As the Virtual Reality gaming scene continues to gather forward momentum, the year thus far has seen a number of exciting releases and announcements. Including VR remastered classics to entirely new offerings. From this flood of new options, Wanderer is a standout. It may very well find itself at the top of many favorites.

Wanderer – Gameplay

Players partake on an epic journey through time from the point of view of Asher Neumann, the game’s main character. Within the gameplay footage that the developers have released thus far, there are numerous historic figures and moments in time that players will have the chance to interact with and influence in a fully immersive gaming experience.

The gameplay begins in an apocalyptic timeline. In which our reluctant hero comes across a number of curious items. Such as a mysterious wristwatch that enables Neumann’s expeditions to various key moments in time.

Words from the creators

”Moving through time to assist Nikola Tesla with his inventions, to going on critical World War Two missions, to taking part in the moon landing, this adventure thriller’s graphics, gameplay, and the story will offer an exciting prospect for VR gamers” the game’s creators said in a statement.

According to the developers, the gameplay is a “unique blend of escape room style puzzles and hands-on activities that will see you bring together objects and events from various time periods”. Naturally, all of this would be pointless if players didn’t get to do this in “sometimes unlikely and inventive ways.”

The creators have planned Wanderer as a three-part series. Even though they have collaborated with Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) on this first offering, Oculus will have the game supported on their VR platform of choice.

From the ground up, Wanderer was designed and developed for Virtual Reality. It represents a major step into the VR space for both studios. That said, PSVR players can expect to get full PlayStation Move support while wandering through time to save the human race.

For now, players will have to wait until the official release to “Discover bygone eras and visit real moments from history. Or jump to futuristic and post-apocalyptic settings to crack codes and solve puzzles.”

Unfortunately, neither of the developers has confirmed exactly when that might be. All we know is that it is set for later this year.

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Following in the footsteps of games like WipEout: Omega Collection and, Radial-G: Racing Revolved – which have both given gamers a good idea of imaginary space-car racing might be like, however, this segment is still lacking in terms of available choices to play.

To remedy some of those issues, Z Race VR’s approach looks to liven things up by opting for a 3rd person view over the more common 1st person view. Beyond this, the game’s visual style and Formula 1 inspired space racers are some of the other unique features that this title stands out from the others – can’t really call it a crowd.

The design of the race courses themselves is also a well put together affair. Though mostly tubular in their building, there are moments when they are open, exposing pristine views for racers.

Generally speaking, Z Race VR has what it takes to become a truly enjoyable game. However, the fun comes to an end far too quickly. For starters, there are only 10 vehicles for players to choose from and these are split into categories based on the speed of the space racer ships. In order to move up from one category to the next, players will have to upgrade their vehicle to the maximum of its capabilities – which can only be done by using coins gathered through playing and winning races.

As for the race tracks, there are a total of twelve to race on and, in much the same way as the vehicles, these are also split across three categories – which are the Bronze, the Silver and the Gold cups respectively. The tracks are far less impressive in terms of variety of the terrains – making the experience feel monotonous by the time you get to the Gold cup. However, XOCUS attempts to relieve this stress by increasing the number of obstacles one may encounter during a race.

These obstacles – there to make the game more challenging of course – will slow you down when you hit  them, so avoidance is key. However, this is easier asind than done when racing spaceships in a tunnel. To help with that, Z Race VR gives players options like nitro-boost – which are blue orbs scattered around the track – and the ability to use slow-mo – which can be used 3 times per race.

Final Thoughts

Z Race VR can make for some properly thrilling gameplay, with stiff competition with the intense thrill of high speed sci-fi racing. However, not seeing the action from inside of the cockpit may not sit well with some players who’ve already gotten themselves acquainted with sci-fi racing – as first person view is the truest means of rendering the sensation of moving at high speeds.

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As far as VR – as a gaming medium – is concerned, it really stretches the mind in terms of both, concept, and player engagement. First released in 2017, Lone Echo follows the tail of playable character, Echo One (mostly referred to as Jack,) and supporting, non-playable, Olivia Rhodes. The sole occupants of a mining satellite, orbiting Saturn. The to get into some trouble, and travel in time once or twice, while trying to survive an unexpected disturbance aboard the craft.

Along with the continued story arc, fans of the title will be glad that the second installment in the Lone Echo Narrative is, very much, like the first one in controls as well. The same attention to detail was given to this title, which adds a certain realness to the money situation that Echo One, and his companion find themselves in – trying to survive in zero gravity, while dealing with a new threat. Me interaction features between Captain Olivia Rhodes, and see a very simple – if you think about it – interaction feature which lends a lot of wait to the camaraderie element between the two characters.

With the occasional thumbs-up, or wave response from ‘Liv to help make the situation seem less hopeless, one goes through the similar ship repair puzzle tasks as the first game. Only this time, the energy sapping biological entity that made a nuisance of itself in the first title has evolved, and it is now a colony of space bugs that the two-person crew must contend with while dealing with the difficulties of surviving on a derelict spacecraft. 

The space bugs – known as Ticks – can prove quite problematic to the completion of your repair efforts as they are attracted by Jack, like flies are by garbage. Thanks to VR, one can simply reach to the area of the body they latch on to, and toss them off. One is warned to be wary of the strength of said toss, as a weak throw will only deposit the thrown Tick far enough for it to return and attempt a remount. One can seal them off in certain areas, sneak past them, or attract them to more sophisticated sources of energy, which requires a lot of quick thinking, and zero-gravity finesse. 

Another addition to Lone Echo 2’s gameplay Echo One’s hand menu display. It appears Jack may have gotten some upgrades done between Lone Echo and Lone Echo 2, as the android’s menu system display shows 4 symbols. The Plasma torch, which the dependable bot uses to cut through certain objects with, carries over from the first iteration of the game.

While it is unclear what the other symbols mean, and how they may improve gameplay – as yet – the fact that they are not highlighted, or selectable in the demo, suggests that they may be abilities that one unlocks as the game progresses. 

Just an image of the cosmos is usually enough to give one a sense of their own insignificance, in the grand scheme of things. Add to that equation, a desperate survival situation that requires one to keep their wits about them, along with the immersive experience of VR, and you get a glimpse of the things that can go very wrong on space missions. Ready At Dawn pulled this concept off with the right amount of mystery, and suspense the first time round, Lone Echo 2 seems like it will not disappoint either. 

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