Phantom: Covert Ops is VR Tactical Espionage Action… in a Kayak
Phantom: Covert Ops is fortunately a much more interesting game than its name implies. Though it’s not the first stealth game in VR, it’s definitely the first to be played solely in a kayak (and probably the first in any genre for that matter). Phantom puts you in the shoes (or boat?) of “an elite and deadly covert operative,” stocked with military grade weapon and on a one night mission to prevent a war.
The main hook, of course, is the kayak. Movement felt natural as I glided across the water using the touch controllers to move the oar. Just like a real kayak, fine movements were a little more tricky at first and slowing down just right to avoid being spotted was essential. To be honest, I may have worked up a bit of a sweat when I was trying to gain speed, but movement felt natural overall.
Missions can be completed in a variety of ways, but it was clear that stealth was the optimal way to go. I had the most fun picking off enemies with the silenced scope. Aiming the scope was a bit interesting, as there are still some kinks to work out due to the lack of up-close tracking on the quest, but the snap to aim down scope worked well. The game forced you to change it up though, as there won’t be enough ammo for the whole mission to use just one gun. The silenced pistol was also quite helpful, though understandably a bit hard to aim from a distance.
Other tools at your disposal included C4 to blow up barriers and an assault rifle for more dicey situations. The ending part of the demo had me sneaking under a radio tower to disable it. Once I pulled the plugs, the mission was a success.
Overall, Phantom: Covert Ops was one of the most unique VR demos I’ve played, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the game takes kayak gaming to the next level.
