Theseus from Forge Replay has finally landed its way on the PlayStation VR. When you look at the trailer, you get a sense of adventure that makes you want to crawl your way through and experience this in all it’s VR glory. Theseus is a story of you and your relationship with Ariadne who according to Greek Mythology is the daughter of King Minos of Krete, who assisted Theseus (you) and your quest to slay Minotauros.
And that is what Theseus is the story of. I really appreciate the art and the storytelling that Forge Replay has brought to PlayStation VR. Games or stories like Theseus is something you do not see often and when it comes along, it deserves to be played, but in VR it needs to be experienced to appreciate all that it has to offer. The Controls are pretty simple and straightforward and in some of the battles scenes, you need to swing your torch followed by your sword. Oh and the battles. I will say this now, there are spiders and these are some of the best looking Greek Mythology spiders I have ever seen in VR. But along the way, there will be buttons that pop up to show you what is needed, such when you come to a place to jump press X or to drop down press O.
The audio is also impressive. There are parts where you can hear the spiders behind you crawling that will make you want to look and that positional audio is really amazing. The water dripping depending on which way you face will become more clear on your left or right side. I have said it before and I will say it again, audio is a big part when it comes to playing in VR and honestly for the setting, this is in, you will be really happy with the experience.
When I first started Theseus, I was truly amazed at how immersive it is. Looking as though I was standing on a river of blood and how truly immersive this journey was going to be. To think I had a good startle at just the very beginning and waiting for something to happen and all you hear is footsteps. I applaud Forge Replay for that. As you progress there are some pieces of other games you might be familiar with, from wall climbing to rolling. Oh, the torch you have? Don’t get it wet. I also don’t think I ever been startled when the torch was out and you are in darkness with just a touch of light that the mist or smoke at the right moment as I experienced here.
The battle scenes are what they are presented to be, a battle. With a torch and one hand and a sword in another and with enemies around you, it plays as well as it should. The Minotaur is truly impressive with the sounds of anger to his arms swinging that will know you into the place you surely do not want to visit. So you may have to go more stealth when facing him. With the help of Ariadne to guide you, will learn the truth or simply disobey? With two different endings, you will surely want to go back to find all the answers.
With this 3rd person Theseus for the most part in front of you, Forge Replay did an excellent job making me feel like I was right there with him and helping him on his journey. Now some people claim that there may not be enough here to fully warrant the price. Not every game is going to be fifteen hours long and I am here to say, at least for me, there is more than enough to enjoy. For many, they claim they want “that adventure” game for PlayStation VR. Is Theseus that game? It very well could be or it could be a way to show what adventure games could be like in VR. From the graphics to the use of Greek Mythology storytelling, Theseus deserves to be in your library. All I know is if this is even a glimpse of what is yet to come or could possibly be that I give a standing ovation to Forge Replay for if nothing else, laying the foundation of PlayStation VR adventure games to come. If you love VR, if you love Greek Mythology, or if you want to just see what direction VR can take us, then what are you waiting for?
Theseus is out now and is also available on the Oculus Store and Steam. A review code was provided.
To learn more about Forge Replay please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
Mr. PSVR, July 27, 2017, theplaystationbrahs.com
