On September 24th of this year, a new PSVR game was shown off on State Of Play, called Stardust Odyssey. It peaked my interest because it featured ship mechanics, which reminded me of previous PSVR games such as Bow to Blood and Battlewake, which I enjoyed. So now that Stardust Odyssey is out, is it any good?
Stardust Odyssey is a PSVR game that has you taking control of a ship while scavenging for loot, and defending your ship against enemies. The game has a story that involves you trying to collect 9 different relics to get to a villain and stop him. It’s not a bad story, and there is a lot of lore for different parts of the world, but I thought it was just average.
The gameplay has you proceeding level by level collecting the 9 relics, and on the way you’ll be defeating countless enemies, unlocking special abilities and upgrades, and even fighting some boss battles. But before we talk about that, let’s get into the most important aspect of this game, the ship. The ship can be moved in any direction and controls extremely well. The game only supports the move controllers, and you’ll be using them to grab orbs in your ship. There’s an orb that you grab for steering the ship, orbs for different weapons and tools, and more. When you pick up an orb, you’ll just have to move your controller around to direct it. They made the ship very simple and easy to use, and I didn’t have any issues with it.
They keep the game fun throughout by introducing new mechanics in every level you play. In one level you’ll be fighting dark enemies and trying to stay in the light, and in the next you’ll be fighting a huge ship. You’ll also be constantly unlocking new spells to use to defend yourself in combat. The game can get pretty difficult at times, but luckily there are several checkpoints called lighthouses, and so when you die you can return to the latest lighthouse. You can also choose to come back to the level later, and you’ll be able to return to any of the lighthouses you have previously found.
Another big part of the game is purchasing upgrades. These can be found in the hub to help you along your journey. To purchase upgrades you’ll need to collect gold. You can collect gold by scavenging for loot from other ships. Each of the levels are linear, and usually have a lot of other ships traveling alongside you, so you’ll have to get behind them and steal their loot if they have any. Some ships can also contain ethers, which are used to unlock more levels.
And perhaps the most exciting part about the game is that you can play with a friend online. While playing multiplayer you both have controls to the ship, and so you’ll be able to work together to finish the levels. I personally didn’t get the chance to play multiplayer, but from what I’ve heard from the community it works really well and makes the game even more fun. I suggest you watch PSVR Without Parole, Shugghead Gaming, or The VR Grid’s reviews to hear more about the multiplayer.
So overall, Stardust Odyssey is a great game! It brings fun ship movement and combat, great visuals, a good multiplayer, simple controls, and unique mechanics. The only issue I did have is that I didn’t like how you had to collect ether to unlock more levels, but even that is just a minor issue. If you’re looking for a fun multiplayer game, or think you would enjoy controlling a ship while scavenging and fighting enemies, Stardust Odyssey is a great choice!
