The Wolfenstein franchise has seen quite a revitalization during this console generation. After the wildly successful Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, it was only a matter of time until the series found its way to VR. Much like Skyrim and Doom before it, Wolfenstein finally gets the VR treatment…. but there’s a catch. It’s not a full-fledged proper title brought to VR, this is a game built from the ground up. So, does the game feel as though it’s lacking anything since it’s not one of the core titles? Absolutely.
Very little about this game actually feels like Wolfenstein. Sure, there are Nazis, but for all practical purposes you aren’t even killin’ Nazis (I tried to channel my inner Aldo Raine with that one). The games starts out with you, wheelchair bound, in a facility full of Nazi tech. Between each mission you’ll reprogram the tech you plan to use so that you can control it remotely and be the… wait for it… cyber pilot. Over the course of the game you’ll pilot various Nazi weapons and drones from the comfort of your chair.
The levels have you moving from point A to point B, completing missions in an attempt to stop the Nazis. You’ll control mechs, drones and other tech as you take out as many as you can along the way. The move controls tend to limit movement so controlling anything can be a little taxing. The bigger vehicles use the X and O button on the right controller to turn while the Move button on the left controller moves you forward. Controlling the drone is considerably more frustrating since you move up and down by lifting and lowering your right arm. Often, you’ll find yourself stuck in the rafters or looking for the right angle to lower the drone into areas that make you less noticeable. These levels are basically stealth missions and, unlike the Mechs which tend to feel invincible, the drones are basically toast if they are seen. There is a cloaking mechanism to make you a little harder to see, but you’ll receive a Gold Trophy for not using it. You’ll also receive a trophy for not being spotted, so pick your poison I suppose.
After completing each mission you’ll have various tasks to do. Some of these include repairing your battle worn tech and creating new tech and upgrades. These feel hollow and tend to be there just to show off the elevator that you’ll have to take back and forth between the four floors in order to complete the tasks. These moments tend to break up the precious little action that is in the game and could have been better suited being cut out of the game.
At the end of the day, Cyberpilot feels like a hollow cash grab that exists purely to get the Wolfenstein brand onto VR platforms. It would have been better suited as a free download to Wolfenstein 2 the way that Star Wars Battlefront added a VR mission post launch. Though not a terrible game even at the $19.99 price point, it feels a little overpriced. Anyone that hasn’t bought in yet would best be suited to wait for the holiday season when the game will undoubtedly go on sale and be added into some VR bundles.
*Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot VR was provided to the reviewer by the publishing company but this fact did not alter the reviewer’s opinion*
