Finally,wehavetheconclusionto
ILMxLAB’sVRStarWarsexperience,
whichwouldhavefaredbetterasa single
product,if we’rehonest.Nonetheless,
EpisodeIIIoffersthemostcomprehensive
StarWarsexperienceofthetrilogy,
givingyouthewidestrangeofequipment
yetandlettingyoubattletheDarkLord
oftheSithhimself,aswellasoffering
thedefinitiveversionofitsJediDojo.
If onlytheStoryModegaveplayersa
littlemorefreedomtoexperiment.HavingbeenleftfordeadbyVaderat the
endofEpisodeII, EpisodeIII seesplayers
graduallyworkingtheirwaybackupinto
Vader’sImperialFortressfora climactic
showdown.Ontheway,you’llbattle
Stormtroopersandevenfacedownan
ImperialTIEfighter.EpisodeIII undoubtedly
featuresthehighesthighsofthethreegames,
butit’salsoarguablytheleastfree-flowing
experience,withlotsofstoppingpoints for
dialoguescenesandoverlyscriptedaction
sequences.We’dhopedthatthisepisodewould give players slightly more opportunities
to explore and experiment, but it still insists
you play to a specific beat, which is a shame.
On the other hand, it’s the most
mechanically diverse of the three games.
Alongside all the Jedi abilities accrued up
to this point, Episode III adds the ability
to wield blasters and throw thermal
detonators at enemies. The former work
fine – it would be hard to mess up grenade
throwing in VR. The blasters, on the other
hand, aren’t the easiest weapons to wield,
lacking usable sights and having to be
discarded once they’ve run out of ‘ammo’.
Ultimately, Episode III is a decent, but not
spectacular, conclusion to the series. As with
the previous instalment, the highlight remains
the Jedi Dojo; in Episode III, this sees you well
and truly complete your training. Most
importantly, it adds Stormtroopers to the fight,
hooray! Unfortunately, they keep their distance
when fighting, meaning you can’t attack them
directly with your lightsaber beyond throwing it
at them, which is a little disappointing.
This final iteration of the Dojo also adds a
bunch of new gadgets. The blasters and
grenades from the Story mode make an
appearance, and you can even wield yourREALITY
CHECK
GAMES / VIRTUAL REALITY
Rick Lane prepares for
the first new Half-Life
game in over a decade,
and plays the final Vader
Immortal episode, in our
monthly VR roundup
STAR WARS: VADER IMMORTAL
EPISODEIII/£7.99 inc VAT
REVIEW
DEVELOPER ILMxLAB / PUBLISHER Oculus