Star Wars: Beyond Victory Review – A Thrilling New Adventure
▼ Summary
– Star Wars: Beyond Victory fails to deliver a satisfying VR experience despite having promising components, making it unrecommendable even to dedicated fans.
– The game disappointingly relegates podracing to mixed reality with a simplistic bird’s-eye view instead of immersive cockpit VR racing.
– Its story is overly short, lasting about an hour, rushing through clichéd plot points without allowing character development or meaningful choices.
– The playset mode offers some enjoyment by letting users create Star Wars dioramas in mixed reality, but it’s insufficient to redeem the overall game.
– While the game is accessible with seated play and motion-sickness options, its lackluster gameplay and limited content make it only worth considering at a heavy discount for mega fans.
Star Wars: Beyond Victory arrives with the promise of delivering an immersive virtual reality adventure set in the high-stakes world of podracing, yet it ultimately fails to live up to its potential. This new title for Meta Quest platforms attempts to blend VR and mixed reality elements into a compelling narrative, but the execution leaves much to be desired.
The game’s premise is undeniably exciting for Star Wars enthusiasts, particularly those who grew up with the prequel films. It aims to expand the shallow lore surrounding podracing, focusing on characters like Sebulba and the gritty criminal underworld that supports the sport. Players step into the shoes of Volo, a podracer determined to achieve championship glory to honor a fallen friend, while navigating alliances with supporters who despise the very sport they enable and confronting Sebulba’s villainous syndicate.
Unfortunately, the experience feels rushed and incomplete. The entire story can be completed in roughly an hour, which severely limits character development and meaningful plot progression. Conflicts arise and resolve within minutes, relying on tired clichés instead of delivering the depth this universe deserves. A longer campaign could have allowed Volo’s transformation, or even branching story paths, to feel earned and impactful.
Gameplay is split between underwhelming VR segments and mixed reality tabletop-style action. The VR portions mostly involve standing in confined areas, occasionally engaging in simplistic repair puzzles that demand little thought or creativity. The real disappointment, however, lies in the podracing itself. Rather than placing players inside a roaring cockpit, races unfold from a bird’s-eye view on a virtual table. Using controllers to steer and accelerate from above feels more like a basic mobile game than an exhilarating VR spectacle. With only three podraces and one car chase included, and limited replay value in arcade mode, the excitement fades quickly.
One bright spot is the Playset mode, a full mixed reality feature that lets users arrange detailed 3D models of Star Wars characters and vehicles to create custom dioramas. Scaling figures from miniature to life-size and adding explosive effects can evoke nostalgic fun, reminiscent of playing with action figures. Still, this mode alone cannot redeem the overall package.
On a positive note, Star Wars: Beyond Victory offers solid accessibility options. The entire game can be played seated, with settings available to reduce motion sickness, such as teleport movement and adjustable screen shake. All controls are mirrored on both controllers, allowing one-handed play if needed.
In the end, this title feels like a missed opportunity. Die-hard Star Wars fans might consider it during a deep discount, especially for the novelty of the Playset mode. However, those seeking a true VR podracing adventure will find better immersion in older titles like Star Wars: Racer. For everyone else, this is one galactic journey you can confidently skip.
(Source: techradar)
