Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, the newest game from Ubisoft, immerses players in the Animus once more.
But this time, the focus is on reliving the memories directly. Three Assassins’ memories are available for you to play through: Connor,
Kassandra, and Ezio Auditore. Assassin’s Creed has always seemed like one of those franchises with a lot of potential that, with the right handling, could work well in virtual reality. Has Ubisoft succeeded in pulling it off? Let’s investigate.
I was immediately drawn into the Assassin’s Creed universe as soon as I put on the headset. Wearing a headset to play the game felt very natural, as I was a huge fan of the early games where the animus was introduced.
It was almost as if you were walking into the animus. You are introduced to the mechanics in a brief tutorial level, and I’m happy to say that everything is at least passable.
Gamers can customise the experience to their liking with the abundance of comfort settings. I always like to move as fluidly as possible, so I was able to turn smoothly and move across the ground at a respectable pace when playing open play.
My biggest concern going in was parkour. When playing older Action Cam games, everyone has experienced the scene where they are skillfully scaling buildings of all sizes and shapes, only to suddenly find themselves face-planting a wall and coming to a complete stop.
That could be a major source of annoyance in VR, but I think Ubisoft has struck the ideal balance between automation and immersion. Holding down A will cause you to automatically hop between nearby landing spots while you’re running.
The game keeps you alert, but it also eliminates a lot of potential jank. For example, you might need to be ready to grab a ledge if you’re scaling a building or making a particularly large leap.
Of course, the leap of faith must be mentioned when discussing immersion. It was obvious that Ubisoft knew they had to get this right. It is, after all, among the most recognisable scenes in all Assassin’s Creed games.
I’m pleased to say that it has been expertly executed. I climbed the Auditore villa, synchronised my view, and jumped into a barrel of hay during my first game play. Then I instantly got back up, climbed the building again, and threw myself off again, just like a child sliding down his first slide.
Even though I don’t frequently experience motion sickness in virtual reality, I was aware that some people might have trouble with the leap of faith. So, with a sick bag ready, I gave it a try on my wife.
She was thrilled to be able to jump without any problems, which also relieved her. Ubisoft deserves praise for their adept handling of some arguably complex mechanics.
Combat is a little more inconsistent. Once more, everything is functional, but the game’s strongest point is unquestionably stealth. It feels amazing to be able to silently take out enemies by flicking your wrist to reveal the hidden blade. Being a tactical stealth enthusiast, I frequently found myself going back and trying sections again if my cover was compromised.
Sword play is more conventional, especially in the beginning. When the time is right, block and strike by matching the enemy’s pattern. To keep things interesting, this does expand throughout the campaign with the addition of ranged weapons and special abilities.
The narrative, which alternates between Italy during the Renaissance via Ezio Auditore from AC II, Greece during the Peloponnesian War via Kassandra from AC: Odyssey,
and the American evolution via everyone’s favourite, Connor from AC III, is a delight throughout, even though the plot is fairly standard Assassin’s Creed fare. In addition to the newcomer Dominika Wilks, portrayed by Morena Baccarin, there are other returning characters like Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane.
The game’s world appears amazing. You can tell that every setting has been painstakingly designed to highlight some of the most recognisable features from earlier games.
Regrettably, the character models fall short in this regard. These stand out in comparison to the world’s finest details, even though they aren’t awful enough to take you out of the experience.
I played the game on Quest 3, but I also played a friend’s Quest 2 to compare, and I’m glad to say that the game performed admirably, despite the anticipated decrease in visual fidelity.
With a launch price of £34.99 (which is 25% off when you use this link), Assassin’s Creed Nexus is incredibly affordable. The campaign lasts for roughly twelve hours, or longer if, like me, you take the time to look around you.
Assassin’s Creed Nexus succeeds in delivering an authentic Assassin’s Creed game in virtual reality, despite a few issues with character models and longer than anticipated load times. Although there are many quieter moments mixed in with the action, this is an adventure that fans of AC won’t want to miss.