seam, which produces significant sickness effects while exploring the ship interiors later on.
Moreover, it’s ultimately only halfway-interesting due to the slack pacing – even with such a short length – and lack of compelling coverage of the ships themselves. There are a lot of static, locked-off images of the ship exteriors while an archive video is slapped in the corner of the screen, which while adding some necessary context, also feels rather cheesy and really quite lazy.
It is at least more visually stable than Cocos; the video is silky smooth and judder-free for the most part, and though the glimpses inside these ships are incredibly eerie, it more often than not feels like so much more could’ve been done with such unprecedented access to these spectral vessels.
At the end of the day, though, it’s the excessive £3.69 asking price that really kills this one, and unless you’re a hardcore history buff, it’s hard to justify splashing the cash on such a mediocre, not to mention brief, product.
Pros:
+ Educational and interesting (to a point)
+ Some genuinely eerie visuals
Cons:
– Video quality is too low
– Dry, lackluster presentation
– Doesn’t make the most of its excellent setting
Rating: 5/10
Reviewed for PS4.
Atomic Ghost Fleet is available now.
Shaun Munro – Follow me on Twitter for more video game rambling.
Originally published April 24, 2017. Updated April 11, 2018.
