Developer: Joy Way
Publisher: Joy Way
Platforms: PC, PS5
Tested on: PS5
STRIDE: Fates – Review
STRIDE: Fates is the game that we are looking at today. It is a VR game for the PS5 and the Meta Quest where you jump from rooftop to rooftop and shoot some bad guys. We were quite eager to try out another VR game, as it has already been a while. When we first saw the trailer, our expectations were quite high, and we were very curious about the seemingly high-octane action.
Story
The story starts with Nick, who just started as a Chaser in the elite police force of Airion City called Skychaser. He and his partner, Liza, are sent to patrol a district where Chasers go missing. In that same district, the Slum Sculls are more aggressively active. When they got to the HQ from their patrol, it got overrun by said gang. After clearing up the HQ from the criminals, they want to find out why the attacks are on the rise. This brings them to the old city district. This area of the city is a place that Nick is familiar with as he lived there when he was younger. They found out that the Slum Scull leader was having a meeting with other gang leaders. This happens to be a perfect opportunity for the Skychaser forces to join in.
The story is fun, but it is forgettable. There are moments when we were wondering why we were doing certain things. For certain actions and story segments, we are missing the context or there are no real explanations of why certain characters perform certain actions. It feels like parts of the story were merely an afterthought that simply served as the framework for the onscreen action.
Graphics
For a VR game, STRIDE: Fates has decent graphics. It looks good at first sight until you look at the details like a doorknob or some of the rooftop elements. You can see that those are not visually polished. Most of the world is covered with very simple textures, and when you zoom in on certain aspects, things tend to look a bit cheaply done.
Because this is also a VR game, we tried to clip our head through the wall, which we did. It would be interesting if they made it so that once you reach the wall with your head, you visually cannot go further. They only do it when it matters. The arms sometimes make a weird movement when trying to grab a pipe to climb from one building to another.
The loading screen could have been better. If we start a new mission, you are in a black room with a little screen that has the game title and banner on it. For a VR game such as this, it would have been nice to have some interaction or the ability to do some minor VR-oriented tasks.
Sound
The music in STRIDE: Fates is good. It is action-packed and in theme of what this game is about, but the sound quality isn’t the best. For the SFX there are some questionable choices. Climbing the pipes makes the sound of someone playing with sticky mud rather than a dry rusty pipe being climbed. Another example is when you try to stab someone with a knife and it isn’t successful, it makes a weird dud sound. The quality of the voice acting isn’t that high. The voice actors did try to work with the material they had, but a lot of the performances ended up sounding a bit flat.
Gameplay
STRIDE: Fates is a VR game, which means that most of the controls are physical and require the player to do certain moves. The controls that require you to push buttons are not always clear. The way they explain how something works is through text bubbles next to the item. These instructions sometimes clip through the wall and because of this, you can often only see half the explanation. When you start moving around with your hands, the text bubble will also start moving around.
One element you will do the most in this game is climbing. The way they have implemented it isn’t bad. If an asset sticks out, you can probably grab it and climb it. During our playthrough, we haven’t encountered a fake ledge where we cannot grab ourselves onto it. Do note that you need to keep the grabbing button pushed down or you will fall down. You can also shoot out a grappling hook. It can be used for swinging over big gaps or getting items that are too far to reach. The feature of getting items with the grappling hook can be abused as sometimes there are items behind bars and you can just reach in with your hand and then use your grappling hook to get them. It was clear that many of these items should normally be obtained by climbing or finding access to the closed-off space.
The second element is combat. Most of the combat does work as intended, but some elements need some refining. Gunfights are your main way of fighting the bad guys, which is alright as it is point-and-shoot. Stabbing someone has some issues. The hitboxes for stabbing feel off, as you can only stab the enemies at fixed points of their bodies. This feels odd, as when you sneak up on an enemy, and you stab them in their back, you get a weird thud sound. When stabbing doesn’t register properly, you are also exposed. You can also grab your enemy, if they are grabbed, they will ragdoll, making it easy to kill them. Drawing your gun, you have to grab it from your chest. If you drop your gun, you can simply draw it again from your chest. To heal, you need to find some stims that are scattered around. To use them you need to hold a stim over your hip and then simply use it. It doesn’t work if you try it somewhere else on your body.
You can find upgrade materials in the game. When playing through a mission, some bags are lying around. Those bags come in three different colors: green, orange, and purple. You need a certain amount of each of those bags to upgrade your guns. It’s a simple system, but it works well for a game such as this.
Once in a while, you need to hack a lock to get further in the story or just to get some supplies. The game has done it in two ways. In one, the character is diving into cyberspace and needs to get to a gate. This so-called cyberspace is a space with blue and yellow buildings where you need to parkour through or fight. The second method of hacking is by using your phone. When doing so, you’ll have to follow a predetermined path.
Conclusion
STRIDE: Fates is a fun but unpolished game. All in all, the graphics are lower quality than expected and the same can be said for the sound quality. The free running and jumping around from building to building reminded us heavily of Mirror’s Edge. It’s in this area that STRIDE: Fates excels, and the somewhat basic combat is also fairly enjoyable. The VR aspect makes this otherwise generic game better than if it was simply another action game that could be played with a standard controller setup. It’s clear the developers had some good ideas for this title, and while not all of them were a success, the game itself is still a fairly entertaining VR action game. Even so, we do suggest waiting for a sale if you’re doubting to pick this one up.
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