Since it’s launch in October 2016, PSVR has blown me away. It has given me experiences that I never thought would be possible in gaming. Whether it’s being part of an action film in Blood & Truth, platforming with Astro Bot, trying not to soil yourself while playing Resident Evil 7 or attempting to keep your nerve while getting attacked by a shark in VR Worlds, it has brought a whole new dimension to gaming.
Covert is bringing something further new to the table for me though. While all of the above games were great, they are experienced solo. In truth, a lot of the time VR can be a pretty anti-social way of gaming. I often lay back on the couch and game while discussing my day with my partner, but in VR you feel more isolated from the people in the room. That’s why when I heard about White Elk Studios was releasing a co-op heist game I jumped at the chance to play and review it.
Let’s start with the plot. Both you and a partner are hired by an unknown backer to pull of a series of heists. It’s not the most memorable story, but it moves along at a decent pace and I did enjoy the dialogue with your handler, Stacy. The writing is funny throughout and was a nice added bonus to have these interactions as the game could easily just been a list of levels with a cold open.
One player uses the headset to navigate the level, sneaking past guards and completing various puzzles while your co-op partner uses a companion app on a phone or tablet to get an overhead perspective and warn you of upcoming dangers, disable lasers, unlock doors etc. The dynamic is every bit as fun as it sounds and I had a great time bantering back and fourth with some colleagues as we struggled to function as a cohesive team.
Unfortunately not everything in Covert is so seamless. While I was very impressed with the companion app and controls on that side of the fence, inside the headset can be frustrating at times. You have two options for controlling your character. Either the dual shock 4 or the move controllers and both come with their own distinct positives and negatives.
The dual shock 4 works well for traversing the area as you use the analog sticks. On the move controllers this is done with the triggers and head tracking, which can be frustrating when you need to avoid detection. When it comes to using your hands the roles are reversed and the move controllers do a good job giving you two hands that feel natural. This is something that doesn’t feel so good on the DS4.
It’s a situation where White Elk is hampered by the limitations of the technology. I honestly don’t understand how in the three and a half years since release Sony hasn’t released an updated move controller with an analog stick. It feels like an absolute no brainer. Unfortunately at this stage we will likely have to wait until the rumoured PSVR 2 before seeing any fundamental improvements.
I was disappointed to learn that Covert didn’t come with a platinum trophy, although it does have an EU and NA stack. The list is about as basic as they come with three bronze, three silver and two gold trophies. Levels 1-3 are bronze, 4-6 are silver and finally 7-8 earn you a gold each. My hope is that the dawn of the PS5 brings both developers taking trophies more seriously and PlayStation actively helping them do so.
Overall Covert is an great addition to the PSVR roster. Hardware limitations hold it back at times but the concept is strong enough to carry it through. For too long VR has mainly been an anti-social gaming platform and White Elk Studios has proven that not only can you enjoy VR with friends, but that local co-op is alive and well.
-VDZE
A review code for this product was kindly provided by the publisher. Reviewed on PS4 Pro.
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