The PlayStation VR roster of titles has its gems, and a whole host of duds. With the recent release of Astro Bot Rescue Mission on the system however, Sony have managed to deliver one of the best virtual reality games of the past few years, in a collaboration with Japan Studio.
There's lots of fun to be had in this charming little platformer
I will start off by saying that the narrative presented in Rescue Mission isn't exactly going to win any awards. It's incredibly simple and wouldn't have taken long to come up with, but its simplicity is part of why this game works so well.
Once you've put on your PSVR headset, plugged your ears with your earphones and got your controller in-hand, you'll be whisked away on a galactic adventure that sees you battling to save Captain Astro's fellow bot companions, following an alien attack on their spaceship.
From this moment, you're transported to a variety of different locations, and become one with every scene offered up. It's truly mesmerising stuff to see an entirely animated world around you, and at times you'll completely forget you're wearing a headset to build the location surrounding your character.
Players are encouraged to move their heads to get the right angle and view of what's coming up as the levels progress, and at times I would even stand up from my usual sitting position to try and sneak a look around a corner before barreling around it.
Some of the enemies woven throughout the levels even attack you personally, rather than the character you're maneuvering around the platforms, forcing you to literally shake pink goo off of your visor, or dodge attacks that will 'crack' your screen.
As the levels progress, so too does the difficulty. Some of the most exciting moments come when your character is forced to descend underwater, or to take a rollercoaster ride; or when your controller is upgraded with a gadget and you're taught to use the touchpad in innovative and exciting ways.
Those looking for a real challenge will find it in the various bonus levels that are unlocked by finding a chameleon on each of the maps. Time trials and the like provide another layer to an already-exciting game, and when you are successful in completing them, you're rewarding with silver or gold Astro Bot members of your crew.
If there's ever been a case for Mario Galaxy to make a return, virtual reality would be it. Unfortunately, Mario is of course property of Nintendo, so we can't see that happening any time soon...
Fortunately, Rescue Mission fills the void that this may create, and I personally hope there will be plenty more additions to the franchise in the near future.
Astro Bot Rescue Mission is available now for PlayStation 4 consoles. A copy of the game was given to Female First in exchange for an honest and fair review.