Playing Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine VR – Defenders of Avarax with a room of relative VR-newbies was an absolute treat. In this upcoming VR experience from the folks at Zero Latency, you physically embody a Space Marine tasked with defending the galaxy from Tyranid forces. Ahead of your mission, you’re given a hefty VR light gun, a custom HTC VIVE Focus 3 headset, and wishes of good luck.
Then, you enter a warehouse-like physical space, and the alien hordes are unleashed.
While playing in ordinary VR, you’re usually tethered to a small physical space. You may move short distances, but your body stays within a set bubble. While playing Defenders of Avarax, you’re actually trampling across a much larger area – and as you move in the real world, you’re also moving within an equivalent space in the virtual game world.
That adds to a lovely sense of realism, as your movements are reflected in the virtual and physical space. It also – hilariously – creates a real sense of dissonance that makes the many alien attacks of this experience feel more real, sudden, and pressing. In my particular session, the first wave (and nearly every subsequent wave) of Tyranid attacks elicited strong reactions from my fellow Space Marines.
Tyranid waves tend to land thick and fast in this experience, so you’ll be cautiously making your way across cathedrals and crumbling monuments, and suddenly you’ll see a flood of Tyranids breaking through windows and doors, flying at you with claws out.
There were shrieks. there were squeals. There were people physically bumping into each other, attempting to find a safer space to escape the flood. (For reference, there is a warning sound when you get close to other players, but panic does mean some light jostling and real-world jump scares.)
With the Zero Latency VR system being untethered, you can walk around anywhere within the company’s physical warehouse space. Only being able to see the VR version of the world is disconcerting in certain sections, as is trying to keep a physical distance from other players.
Read: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Review
But once you’ve found the VR version of your sea legs, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine VR – Defenders of Avarax is a real (and literal) blast.
The gun you’ll carry to take out the Tyranids is a nifty bit of tech that pairs well with the VR headset. It’s fairly heavy but feels great to wield, and it easily and simply allows you to select multiple shooting modes (bullets and grenades), and reload. The tracking is also spot-on, so if you understand depth in the world of VR, you can use this gun to great effect, sweeping a path through the Tyranid hordes. Your arms may tire eventually, but that’s in keeping with the sense of realism.
The need for teamwork and attention also plays into this. To “survive” the game, you need everyone in your squad to co-operate and flank each other, using communication via the provided headset. Sometimes you’ll need to ask for aid, if you wind up being alone at the rear. Sometimes, you need to co-ordinate to solve puzzles, like where to place yourself to unlock the next part of the stage.
It’s these mechanics that add layers to Defenders of Avarax, and its nature as a physical experience. Being in a room with other people, knowing your fellow players are around you, moving within and without the game world, is very novel. It’s not something you can feel playing a VR game at home. And with those little squeaks and shouts of surprise you can hear in the real world as you play, the action of the game is elevated.
As a bonding activity between mates, there’s no better feeling than saving them from Tyranid rule. (I did pinch second place in the final game standings, so maybe I’m feeling smug about my efforts.)
Where to play Warhammer 40K: Defenders of Avarax VR
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine VR – Defenders of Avarax is set to arrive at Zero Latency locations around the world on 25 September 2024. There’s multiple daily sessions available for booking in groups of up to eight players, so if you’ve got Warhammer fans in your life, it’s time to round them up for some alien-shooting action.
For those local to Australia, there’s a range of Zero Latency locations around. To check your nearest one, you can visit the Zero Latency website.
GamesHub was invited by Zero Latency to try out Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine VR – Defenders of Avarax ahead of launch.
