Contagion VR: Outbreak is one of the creepiest virtual reality games out there. Not only does this game put you in a real scenario that many of us have dreamt of once or twice in our lives, but it does so elegantly that you often forget what is real and what isn’t even long after your headset is off. There are multiple ways this world could end, and to many of us, many of those scenarios include the undead zombies all over the place. Contagion is exactly what you never want to see in real life, but it is worth paying for a simulation of your greatest fears.
This game will put you in the shoes of many different people if you choose so. The world around you at the start of this game seems as plain and normal as ever. As you progress through the story, you will have to watch the world change before your eyes and hope your efforts are enough to put an end to all of the worlds suffering. This is the ultimate test to see if you have what it takes to survive a zombie apocalypse.
Getting Up and Running
This game can be found anywhere you decide to buy your copies of virtual reality games. The Steam Store, the Oculus Store, Viveport, and even the PSVR store is going to have this game for the same price across the board. The price of Contagion is only $20, and is often on sale. This game is still in early access, so buying it right now will not only support the developers as they try to turn this game into a full title, but it will ensure you own it for a cheap price as they will decide to bump the price later when it is out of early access.
The file size of this game is larger than a lot of virtual titles, but it makes sense of the game you are getting. You will need 15 GB available on your gaming PC to download this title and you won’t be downloading this title fairly quickly. If you do have an internet connection that is slower than most, you could be looking at a download time of over an hour. If you are connected to the internet with Zeus’s lightning bolts, you still could be in for a wait for this game. It won’t be long, but it will require you to fill some time. Getting into this game after installation is as easy as any other VR game and won’t require extra setup.
Type of Game
This is a first-person shooter by all imaginations of the phrase, but it is much more expansive than most in this realm for virtual reality. Even for console games, this would be considered a very expansive title. Not only are you going to be fighting zombies throughout the entire title, you will be doing it from multiple perspectives that are strong and convincing. The theme and story are convincing, making this a title worth playing.
There is a single-player campaign that you can take part in, a free-roaming mode that allows you to collect items while taking zombies out with no objectives, and an upcoming multiplayer mode too. You can even go to the basement of the apartment to test out new weapons and hone your firing skills. This game is a full title by all means, and is a bargain for only $20.
Player Perspective
This game, like most great VR games, is played from the first-person perspective. Unlike most VR games though, you can experience this game from multiple player’s perspectives. You will still be in first-person this whole time, but it doesn’t always have to be the same character as most VR FPS games. You won’t see much of your body in this game, but your hands will be represented in this ever-changing virtual world. This gets a pass for a few reasons, as the game is still in early access, and there is so much going on in the game, not having arms is the least of your worries.
Theme and Story – Score: 10/10
The theme and story in this game is one of the best we have ever seen in virtual reality. Like many of its competitors of the high-end VR gaming community, the story is expansive and growing. The developers have perfected this category, and are looking to add more too it. They have said that they are planning to have 10+ hours of campaign alone when the game is completely finished. The quality and quantity are already there, and they will only improve as time goes on.
Controls – Score: 8/10
The controls in this game easy yet engaging, but they aren’t perfect. We love how the developers used the many controller inputs to the advantage of the game, but not all of them felt natural. Of course, nothing you are doing in this game is going to be natural, but we were hoping for some bindings that were located in different spots. In the heat of zombie battle, we often were found that we were pressing the wrong button when we thought that’s where the command was supposed to be. After a while, it starts to feel better, but it isn’t perfect.
Music and Sound – Score: 10/10
The sounds and music in this game were as perfect as you are going to find inside of virtual reality. With each scene, you could tell Monochrome Inc. put plenty of time, effort, and money into the sounds of this game. From the spatial audio being optimized for each character in the game to the noise you would here in relation to the distance the other characters were, the game was perfect. The small amount of music we heard was well placed and it only added to the immersion this section provided to the game.
Player Movement – Score: 6/10
The way you move in this game is somewhat lacking, as there are better ways to go about this problem inside of VR. Although many developers have their own style, this is clearly not the best. To move, you would simply use your joystick and point it in the direction you wanted to start walking towards. You would then use your other joystick to rotate left or right. If you are somewhat new to VR, this can be a bit confusing. If you are a seasoned veteran of virtual reality, this will still feel a bit clunky.
Kinetosis – Score: 4/10
Unless you are someone with an iron stomach, Contagion is going to give you some motion sickness once you lear the player movement, you will instantly start to feel it. It doesn’t get progressively worse though, like most VR games do. If you don’t have your VR legs under you yet, you will have to play this game in chunks. If you are more used to feeling sick with a headset on, this game will be playable, but this section has a long way to go before the full title is released.
Environment and Immersion – Score: 10/10
The developers of this game did a lot of things right, and the environment is one of them. The ability to immerse any user is this apocalyptic world is second to none in this gaming industry, and we have to score the age accordingly. From the realistic graphics to the perfect audio in this game, getting lost in this game is going to take no extra effort. From top to bottom in this game, you are going to be reluctant to stay in, only because it makes you feel like you are actually fighting some of the undead from your apartment complex.
Overall – Score: 8/10
For a game still in early access and some big plans ahead, an 8/10 is very promising. This game is a few motion adjustments away from turning this game into a top 95% game on the virtual market. If you have even a small desire to play this game, we highly recommend it. It is on sale on Steam right now, but we doubt it will stay that way. You can get a demo from Steam as well, or simply sign up as a part of the Viveport Infinity subscription to play and download this game for free.
