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The largest drawback with Murderer’s Creed Nexus VR, a VR (digital actuality) entry on the long-running stealth motion collection solely for Meta Quest headsets, is that it feels extra supplemental than any fully-fledged Murderer’s Creed installment. All of the franchise’s key mechanics are properly represented, be that the trademark parkour, delightfully slick hidden blades, or these iconic leaps of religion from excessive vantage factors into close by piles of hay, however the concentrate on current protagonists and acquainted settings holds it again.
Overview information
Platform reviewed: Meta Quest 2
Out there on: Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest Professional
Launch date: November 16, 2023
It is a sport that doesn’t actually have its personal distinct identification, seeming extra like a ‘better of’ compilation geared in direction of current followers quite than one thing that, like lots of the finest VR video games, newcomers is perhaps incentivized to choose up a brand new VR headset with the intention to play. It’s a disgrace as, in any other case, this can be a remarkably strong VR expertise elevated by some critically spectacular parts like its huge maps, formidable size, and abundance of aspect content material, and solely a handful of frustrations to beat.
Clip compilation
Not like a standard Murderer’s Creed expertise, Nexus VR is split into distinct episodes that alternate between protagonists from a number of the finest Murderer’s Creed video games.
You start in 1500s Italy, catching up with fan-favorite Ezio Auditore years after the occasions of Murderer’s Creed 2. Your property has been infiltrated by bandits and your first activity is to navigate by means of its hidden passages and retrieve your stolen gear. These early segments are very linear, introducing you to the parkour techniques (essentially the most spectacular a part of which sees you capable of seize onto virtually any floor and hoist your self alongside like some form of spider monkey) and outlining the fight mechanics in some encounters with primary armed goons.
The parkour works fantastically, channeling that simulated physicality that makes VR climbing experiences like Horizon Name of the Mountain so satisfying, however the fight by no means felt fairly proper to me. It’s advantageous on paper, at its most simple stage it challenges you to carry your sword within the right path of an incoming hit to dam it or swing as an enemy strikes for a parry.
Sadly, the collision detection appears off and irrespective of how laborious I concentrate on holding my sword in the proper locations, it at all times looks as if a fifty % probability that it could really register correctly. This was regardless of a number of makes an attempt to recalibrate the sport to my peak and place within the settings menu.
There’s an opportunity that this was attributable to the truth that I used to be taking part in on the marginally older Meta Quest 2 headset, which doesn’t have as superior monitoring capabilities because the Meta Quest 3, nevertheless it’s not one thing that I’ve skilled whereas attempting some other VR sport to date.
Tons to do
Mercifully, you’re not anticipated to struggle your approach by means of each single encounter and also you’re quickly thrust into the traditional sandals of Kassandra – the protagonist from Murderer’s Creed Odyssey. Exploring the Greek island of Delos in about 400 BC, her sections are simply the perfect of the bunch and impressively open regardless of their small measurement. Whilst you at all times have an goal on display screen to pursue, there are a great deal of elective aspect actions that imply you could simply squeeze far more out of the already meaty 13 or so-hour runtime.
There are improbable parkour challenges which have you ever racing by means of a collection of checkpoints on tight closing dates, collectibles that unlock attention-grabbing historic info to browse, and loads of hidden relics to trace down in secret chests. Even for those who solely concentrate on the principle duties, you’re fully free to strategy targets as you would like which is the place the stealth actually begins to shine. It’s nothing vastly advanced, however crouching behind bins and throwing distractions to lure close by guards over for a one-hit hidden blade takedown was by no means not satisfying, and actually felt like I used to be embodying an murderer.
There’s a variety of mileage in experimenting together with your arsenal of helpful instruments like smoke bombs, throwing knives, or your bow too, and I’m nonetheless eager to dive again in for extra sneaking motion even now that the credit have rolled. On high of Ezio and Kassandra’s tales, there are a handful of missions the place you play as Ratonhnhaké:ton, or Connor, within the build-up to the American Revolution.
