Viveport Review:  Apex Construct

Stunning graphics and excellent combat are combined with immersive movement and a great sense of presence in Apex Construct.

By Joshua Hawkins, Greenlit Content

A sense of presence can make or break virtual reality experiences. Not only does presence make the entire experience more immersive, but it also helps to create a thriving and realistic world around the player. This is extremely important when you set out to bring games like Apex Construct to life, and developers Fast Travel Games did an outstanding job of creating a great title that brings together many great elements.

Combat is a huge part of the gameplay in Apex Construct, and as you explore the different environments, you’ll need to fend off robotic enemies of varying difficulty. Now, the main weapon of choice here is a bow and arrows that you fire from it. This feels extremely smooth to interact with, and you can even shield yourself—or duck and dodge—to keep their shots from hitting you. It’s a simple process that happens with a press of a button on the controller, which means it’s easy to dive into and get the hang of. Of course, mastering the art of the bow will take some time, so be prepared to practice and retry missions if you want to get great at combat.

Unlike other virtual reality experiences out there, Apex Construct attempts to harness some of the finer qualities of regular games out there. The game has various secrets and collectibles hidden throughout, which encourages players to explore and look inside of cubbies, drawers, and rooms that they come across.

Progression is usually locked behind doors, which require codes, or different powering devices to open. This gives players different types of puzzles to solve, and you can even interact with and search through the information on computer terminals to learn more about the story. As far as story goes, the basic premise is intriguing, and is something that will probably catch the eyes of science fiction fans who give the game a chance.

Brought back from the void by ‘Father’, you must find a way to defeat the robots that have taken over the world and stop ‘Mother’. As you dive deeper into the game, you learn more about these two ‘parental figures’, which creates some great drama and conflict within the story.

When it comes to visuals and performance, Apex Construct is by far one of the smoothest games I’ve played. The visuals are beautiful, the animations all feel on point, and moving around within the world is as smooth as you could hope for. This is probably one of the few games that I’ve just wanted to keep playing and keep playing. I didn’t want to leave, but I needed to in order to write this review.

If you’re looking for a great science fiction game with tons of content and exploration to offer, as well as a great combat system, then Apex Construct is a must-have. It’s one of the best games available on the HTC Vive right now, and not playing it means you’re missing out on one of the best experiences out there.

Apex Construct is available on Viveport.