Become an action hero in this fun game that shows, even without innovating too much, how to take advantage of virtual reality.
One of the favorite genres of the one who signs these lines is that of third-person action adventures a la Uncharted or Tomb Raider . They are expensive and complicated games to make, requiring a multitude of linear scenarios, spectacular sequences in which everything explodes and, generally, graphical. Perhaps for these reasons it is a genre that has not proliferated too much in virtual reality – in the first person, of course – although we have some examples such as Immortal Legacy: The Jade Cypher or Blood and Truth , saving the differences. Today we get another similar project.
Saving the world is in our hands
Fracked is avirtual reality first-person shooter actiongamethat takes us to – hold on – a mountain where a humanoid alien army has taken control, and they plan to expand their dominance to the rest of the earth. Behind all this is supposed to be a story about corporate ambition destroying the planet and climate change, but the truth is that we are not going to play Fracked for the story.
‘Fracked’ does not skimp when it comes to offering spectacular moments, letting us shoot from zip lines or hanging from a helicopter.
In essence, it is, as we say, a kind of Uncharted in which we are going to shoot everything that moves with our PlayStation Move , in addition to having some “driving” phases, which are actually ski phases in which we slide down the mountain emptying our magazines against the enemies around us. Of course, there will be no shortage of the final bosses, the most dangerous and resistant enemies that will force us to change strategy.
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The shootouts sliding down the mountain are frantic and a lot of fun.
With this description it is easy to get an idea of what it has to offer, but the important thing is that it does it well. We have missed more variety of situations, as in the end there are three main types: a very simple exploration, shootings and the “driving” sequences that we explained earlier. The good thing about it being short – about five hours, although replayable if you want to get hold of the collectibles – is that you don’t have time to get bored .
As we advance, we will find bosses who will force us to give everything in combat.
Well adapted to virtual reality
Something that we always highlight when analyzing a game in virtual reality is if it takes advantage of the format. It is very important to adapt to what virtual reality can offer beyond simply moving the camera with your head, and this is something that Fracked does very well, even within the limitations of PlayStation VR. As we say, we can only play with PlayStation Move, so we have total freedom to move our hands. In addition to shooting, we can climb, press buttons or jump down zip lines, and all these little interactions help you feel that you are there , always doing things and staying connected to the virtual world.
‘Fracked’ is very interactive; we are always doing things and interacting with the stage.
We also really liked the coverage system, as simple as it is effective . Although, if we prefer, we can duck and hide and peek out, if we are playing sitting down and want a little more comfort, we only have to grasp the edge of the cover with one hand and “move” it. It may seem confusing or even unnatural, but we assure you that it is very intuitive and practical.
The cover system is very well designed and integrated.
The only “problem” – which was not such in our case – is that there are no options to teleport . The free movement is very, very smooth, and the scenarios are not too convoluted, so it has not made us dizzy. Still, we want to warn you because we know this can be a problem for some users. In any case, you can always try the demo and judge for yourself.
Simple but effective
In terms of graphics, Fracked is a game that fully fulfills its mission. It opts for a cell-shading graphic style reminiscent of Borderlands , although somewhat cleaner, without so many lines marked or “drawn”, so to speak. We think it works great, and a very successful and colorful art style ends up making Fracked a pretty cool game . We don’t know if it will use dynamic resolution that may affect image quality on other platforms, but on PlayStation 5, where we have reviewed it, it looks very sharp.
Visually it is a very attractive title thanks to its artistic direction.
In terms of sound, it is quite discreet but equally effective. Even if the soundtrack goes a bit unnoticed, it always accompanies, integrating almost without realizing it into the action; for example, when we jump on skis the music stops, giving that feeling of tension, as if we were holding our breath. Unfortunately, it only comes with voices in English and subtitles in Spanish . As we say, the story is not too important, so it is not that we will miss a lot if we play without subtitles.
Everything is very careful and, for example, we can see how many bullets are left in our magazine just by looking at the weapon.
Take control (of motion)
Fracked has been a pleasant surprise. Yes, it does not do anything revolutionary, but what it does, it does well, and offers us an adventure of about five hours – replayable for those who want to do 100% – with a very reasonable price and with which we do not have time to get bored. . It would have been great to have a greater variety of situations or a greater focus on exploring to find secrets, but if what you want is a game with which you feel like the hero of an action movie in virtual reality, Fracked is, without a doubt, a great choice . If you are not sure, you can always try the demo.