I really dig this game so far. It's the definition of a hidden gem in the VR space. Not perfect, but with a couple small quality of life additions I think it could be a real masterpiece. So what does Pandora do right?
MOVEMENT:
The way you move in Pandora is unlike any other VR game I've played. You use your non dominate hand to grab the air and throw yourself around. The more force behind your throw, the faster and further you'll glide. Certain enemies also drop jump pads when defeated. These can be used to launch yourself up into the air. From there you can toss yourself to other jump pads to keep airborne or to make a quick get away from the overwhelming swarm of mobs that can start to spawn in. Combine this with the grappling hook upgrade you'll acquire, and all the tech just starts to click. I LOVE this!
Now. There is one major gripe I have when it comes to the movement. Currently the game only offers Snap, or Smooth Snap Turning. The Smooth Snap is bearable enough, but I think my already great experience would be phenomenal with Continuous Smooth Turning. I really hope the developer can implement an option for it in the near future. As of now Snap Turn is the only thing I very much don't like gameplay wise. Thankfully the rest game makes up for this. Again though. Please please pleeeaase add Continuous Smooth Turning with speed adjustment Sucurema. :)
ENEMY TYPES:
At first glance the mobs may appear a bit samey. It's a bunch of floating skulls and for some (admittedly myself included) it may be a reason you'd lose a bit of interest in the game. I'm here to tell you that you are wrong. Each mob type, while similar in appearance, all function in distinct ways. Spawners are harmless on their own when dealt with swiftly, but leave them around for too long and you'll be swimming in a sea of skulls that will annihilate you in shear volume. Eyes are large and slow moving... the caveat being they have a lethal ranged attack that you'll definitely want to avoid. Some of the bigger skulls will attempt to ram you if you're near enough. If you want to survive longer it's essential to learn enemy behaviors as the game throws new ones at you. Assuming it's just another floating enemy that will act same is a quick way to end your run.
COMBAT:
Pandora. By definition. Is a "shooter". But there are no guns in this game. You have a single attack and unlock alternate fire modes over time. I'm not even really sure how to describe it other than magic hand projectiles. Holding down the trigger on your dominate hand releases a continuous stream. Tapping the trigger will fire whatever alt you've chosen. The alternate fire modes include abilities such as a shotgun blast, homing shot, or my personal favorite the sniper! There are also abilities like the grappling hook I mentioned earlier. A shield to defend against attacks, and even a way to slow time.
PROGRESSION:
The permanent upgrades you'll be able to earn and swap between are the typical roguelite elements many have come to know and love, but I don't really feel like they are the point of the game. The real progression lies in the player. How far can you make it. How long can you survive. I do imagine I'll reach an eventual "ending" with more play time, but the rewarding aspect is your own personal improvement. I feel like getting better at the game IS the point of it. Beating your own record and conquering that last time you set.
That said. I'd love to see some kind of Asynchronous multiplayer aspect added in the form of global leaderboards. It's not a deal breaker without it, but I think it could make the game a bit more enticing for the competitive VR players. Not really a gripe by any means for me. I can see how some may view this as a missed opportunity though.
VISUALS:
The art style is fantastic. No complaints from me. I absolutely love the comic book-esque, cell shaded, whatever it's called. I'm no expert on styles, but I really like it!
I do however have a gripe with the screen output of the game (this is my second major gripe by the way). There is no proper Smooth Wide FoV Spectator view available. It's just run of the mill zoomed in right eye capture. This wouldn't be as much of a problem if I could use SteamVR's VR view. Problem being the game pauses itself when it's not the window in focus. So if you want to stream or record gameplay the viewer experience is not gonna be all that great.
I think the game would 1,000% benefit from having a proper Center view, Smoothed, Wide FoV Spectator mode toggle. As much as I'm loving the game so far, it's hard to show it off in the best possible light. Marketing in the VR space is at least 50% of how to get people interested in your game. After jumping into Pandora I was actually surprised that I hadn't seen anyone else play or talk about the game given how actually great it is. No idea how sales have been on the Quest side but the fact that there's next to no Steam reviews, at the time of writing this, has me thinking the marketing budget is just not there. A spectator camera (while yes extra work to implement) can pay for itself in the form of content creators covering your game.
The game in it's current state is difficult to word of mouth market so to speak. Streamers will struggle with needing to be tabbed into the game for it to work. YouTubers have to hope things don't look overly zoomed in or shaky. I apologize for being so adamant about this, but the game deserves waaaaay more attention than it's gotten since it's launch. I would genuinely prioritize a Spectator Camera toggle then getting this into the hands of more creators so that they can help bring light to it.
RECOMMENDATION:
If any of what I've said in this review has intrigued you at all, then I absolutely recommend picking this one up! Even if you're on the fence about it. I'd say give it a chance. There's a possibility that it'll sink it's hooks into you the way it has for me.
An indie gem that deserves your attention, and with a few small updates is one that could be near perfect for what it does. Pandora is awesome! It'll be going into my rotation of favorite VR games I jump between playing.
