Echo Wars Review (PC VR)

There’s nothing quite like unloading bullet casings from the driver’s side window whilst wreaking havoc on the asphalt in a blitz of souped-up rage, is there? And as it turns out, Echo Wars brings about that exact case of adrenaline-fueled mayhem in its balls-out extension to the wondrously anarchic world of VR fantasy.

In an effort to remove the added burden of loaded manuscripts, pointless preliminary jargon and weighty backlogs of information, Echo Wars jumps straight to the thick of the action and begins to cut shapes in an almost barbaric fashion. Much like a cult classic arcade game, it intentionally excuses the lofty expectations of a comprehensible IP and actively commits to pulling the throttle on a no-nonsense vehicular combat experience — and in VR, no less.

Story-wise, there isn’t much to unpack, nor is there a long thread of questions that require answers or underlying character arcs that need social context. Instead, what you have here is a bare-knuckle shoot-and-steer VR game in which your only objective, so to speak, is to spread bullets and bombastic violence in an overwhelmingly hostile galactic environment from behind the wheel. With one hand on the wheel and another on the trigger, the mission is as clear as day: eliminate moving targets, and essentially roll through enemy lines with the help of weapons and calculated attacks.

The good news here is that, despite it being a VR game—a platform that has its share of motion sickness-related teething issues—Echo Wars isn’t in receipt of anything particularly nauseating. Well, to tell a lie, it does foster some rather cluttered environments and rapid gameplay mechanics. But that does spur the motion sickness to take hold; if anything, it adds to the action hero aesthetic that it tries to desperately hard to establish.

Slinging Bullets

Echo Wars snaps its fingers at the click of a button, and then, without taking the time to fill your head with extensive data, ushers you into the front seat of a whirlwind rollercoaster of a bullet-addled road trip. Touting both a flat screen version and a full-fledged virtual reality counterpart, the game quickly drops you into the fray and arms you to the teeth with high-powered weapons and a yoke. The rest, as you can imagine, is self explanatory: a high velocity vehicle bolts through various abstract districts and neon-lit boroughs of a sci-fi nature, and the player, armed and able, tackles deadly creatures whilst simultaneously evolving with the rolling mechanics and curveballs until the final checkpoint concludes the chapter. Thus, we have our signature gameplay cycle.

The game itself is spread out across a total of sixteen stages, with each stage offering a dynamic experience that’s equally booming with creatures, weapons, areas of interest, and monolithic bosses to thwart. The goal, however, doesn’t deviate much from the usual arcade shooter, by which I mean that it essentially involves beating enemies, preserving health, and acquiring better weapons to eliminate even tougher foes before securing the final bastion at the far end of the asphalt line. Think almost any stage-based arcade title ever, and you’ll have a vague idea of how this VR chapter plays its cards. Does it need any more than that? Not really, no, because it isn’t that sort of gig. Suffice it to say that, lack of depth aside, it wears its heart on its sleeve, and it doesn’t need to overcompensate.

Asphalt & Smoke

The stages themselves are pleasantly profound, thanks to each section being in receipt of its own collection of vigorous effects and high-octane elements. Is it a little too much to soak up? Maybe. But that doesn’t change the fact that, at least from a gameplay standpoint, the journey itself boasts a heck of a ride — and even in its less refined flat screen form, too, thankfully.

Granted, the general chaos of it all can unleash some rather messy moments, like when you swivel from one angle to the next; the setting often jitters and a few set pieces wobble in an unorthodox way. A small thing in an otherwise fluid experience, mind you — but a thing that also deserves to be brought to the table all the same. Aside from the occasional graphical glitch, though, Echo Wars pretty much plays in a smooth and seamless manner, which is always a welcome sign.

As for the actual act of driving and gunning, Echo Wars makes it so that you can juggle both balls at once. And not in a terrifyingly awkward way, either, but in a way that feels weirdly natural and satisfying. I’ll admit, it isn’t quite on the same level as a Mad Max clone, but it does at least manage to hold a small candle against the likes of Bulletstorm VR with its mindlessly aggressive combat and high-octane frills. It just throws in a weaponized vehicle and a cyberpunk overlay for good measure. And honestly, I just can’t fault that combination.

Verdict

Thanks to its anti-motion sickness infusions and simple-yet-provoking gunplay mechanics, Echo Wars quickly transcends the traditional arcade shooter style to become a powerful tool that will no doubt appeal to those with a craving for bloodshed and VR fantasy. It’s a little on the light side, narratively speaking, but its general lack of intriguing plot points and character development is thankfully overshadowed by a wealth of gripping battles and infectious vehicular combat encounters. Of course, it’s still a relatively short game, so you shouldn’t waltz into the front seat with the high expectations of uncovering a bulky campaign with all of the bells and whistles of a modern RPG. That said, for what it does bring to the dashboard, I’d say that it more than justifies the price tag, warts and all.

If you’re looking to bypass the baloney and jump straight into the action, then I could honestly think of a dozen or more reasons why you should consider Echo Wars. For the sake of cutting through the jargon, though, I’ll just leave you with this: if high-octane bullet hell-like arcade shooters are your cup of tea, then you’ll probably love joining the fray and getting your hands dirty in this galactic feud.