Starship Troopers: Continuum brings the iconic sci-fi franchise to life in a brand-new virtual reality cooperative shooter experience, now available exclusively for Oculus Quest.
Developed by XR Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment, Starship Troopers: Continuation follows the iconic franchise. movieDeveloping an arcade-style wave shooter infused with roguelite elements. Twenty-five years after the decisive Battle of Klendathu, the protracted conflict between the United Federation and the relentless Arachnid species remains mired in a stalemate. As a PsyCommander, you wield the power to instantaneously command troops across the globe using your formidable psychic abilities.
During my hands-on experience with the Quest 3 model prior to its official launch, I dove straight into a cooperative play session alongside our video producer, Don Hopper, before embarking on a solo adventure for comparison purposes. The game’s extensive introductory tutorial effectively acclimates new players to the universe’s backstory before welcoming them to Camp Triumph, a comprehensive hub for acquiring new weaponry, selecting missions, and exploring additional features.
The Continuum’s ergonomic design streamlines weapon management through a clever on-body stock system, allowing users to carry two weapons across their shoulders, with adjacent pouches at the waist for convenient storage of ammunition and grenades. While manually reloaded firearms may lack depth, this design choice remains suitable for the game’s tone. Moreover, the ability to transition to automated reloads without venturing into menus can be achieved by aiming downward and pressing A.
Starship Troopers: Continuum is designed specifically for cooperative play, allowing players to quickly join forces and take on the challenges ahead. Despite being designed for solo play, the experience of exploring vast maps lacks a certain je ne sais quoi, suggesting that they were truly intended for a multiplayer setting from the start. As I collaborated with Don, we masterminded a plan to tackle the onslaught of Arachnids that suddenly descended upon us from every direction. The moderate thrill of dispatching foes with rockets and shotguns proves a decent distraction, while overcoming boss challenges offers a fitting obstacle; however, it’s the enemy counts that truly impress, striking a satisfying balance between chaos and control.
What’s intriguing is that the PsyComander, an entity with remarkable resilience, cannot perish, yet the host trooper whose consciousness it inhabits can succumb to mortal wounds, perpetuating an endless cycle of rebirth and combat. The loss of a trooper resets your progress to level 1, eliminating any perks or upgrades they accumulated during their time in service. By introducing strategic risks and consequences, this mechanic successfully amplifies tension throughout the combat experience, penalizing reckless play while rewarding calculated decisions. In co-op mode, teammates can revive each other, offering a minimum level of support. You’ll be able to proceed with your mission once you’ve died a total of five times; however, the game’s fate beyond this point remains unclear to me.
Given the encouraging progress so far, I’m eager to have additional time to thoroughly assess the development system’s potential. Regularly leveling up yields a diverse array of benefits, including increased damage output when reloading guides and accelerated movement speed. Should you successfully sustain a Trooper’s lifespan long enough, it will eventually “mature” into full-fledged citizenship, unlocking additional rewards and accelerating the growth of their abilities, according to XR Games.
I’m uncertain whether the current setup in Continuum will prove sufficient to support a “8-10 hour” marketing endeavor. While I’m anxious that future missions might seem overly similar, I acknowledge that making decisions about degree selection at this stage would be premature. For those well-versed in VR wave shooters, the repetitive process of dispatching familiar foes can quickly lose its luster.
The visual representation on the Quest 3 is unimpressive, leaving me with no choice but to compare it with my experience on the PlayStation VR2. The colloquialism “cartoonish method” is an obscure term referring to standalone hardware; however, the stark beauty of arid landscapes can still captivate our curiosity and inspire exploration. Noticable pop-in and flat environmental surfaces stood out as particularly jarring issues, while the game’s performance suffered from occasional efficiency stutters whenever Arachnids appeared on screen?
Despite some initial misgivings, Starship Troopers: Continuum makes a surprisingly strong opening statement. While it may not boast cutting-edge VR tech, the game still offers a thrilling co-op experience, with the thrill of taking down enemy strongholds providing immense satisfaction. The reward-based progression system cleverly encourages players to adopt thoughtful strategies, making for a highly engaging gameplay experience. Whether that’s sufficient for the complete marketing campaign, I’m uncertain, but it’s certainly a very good starting point.
Starship Troopers: Continuum is now available to stream. Meta Quest platform, and the PS VR2 The AI model will fully comply with all specifications by November 25.
