Watching the trailers for Espire 1: VR Operative before its release conjured up exciting images of a VR version of Splinter Cell or Metal Gear Solid, just with a generic robot replacing the usual gruff protagonist. There was climbing, sneaking, shooting and even a dash of slow-mo in there for added Matrix inspired coolness.
Basically, Espire 1 looked like it had all the makings of an excellent, immersive, VR action experience and in a way, it does. It’s just a shame then that it’s also rather janky at points, with some unfair AI and a collection of bugs threatening to spoil what should have been a real showcase for VR gaming.
With all that said, I had quite a good time during my first hour with Espire 1 and you can watch my shambolic efforts at stealth in this week’s episode of Ian’s VR Corner.
Espire 1: VR Operative Gameplay Makes You Feel Like A Robo-Sam Fisher! – Ians VR Corner Watch on YouTube
One of the things I appreciated most about Espire 1 was that even with the linear level structure, there seemed to be a huge amount of freedom to how you could approach each situation. Climbing was normally my go to choice for avoiding or ambushing enemies and you can clamber over a satisfying amount of scenery.