Pixel Gear Review Playstation VR

Pixel Gear from developers Geronimo Interactive makes its way to the Playstation VR as a shooting gallery type game against the undead, bats , hulking beasts with mini-guns, oh and the odd ghost as well. You simply point and shoot whilst trying to get the highest score possible across its themed stages. This type of VR experience is quite the norm on the Vive with numerous games using the same “stand your ground” template and so Playstation VR eagerly follows suit.

From the off there’s no movement involved other than looking around you at around 180 degrees in front with nothing ever getting behind you for the ultimate jump scare. You’re armed with a trusty pistol with infinite ammo and can upgrade to a machine gun and even grenade launcher should you feel the need for more shots. However, you’ll be able to get by with the standard pistol and seeing as accuracy and combos are a big factor in your end of level scoring sometimes having a more controlled weapon is a better option.

Much like Oasis Games’ other titles on the Playstation VR Pixel Gear uses simple visuals and as the name implies the blocky looking characters are based on pixel forms. There’s really not much more you can say about this game as it’s a shooting gallery experience where you go for headshots, you shoot ghosts (whilst avoiding the angelic friendlies) and rack up points based on your accuracy and how much damage you’ve received. The gameplay starts out pretty basic with ambling zombies but as you move through the waves become more challenging and it’s here where vying for a high score requires a bit of skill. It’s quite easy to shoot up the opposition and prioritize targets but being effective means employing a bit of a strategy. Not all opponents will shoot back at you, and some do so more readily than others, then there are boss characters to contend with which require a bit more full-on shooting skills to take down.

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Pixel Gear isn’t going to win any awards for its visuals and even when some of the larger opponents look good in terms of their scale the overall presentation is quite simplistic. It’s also not a colourful game to mask its low quality which means you’re left with a functional looking VR experience.

How long are you going to keep playing this game largely depends on how competitive you are and whether you push yourself by upping the difficulty. There are several stages to battle through but the idea is you repeat each one and get better for an SS rank which is the highest accolade. Luckily the Dual Shock 4 controller works well here allowing you to line up your shots pretty accurately which makes obtaining high combos all the more rewarding, but at the end of the day, you’ll be repeating the same action over and over with very little involvement compared to Oasis Games’ Ace Banana for example which has you actually using a bow and arrow.

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Pixel Gear might be appealing to younger players or those who suffer from motion sickness but as a VR game it has limited appeal based on the fact there’s little to do other than point a virtual gun and shoot at incoming targets. This is a problem for the game because those under 12 will most likely find it a thrilling venture in VR, yet at the same time VR isn’t advised for anyone under the age of 13 so there’s a bit of a catch 22 scenario here. Whilst the shooting mechanics are solid and the collecting of coins to obtain between wave rewards acts as a distraction, there’s little reason to pay much attention to any of the extras outside of getting better weapons because ultimately you’ll still be performing the same shooting action. This is a very simple game which fails to ignite any real passion unless you want a quick fix burst of shooting for 20 minutes without the complexities of having to worry about anything else. Unfortunately for adults looking for a shooter fix, there are better experiences out there that will fulfil the shooter need.

Score 4/10

Written by: Rob Cram

Rob Cram has hundreds of video game reviews, thousands of articles under his belt with years of experience in gaming and tech. He aims to remain fair and free from publisher/developer influence. With his extensive knowledge, feels his gaming opinions are valid and worth sharing. Agreement with his views are entirely optional. He might have a bias towards cyberpunk.