A technological corporation from the future revisits the assassins’ past to try to derail their organization. Your mission is to don a Meta Quest helmet in order to prevent this project in Assassin’s Creed Nexus VRa new opus that pushes the boundaries of the popular Ubisoft universe a little further… and of virtual reality itself.
Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR will make you virtually embody three already known protagonists from the saga. Simply put on a Meta Quest 2, Quest 3, or Quest Pro headset and hold the controllers securely. In first person point of view, you will become Kassandra in ancient Greece, Ezio Auditore in the Italian Renaissance and Connor Kenway during the American Revolution.
This journey between three eras is made possible thanks to the technology of Abstergo Industries, the front company of the Templar order which has been trying to eliminate the assassins for a long time. The past and the future – but especially the past – mix in a scenario which introduces Dominika Wilk as an unscrupulous character determined to fully exploit the Animus (memory) of the assassins to achieve her ends.
Anyway, that’s the theory behindAssassin’s Creed Nexus VR, a game that Ubisoft is putting on sale on November 16 on the Meta platform, for the sum of $40. At this price, expect a good fifteen hours of virtual immersion, to be consumed in short doses. Ubisoft had the good idea of including in one and the same game the three chapters proposed in Nexuswhich fortunately goes against the trend among other major publishers, who like to sell each piece of their virtual reality games individually and at a high price.
Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR is “for the moment” exclusive to Meta, as the game director at Ubisoft Montreal, Olivier Palmieri, says with just enough intrigue. The images are convincing on Quest 2, spectacular on Quest 3… we wonder what it could be on other headsets expected in 2024.
Three squares of sand
The Meta headset’s gesture interface varies from game to game, but as programmers become more familiar with the technology, a certain way of doing things becomes more or less similar from game to game. . Ubisoft’s challenge was not to deviate too much from this standard, while going further in the gestures and actions enabled by virtual reality.
Mission accomplished. The three characters incarnate have different equipment and require mastering certain unique gestures to properly exploit their environment. Each era is a “sandbox” just big enough to get lost in. After a few hours of play, we grab onto walls, ledges and windows without thinking too much to achieve the different objectives, whether those that advance the game’s scenario or the smaller, occasional ones detached from the game. history.
Needless to say, mastering the blades hidden in the handles, the daggers to throw at your enemies, the bow and the sword requires a minimum of practice. True to its tradition, the game also requires the right amount of cunning and finesse – rushing headlong into everything that moves is not recommended. The player will also have to learn how to sneak well in the shadows, rob distracted characters, and perform more subtle gestures than a direct frontal attack.
Players already familiar with Assassin’s Creed on console will find themselves there quickly, even if the gestures are done in a otherwise active way when you have to perform the throwing, climbing or pivoting yourself. This variety of gestures, the advanced interaction with virtual objects and a little more realism than expected in combat situations make this game one of the most convincing virtual reality experiences on Quest at the moment. .
Take that, Darth Vader!
To find your way there
Ubisoft doesn’t want to see its players get lost and has created a guide that can be used to get an overview of the game, missions, etc. Practical. In fact, like many other games, some will criticize AC Nexus VR to take them a little too much by the hand during their introduction to this new virtual world. That said, you can adjust the level of immersion to avoid the dizziness and feeling of nausea that some people feel when they put on a virtual reality headset.
Another limitation of the game is imposed by the headset itself: its autonomy is a little over an hour. It’s probably better for the sanity of the lone player, but since gaming is better with friends, it won’t be a bad idea to invest in a looong USB cable — or a battery booster — to keep the headset charged at all times. As we can also project the image seen in the headset onto a television, everyone will be able to participate in the adventure, even from the couch.
Also: you will need to think about clearing the room of fragile and bulky objects to avoid accidents… in the very real world of your home. Preserving the memory of fictional assassins does not excuse damaged furniture!