Consortium VR: An Airborne Mystery

Hello, ladies, gentlemen and those of a non-binary nature, my name is Daibhi, and this is the Gamerhub. Consortium VR is the first VR game I think I’ve reviewed for anyone, so please be patient with me. We all love a good mystery, don’t we? It’s why Clue (or Cluedo to us Brits) sells so many board games. The one thing you don’t find it crossing over with a lot of the time with however, is Science Fiction. Yes, there are episodes of Star Trek where that happens, and plenty of Doctor Who episodes where it happens, but that’s about it. This is where Consortium VR comes into play. Is it worth getting? Did I enjoy gaming in virtual reality? Would I regret taking this one up? All will be answered as I dove head first into the most unique game I’ve reviewed.

Consortium VR is actually a VR remaster of the game developed and published by Interdimensional Games Inc. The original game came out in 2014, and this is the remaster. I’ll admit, I didn’t play the original game, but it was a warmly received indie Game. To make sure I gave this game the fairest of reviews, I actually went into this game cold. Daniel and Lew both have done VR gaming for a lot longer than I have, and I didn’t want spoiled. So, I booked out Aberdeen VR and took the plunge.

Plot

Consortium VR takes place in the not-too-distant future, in a universe where planet earth is monitored by “peacekeepers” from above. On these spaceships, their job is to keep an eye on the planet below and make sure things don’t fall into sheer anarchy. Consortium VR puts you in the position of one of these “peacekeepers” (there isn’t enough inverted commas for that term). Before you know it, someone has been murdered on your ship. From there, an international incident threatening nuclear war starts, and you have to stop it. How? By solving the murder and investigating. Embracing your inner Sherlock Holmes and trusting absolutely nobody will help you. There are plenty of breadcrumbs to help you solve it, but attention to detail is paramount here.

I can’t really say too much more in this section of my review without spoiling it, as you are honestly not expecting the final results. There are many ways to go about this, and the average plot run-through is 7-10 hours, depending on how familiar with VR you are. Fortunately, the venue I used to get this review done had plenty of good staff to help me.

Graphics

I was warned by other folks not to expect miracles with VR gaming as the technology that makes it work isn’t old. I can however confirm that the graphic on Consortium VR are impressive. Consortium VR relies on you searching for clues and the geniuses over at Interdimensional Games Inc clearly put the time in. When you don your headset and get through the first bit of the game, you need to play close attention to everything you spot. This game is clearly built with that in mind, but beware: this is a murder mystery and Consortium VR doesn’t pull its punches in this department.

Speaking of graphics, while playing this game, you can really just take a couple of minutes and look. I mean really look. There’s so much crammed into this game that you could spend an age reading all the information printed around you. I can’t tell you if this is standard in VR games, as VR isn’t my purview. It’s very easy to get distracted in this game’s world, and I really enjoyed that.

There’s one thing I should point out: Consortium VR makes brilliant use of lighting. Consortium VR gets very atmospheric at times due to the lighting use. It creates almost cartoonish graphics, but realism isn’t what Consortium VR goes for. Crawling through small crawl spaces with flickering lights really does put you on edge at points here. There’s also a lot of use of neon lighting to add to the Sci-fi theme. The development team for this game really did a spectacular job here.

Accessibility

Okay: please bear with me here. As I’ve said before to you ‘Hubbers, VR isn’t my thing. So firstly: Aberdeen VR had some great tech and gave me some pointers on how to use their technology. You have to understand that I’m a noob at VR. I’ve used a Vive, but that’s about it. So the tech used was nice and accessible. The options given in Consortium VR is what we’re here to talk about any way. This game has a wealth of options available to gamers. I’m surprised given the price point for Consortium VR, but it’s an awesome surprise to have. For example: You can speak your options to Consortium VR should you choose to. This came in handy trying to get the game completed. It also is significantly less taxing than having to point and click.

Gameplay

Consortium VR has plenty of strengths in the gameplay as well as one noted negative point. For the sake of balance, I’m going to address the bad point first. During Consortium VR, your character can do all sorts of things. This includes barging past characters, and sometimes, they don’t react at all. I’ve never coded for a VR game, so I won’t criticise this too much, but I thought that I’d get more reactions from the other characters than the occasional turned head. It really does break your immersion in an otherwise fantastic game.

On a more positive note, the gameplay in Consortium VR is spectacular. From picking up clues, to interviewing people True Crime style, this game has plenty of gameplay options available to you to complete it. There’s a lot of exploring to be done in order to find your clues on this ship, and Consortium VR does a fantastic job in helping you get around.

There are also multiple ways of getting through the plot which I appreciated. Want to go all guns blazing in this game? You’re in luck. If you want to be very rude to the suspects in order to get what you want, then you’re catered for. If like me, you want to unleash your inner Jean-Luc Picard, then you can. There are many ways to get to the end of this whodunit, and they’re all wonderfully realised. Again, the development team really outdid themselves here. The gunplay here doesn’t really have that much weight when you do have to pick up the guns, but I think it’s to encourage you to pick a different route. You won’t be walking around afterwards with a thousand-yard-stare, that’s for sure.

Aberdeen VR?

Due to my lack of having technology for this game, I contacted my nearby University. They advised me that their alumnus had started a VR place in Aberdeen, and it’s in Gordon Square. After telling them what I had and that I needed to review Consortium VR, they were more than happy to help them. As well as four VR suites, they offer a range of escape rooms for groups and a wide range of snacks and refreshments. Seriously folks, thank you.

Conclusion

A murder mystery set on a spaceship, with many twists and turns along the way, Consortium VR has a great experience for everyone. The graphics are spectacular and atmospheric, the plot isn’t quite what you think. The gameplay is varied and encourages many playthroughs, and it’s convinced me to save up for VR, which is saying something. I really enjoyed the variety of ways you could play through Consortium VR. The highlight for yours truly was the sheer amount of detail packed into Consortium VR. It’s mind-boggling and I can only imagine how much time it took. It’s seriously impressive, and reminds me of the first two Batman Arkham games in this particular department.

Price wise: This game is an absolute steal at £20.99, and it’s well worth buying. For clarity, I have bought my copy of this game after reviewing it. Hats off to Interdimensional Games Inc, this game is a corker of a game, and I’m eager to enter the world of Consortium VR again.

Consortium VR: An Airborne Mystery