Think about your favorite spy book, movie, or game. What was your favorite part of it? Sneaking by the enemies and getting the upper hand? Maybe it was all the awesome gadgets? Maybe just the music alone set the tone for how good the action was going to be. Sometimes when we get really into that favorite scene or point in the game, we wish that there was a way to either go at it alone or maybe if you had the special friend to be by your side and you knew that deep down, that you were alone or as a team could conquer any task that was presented and do it in a way which was as awesome as you would hope. But doe Developer White Elk Studios allows us to be that super spy with that partner in crime? Let’s find out with Covert for the PlayStation VR.
Covert has you and friend recruited by a mysterious client where the both of you will carry out some heists where you will use gadgets and your teamwork to hopefully get past the security systems and enemies in order to carry out the missions. So before you begin you will need a couple of different things in order to get ready for your spy career. You will need either the Dualshock 4 controller or both Move controllers…check. You will also need a friend, yes friend. This can be your wife or husband, boyfriend or girlfriend, relatives, children, or even friends in a different location…just really anyone you can have patience and fun with and can trust. So if you have that partner in crime that you believe you can trust, they will need to download the companion app on their mobile device that can be found on the Google Play Store or the App Store. Given the situation that we are in with the pandemic, if you don’t have one you can use to help you out, it is possible but can be difficult that you can try and maneuver with the PlayStation VR headset on your head and try to lift it when needed to see your device to try to operate things.
Again, it can work, but Convert was designed as a co-op experience. There were times when I didn’t have anyone to help me out and had to do the solo experience and the app allows the one with the mobile device on certain levels to do thing such as open doors or stop weapons from flying and hitting you. So again, if you have someone you can trust and there is an understanding and a plead of them not trying to get you killed, you can have a really awesome experience. And don’t worry, it’s not just as that partner of crime of yours is just going to be looking at a screen of levels, there is an interaction aspect that includes them as well, which is pretty cool.
Once you start the game you will see a computer monitor in front of stating that you need to download the companion app in order to even start. Without that app, you cannot proceed. At the top right, you will see a four digit code. You have to enter that code into the app so that way everything links up. After you are connected, you are introduced to Stacy and this is what is cool about the app. What the PlayStation VR user sees when Stacy is talking is what exactly the partner will see on their mobile device. When Stacy is not up close, the mobile user will usually see something like this…
So on the map screen, the partner can see enemies moving, open doors along with other things and see your location and all this in real-time as the action is happening as well as place markers and receive information that only the partner (hacker) can obtain so that the PlayStation VR player (spy) can see an action that needs to happen within the game, but more importantly, allows both of you to communicate in a calm rational manner or until one person starts blaming the other person for them not telling the correct thing which may end up in a possibly more difficult solo experience. So remember, if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all and keep the harmony and the peace. With that said let’s continue.
What many will appreciate is the letting you inside Covert slowly. This is not bad in any way as you are having to deal with two parts. One being the spy and doing the spy work while relying on the hacker to hack, move things, and help you along the way. So going in with the understanding of trust along with the companion app is a welcomed approach that I found to be refreshing and works very well in VR.
What you want to do is take your time playing the spy and then switch and play the hacker. Each one has something special going for it. As the spy, being able to see things first hand and then see doors open or boxes move right in front of me that I did not control, but the hacker was controlling that part (among other things). As the hacker being able to pin certain locations so that the spy would know where to go or receiving that special information that the spy wasn’t aware had this awesome feeling about it that I watned to just have more things to control and do in both roles.
The music fit very well with the theming of the game and using the companion app was interactive and kept the role of the hacker entertained. As far as the graphics, some may think that it might be all HD, keep in mind this is a port from the Gear VR and Oculus Go and it works. I don’t know, but when playing as the spy, I wasn’t looking at a door handle and thinking it would be extra special if it was all shiny, I just appreciated the overall experience with the co-op roles of the spy and hacker in Covert.
If anything I would love to see more missions added as DLC or even a sequel. Allowing someone with the companion app even not right next to you is a just awesome and just adds that ability to play with others and just have some good fun. Since this is a port, it would be nice to add some options for additional control options. Some may not want to turn their head (not a deal breaker), but additional options would be a welcome benefit. And lastly, as cool as the companion app is, not everyone is going to have someone to have that co-op experience with. Adding the ability to have solo play where an a new character could be introduced or even have Stacy work as the hacker might be a welcomed experience for some.
Covert does give you that spy experience with an added bonus of diving in with a partner with a mobile device and adds a new and fun way of being able to interact with the game. I just hope there the use of the companion app continues to improves upon the concept.
Convert is out now for PlayStation VR and is also available for the Gear VR, Oculus Go, and Oculus Rift/S on the Oculus Store.
To learn more about White Elk Studios, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I am going go work on my trusting and spy skills.