Connor was at all times my least favourite Murderer’s Creed protagonist and, sadly, he’s nonetheless simply as unappealing in Murderer’s Creed Nexus VR. His monotone voice traces are devoted to his unique characterization in Murderer’s Creed 3 however are obviously uncharismatic when introduced between the amusing innuendos distributed by Ezio and the brash confidence of Kassandra. His aggressive, edgy angle to even essentially the most inoffensive non-playable characters (NPCs) usually made me cringe too – that is one hero in all probability finest left in 2012.
Greatest bit
When taking part in as Connor you will have entry to his tomahawk quite than your regular sword. This opens up some nice new gameplay prospects, like throwing it in the course of a struggle to stun your opponent or tossing it at unsuspecting guard patrols from a hidden location for long-range stealth takedowns.
These three plotlines are all introduced collectively by an overarching storyline set in the actual world that’s centered across the futuristic Animus (the system that permits you to look into the previous) and the seemingly limitless battle between the traditional order of Assassins and the evil Templars. It’s a thread that has run by means of the collection for the reason that starting and, whereas it begins participating sufficient in Nexus (and makes attention-grabbing use of your headset’s entrance digicam for a novel augmented actuality impact), it quickly devolves into characters standing in virtually clean environments lecturing you on the battle for prolonged intervals of time once you’d a lot quite be doing actually the rest.
I usually resorted to sitting on the ground of my lounge whereas these performed out and would have seemingly skipped them completely have been I not evaluating the sport for the aim of this evaluate. The true-world storyline has at all times been a sticking level in Murderer’s Creed video games, a lot in order that the upcoming Murderer’s Creed Shadows has merely opted to relegate it completely to a separate menu, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a giant disgrace that it’s simply so uninteresting right here.
As I’ve beforehand talked about, I skilled the entire of Murderer’s Creed Nexus VR on the Meta Quest 2 headset. That is removed from the corporate’s newest providing (the flagship Meta Quest 3 or much more budget-oriented Meta Quest 3S), however the visuals nonetheless handle to be a spotlight.
It isn’t excellent, with just a few cutbacks to general picture high quality and the decision of textures, however the shiny sunny streets of Italy or Greece and the moody fog of colonial America oozes with ambiance. This is able to, nevertheless, appear much more spectacular if these weren’t well-worn settings that we now have seen represented in much more life-like element by different video games within the collection.
This all raises the query, is Murderer’s Creed Nexus VR price taking part in? The nice graphics and stellar stealth would undoubtedly counsel so despite the wonky fight, particularly given the comparatively low $39.99 / £34.99 worth of admission. In case you’re an current fan of Murderer’s Creed like me, there’s additionally some further enjoyment in revisiting acquainted characters from video games passed by (sure, even Connor) – although an unique setting and forged would undeniably be far more interesting and approachable to newcomers.
Ought to I play Murderer’s Creed Nexus VR?
Play it if…
Don’t play it if…
Accessibility
Murderer’s Creed Nexus VR has a number of accessibility options designed to enhance your consolation in VR. There’s a devoted accessibility menu with options comparable to hand stabilization, a number of management layouts, and extra. The sport has 4 completely different consolation presets to select from, with the choice for steady movement or teleportation motion. The sport additionally affords a concern of heights mode, which provides a visual flooring beneath your character once you’re excessive up within the digital world. On high of this, your complete sport will be performed whereas seated.
You even have the choice of turning on a vignette or digital nostril, which may help forestall movement illness. There’s a devoted crouch button and the sport may also be performed both seated or standing. There are additionally a number of problem ranges to select from. So far as VR video games go, these are a number of the most fully-featured and complete accessibility choices that I’ve ever seen – so props to Ubisoft right here.
How I reviewed Murderer’s Creed Nexus VR
I performed Murderer’s Creed Nexus VR for over 13 hours utilizing a Meta Quest 2 headset. Throughout that point I accomplished the missions of the principle story and in addition spent a bit of additional time exploring the extra open areas of the world to trace down collectibles.
My playthrough primarily centered on stealth, although I used to be additionally cautious to judge the standard of the fight by participating in just a few head-on fights.
First reviewed March 2025
