Have you ever looked up at the night sky and thought about what it must be like to travel through space? The ability to see things, including Earth, from a different perspective is something many of us would sign up for in a heartbeat. But do you think everything would go as planned or do you think you would have to go through the basics of training just to see if you could stay alive just to make it to another mission? Safety is, of course, the most important aspect when it comes to any mission. But does developer, Ovid Works, show us what it’s like to be in space in control of our own capsule? Let’s find out with Interkosmos 2000 for the Quest 2.
Interkosmos 2000 is a space simulation exploration of awe-inspiring interiors of a realistic space capsule as you try to master the crucial systems to try to keep yourself alive and possibly save humanity all in Virtual Reality. So before you sign up for this life awaking moment, there are a few things that you will want to be aware of. First, find your favorite place to sit. You will be sitting throughout the game with not much room in your space capsule, so might as well make it as comfortable as possible. Second, you will want at least some arms-length of space. Things can get crazy in space, so make sure you have the room. Third, make sure your controllers are charged. There is no need to go up in space without enough charge to complete the tasks at hand because you forgot to charge them and ultimately have this be your last moment of life. And finally, just have some fun. With that said…let’s continue…
When you first start the game, you do have some options from turning subtitles on to even showing the in-game helmet. To make this as realistic as possible, I went with showing my helmet as well as setting my controls from the two different modes, Interkosmos or Quest. With the Interkosmos mode, you press grab to grab times and press interact to push switches and buttons. With the Quest mode, you will hold the grab and the trigger buttons to grab items and point your finger to push switches and buttons. For me, I prefer the Quest mode as it felt more natural.
The next part is of course your training on the spot that shows you how to interact with objects to interact with your systems, to fly, and then try to learn how to dock your capsule in space. Sounds simple enough, right? You will want to pay attention to everything that is being said here. And don’t worry if you forget a couple or a lot of things as when you die, and you probably will, you will be reminded of what you need to pay attention to more.
Each part of the tutorial shows you what needs to be done. Communication is over the radio, and if you need to hear again what was said, you can. Your systems include the type of power for your engines, and the joystick controls so you can rotate if need be (you will) and roll. Nothing like rolling in space until you miss your target and have to try to get back on course. There are different buttons on the main console including your target, the map, the progress, and the diagnostic.
But your mission is not solely locking onto your target and then trying to dock. Well, it’s a big part, but it wouldn’t be space without some problems and this is where you will have to worry about things like Oxygen, Nitrogen, CO2 pressures, but changing the filters as well as regenerating them. Keep in mind, if you generate less power than consume, the battery will run down as well. So let’s run down the list…Not only do you have your capsule to get to your target, but you have to worry about the air, pressure, filters, batteries, and oh yeah, fuses to all keep in check to make sure you try and survive.
Part of the fun is also flying the ship and trying to get everything just right, but overshooting the target and trying to get back on the course will take some of the memory you were supposed to retain during training about maneuvering your capsule some work on your part.
You do have a trusty tool with you that can fix anything, maybe, and that is the wrench. I say can and by that, I mean, if you use it to hit things it may or may not work. And since this is space with no gravity, things such as your tablet so you can see what is going on and your wrench can be placed on any of the sticky square tabs you see around the capsule. Just make sure you don’t block a view of something you need to pay attention to. And when things get crazy and you are trying to remember everything in your crash course training trying to remember what needs to be done, things can be over pretty quickly.
Let’s talk about the graphics and sound. From just being in the seat to looking out at the stars, Interkosmos 2000 does look very nice on the Quest 2. The darkness of space just seemed right with the lights of your capsule affecting it just right. The details of the buttons and dials are clear even the alert button flashing makes your small space feel just right. The sound plays an important part here with the 3D audio and helps direct you where you should be facing. Even hearing the American and Russian voices added to the experience even when they are questioning each other was entertaining.
There are a few things that I would love to see get added here. First, I did really enjoy the interaction of the voices and the bantering that goes on. I would love to see that comedy transfer more with your interactions from within the capsule to flying the capsule. Like when I died of suffocation, it would have been funny to have both American and Russian voices try to see if I was a bigger hero to America or Russia as I am running out of air. Second, I would like to see even more things to do so even more things that can go wrong. Add even more chaos to the chaos. Third, adding the elements of space into the mix. I would love to be alerted that there was a comment or meteorite headed my way or even a UFO because again, anything can happen in space.
Interkosmos 2000 allows us to be in space while making our capsule our new home for the time that we have with it. There is joy in space as well as patience with the simulation of that space. And just like in life, if we rush through everything, we may just miss out on what otherwise might be a fully enjoyable ride if we just have the patience.
Interkosmos 2000 is out now for the Quest 2 on the Oculus Store. A review code was provided.
To learn more about Ovid Works, 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 have some more rolling to do in space.
