Tom Powter reviews EVE: Valkyrie…
Ever since virtual reality has been thrust into the industry spotlight, many have clamoured for a so-called ‘killer app’ – a game that would make the purchase of a virtual reality headset an absolute necessity. A game that would push virtual reality to the forefront of gaming and make people understand just how much potential the technology really has. For a long time, EVE: Valkyrie was seen to be that game. Where other titles looked to be mere ‘experiences’ or tech demos, EVE: Valkyrie from CCP Games boasted a fully fledged, space dog-fighting shooter title with the envious slick coat of paint that only a hefty budget can provide. This was to be the game that helped herald the dawn of mainstream virtual reality gaming.
It’s not hard to see why, initially. EVE: Valkyrie places you directly into the cockpit of a space fighter and, after experiencing an exhilarating take-off down a hangar runway, you’re blasted out into the midst of comets and stars to do battle. The effect is undeniably awesome. You can look around yourself completely and gawp in awe at the enormous, shattered structures on display that float in front of you. You can soar through the air on thrusters, weaving in and out of debris while the sun dips behind a shadowy planet in your peripheral vision. The addition of virtual reality takes a relatively basic premise and turns it into a full-scale wonder. That feeling is only heightened when you enter an actual dog-fight. There’s nothing quite like watching friend and foe alike whiz by your cockpit, sometimes only narrowly missing you by the skin of their teeth and then following them around just by looking in their direction. It’s an incredible experience and the scale of the battles can sometimes appear massive, with enormous ships lingering in the air as you fight.
EVE: Valkyrie is first and foremost a multiplayer title, with three modes to choose from online. Team Deathmatch, Control and the best mode, Carrier Assault, each see teams of eight pitted against one another in hopefully frantic space battles. Outside of this, there’s a pitifully short single player experience and some training missions to round things off. The story is, for the most part, non-existent. You’re a member of a group of space pirates called the Valkyrie who can return from the dead and, well, that’s it. From there on out you fight to earn cash to continue to fight to earn cash. It’s at this point that the problems start to arise in EVE: Valkyrie. There’s very little to do outside of the multiplayer dog-fighting, which, will good, isn’t particularly varied in and of itself either. The three modes on offer do little to differentiate themselves from one another – Team Deathmatch does what it says on the tin, while Control has you capturing a couple of points scattered around the map.
Carrier Assault is the best mode of the three and where EVE: Valkyrie has a real chance to shine. Two massive command ships sit on either side of a large battlefield and each team is tasked with shutting down a number of shield relays before they can finally strike at the enemy ship to win the game. This two-tiered mode offers up real thrills and truly makes you feel like you’re in the centre of an epic battle between two factions. Unfortunately, with very few maps, things begin to grate fairly quickly. So, we come to the epicentre of EVE: Valkyrie’s problems – it’s just not all that fun after a while. Once the initial wow factor wears off, you’re faced with one hell of a grind. With no real context to any of your actions, the game boils down to simply playing matches online in an effort to earn money to eventually buy items like decals for your ships. This too, however, is also a real grind, as progression is horribly slow.
It doesn’t help that the entire experience outside of the gameplay is somewhat bleak and oppressive. For some reason, CCP Games has opted to do away with any real colour in the game’s menus and what should’ve been a cool and immersive experience, suddenly becomes one of the dreariest worlds imaginable. The game’s menus are incredibly dark and the presentation looks horribly low-budget, with a lot of images appearing as low-res wireframes. It’s a shame too, as the actual dog-fighting gameplay can look stunning, but outside of the gameplay, EVE: Valkyrie lacks any kind of personality or character. The entire game’s presentation is stale and sterile. However, while it might not look the part, everything works incredibly well – you navigate the menus with your head, and looking at a floating hologram to be able to select it can really feel like something out a sci-fi movie, but even ease-of-use can’t help the fact that everything is just so obscure.
And this is all without mentioning the most egregious element of this package – the pretty offensive microtransactions. EVE: Valkyrie is a full-priced title and yet CCP Games saw fit to add a number of the additional purchases into the game, that not only break the progression system but also aid in pay-to-win scenarios, as coming up against people who have paid to smack you around in a much better ship is pretty rubbish. Even with a large number of ships on offer, all of which do admittedly feel and play differently from each other, you’ll still be at a significant disadvantage if you try and grind through the game without spending any kind of extra money.
Despite all of my issues, EVE: Valkyrie remains an excellent reminder of why virtual reality is such a game-changer. The vastness of space is truly realised here and to be honest, some of my favourite moments with the game came from just flying around the training area. It was mind-blowing to see my ship around me and to really feel the scope of the world. To see a colossal planet beneath me was an amazing sight. Dog-fighting games should absolutely exist in virtual reality as there’s nothing quite like actively looking around to catch sight of your next victim, or to blast across the skies to save a friend in need. Unfortunately, EVE: Valkyrie isn’t quite a killer app – it’s got too many problems to be able to wholeheartedly recommend. It is a great example of the power of virtual reality however, and if you love online multiplayer, this is one trip into space that is worth taking – for a while, at least.
Pros:
+ Incredible sense of immersion
+ Dog-fighting gameplay is solid
+ Plenty of unique ship options to choose from
+ Stunning graphics during gameplay
Cons:
– Gameplay is often repetitive, with little reason to keep going outside of the eternal grind
– Poor single player offerings
– Hefty microtransactions plague a full-price game
– Ugly, oppressive menus
Rating: 7/10
Reviewed on PS4, with the PS VR headset
Tom Powter
Originally published October 24, 2016. Updated April 16, 2018.
