Virtual reality games and experiences are still very young, with many new games just trying to push what was possible beforehand in a better way. The best example of this right now is hardware, with a new VR headset seemingly coming out every year for the last decade. Something that’s even newer is the addition of hand-tracking, which developers have been implementing to varying results.
Unfortunately, many VR titles become little more than walking simulators with a few puzzle mechanics sprinkled throughout. While it’s not the most exciting type of game, it works well for those who like more relaxed VR experiences while seated. If you are going to use this type of gameplay you should at least have a story that’s comparable to the best walking simulator Firewatch, and Broken Spectre tries.
What’s arguably the most important part of any VR game is making sure that your mechanics aren’t frustrating to use, especially in your suggested way to play. If I was holding a controller while playing Broken Spectre, I likely would’ve thrown it at some point in frustration and pure exasperation, but you can’t throw your hands.
Take a hint, Casey, come on
So the story has a similar vibe as Firewatch only if the eerie almost-supernatural elements were cranked up to 11. It’s a wild ride and one that often made me jump and feel scared in a way that didn’t feel cheap. At the same time, there were some moments when the main character, Casey, would call out something she saw and I couldn’t figure out what she was talking about.
There were some really good moments throughout the story though, particularly when the wholesome and beautiful hike turns into a horrific adventure through dark spaces. In short, there is a strange phenomenon happening on this one specific mountain that’s causing plants and animals to be fused together, creating “Chimeras.” Like Fullmetal Alchemist but even more gross.
Casey was rescued from this mountain when she was a child and has now returned to try and find her dad after supposedly receiving a phone call from him. However, it’s been years since she’s seen him and she has an actual kid of her own now, which makes her decision to continuously put her life in danger just like her father, which is just family trauma repeating itself honestly.
The story itself and general themes aren’t hard to understand and the voice acting from some of the characters, particularly the grandma, is really nice and deserves recognition. There’s a point where she’s pleading with Casey’s father to return home with her daughter, have her go to school and celebrate the child’s upcoming birthday. That really got to me as you can hear the helplessness in the grandma’s voice
I wish that this mildly intriguing story was enough to save the game, but it mostly made me more frustrated when I was unable to continue because the grab mechanic didn’t work as intended. It didn’t seem to be an issue with my hands but instead a mix between conflicting prompts and range that seemed pretty far for a game with the teleportation mechanic.
That was surprisingly grotesque
The game takes a surprising turn into the macabre that worked incredibly well and then doubles upon itself if you try to interact. For that, I have to give developer Games by Stitch credit because it really caught me off guard. From then it kind of gets worse as you become more familiar with how this weird Chimera effect is morphing and killing the wildlife around the mountain.
One of the core introduction moments of this would’ve been a lot easier if the grab controls weren’t broken, as previously mentioned. It’s still impactful and the way Broken Spectre manages to make it look so disgusting with the low-res textures that it uses in its world. Because of this, it’s also particularly nothing special to look at, especially when compared to even more recent indie titles.
The grand monster is kind of interesting and the more grotesque moments delivered on shock value, but didn’t really feel like anything other than that once I got some distance. It’s just not a particularly impressive game outside of how it manages to use hand-tracking and recognizes your hands as the character’s, but this may be attributed to Meta’s investment that’s been carried over to other games.
Much of the puzzles are also lackluster, which will make it more approachable to young audiences, which it shouldn’t be. They’re just very simple and the game seems to hold your hand with pictures and sound cues so you know when you’re going the right way. I found it kind of boring and even the moments that were supposed to be high-energy felt like the game was helping me.
Unfortunately as interesting as the basis for this story is, it’s going to be hard for many people to get over how hard it is to play just based on the issues in the core gameplay. There’s something here, but many of the difficulties with the grabbing, using tools, and poor interactions are likely to drive plenty of players away before they can get too far into the game.
The Final Word
While Broken Spectre might have an interesting basis for a story, many of the controls and poor visuals are difficult to use and will pose a barrier for players who are easily frustrated. What is more telling is that it doesn’t seem to be the fault of the burgeoning hand-tracking technology but the game itself.
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Try Hard Guides was provided with a Meta Quest 2 review copy of Broken Spectre. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles in the Game Reviews section of our website!