One of the best spider-man games of VR takes place on an abandoned Soviet space station of the 1980s. Or is it an Indiana Jones game? Well, no matter what you want to compare, it’s damn good and it arrives on Oculus Quest 2 and PSVR this month.
Yupitergrad, the Gamedust developer, is a VR platform game that replaces Spidey’s web shooters (or the emblematic whip of Indy) by deliciously wacky divers on ropes. You are a solitary cosmonaut charged to operate the faulty station, but it is only the configuration for what is mainly a dexterity test in a series of swing and platform courses more and more difficult.
The Yupitergrad movement is mainly realized by pulling your divers on surfaces, then retracting the line attached or swinging towards your destination (this is supposed to be zero-g, after all). It’s simple and efficiently executed, and it could even be too easy without the twists added to keep you challenge. They start slowly, limiting yourself to adhere your piston only on blue surface surfaces, forcing you to plan a little before shooting. You also get an additional propeller capacity, but I found myself to use exclusively the piston, unless I absolutely needed to push.
Things become progressively more eventful, however, with new obstacles to navigate, like swing doors and mortal traps with blades and fans in rotation. At times like these, I really felt a real Indiana Jones atmosphere and the last crusade; The trapeze gameplay defying the death of Yupitergrad is sometimes difficult but always exciting.
It is apparently always at the beginning of the beta, but Yupitergrad feels pretty polite and no problem, probably because it has already been released on PC since August 2020. The artistic style is shaded like a graphic novel, and things seem clear and net, especially in the 3D point of view at the first person. There were just a few cases where my line of piston passed in the corners, but these were rare.
I would have liked to see more variety in the colors, because the Spartan environments have begun to feel a little oppressive after a long play-through. Do not get me wrong, I have the idea behind the aesthetics of Yupitergrad; It is a nostalgic / satirical tribute to the Soviet modernism of the 1970s-80s, and the clumsy machines and the stripped technology keys are cool to a certain point. I just wanted something a little more pretty to look after a while.
However, there is a surprising amount of content for a VR title. In addition to the main scenario that offers you many levels to dive, swing and tackle, Yupitergrad on Oculus and PSVR has added a new Time Attack mode that loads you through the obstacle courses as soon as possible. This includes rankings and it’s an additional fun mode that adds replay value. I can certainly see me tackle this fashion a little after finishing the main game.
And transport pain, ask yourself? This is a good question, and with all this swing in VR, I expected Yupitergrad to give me badly uncomfortable, but surprisingly, I did not feel any embarrassment even after hours of play. It is Perhaps due to the fluid rotation option, but I found that this VR game was easy enough for the stomach.
Overall, I liked what I saw and played with Yupitergrad. He is currently on track out of Oculus Quest 2 and PSVR this month. And judging by its solid platform action and its refined physics, it is a virtual reality title in which it will be worthwhile to dive.
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