Espire 1: VR Operative
- September 24, 2019
- Digital Lode
- 7h median play time
Espire 1's VR stealth is brimming with neat ideas, but the end product is slightly less than the sum of its parts.
Get on Steam"Espire 1: VR Operative" is a virtual reality stealth game where you become an Espire agent. Use a variety of weapons and gadgets to complete missions, and take advantage of the "Control Theatre" system to maintain immersion while managing motion sickness. The game features a single-player campaign with multiple challenges and leaderboards.
PC
Virtual Reality
Windows
Oculus Quest
Oculus VR
PlayStation
PlayStation VR
Reviews
- The game offers a unique VR stealth experience reminiscent of classic titles like Metal Gear Solid, allowing players to engage in both stealthy and action-oriented gameplay.
- The climbing mechanics and mobility options are well-implemented, providing a sense of freedom and physicality that enhances immersion.
- The voice command feature, allowing players to issue commands like 'freeze' to enemies, adds an interesting layer to the gameplay.
- The AI is inconsistent, often spotting players through walls or failing to react appropriately, which undermines the stealth experience.
- The comfort settings can be intrusive, with features like the 'Control Theatre' limiting the player's field of view and causing discomfort.
- The game suffers from various bugs and glitches, including issues with weapon handling and interactions, which can detract from the overall experience.
- story268 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally considered weak and unengaging, with many players noting its brevity and lack of depth, often completing it in around 4 to 7 hours. Players express frustration over the mandatory challenge missions that interrupt the main narrative, feeling that these detract from the overall experience. Additionally, the game ends on a cliffhanger, leaving many uncertain about a potential continuation, especially given the lack of updates and support for the PC version compared to its Quest counterpart.
“The story has potential; I really think they were on to something.”
“There's a story and it's not bad: your base is overrun by unknown military forces and completely sealed off, the only way you can kind of 'get in' is through establishing a link to a single functioning robotic body prototype.”
“The plot doesn't seem particularly deep, but it still feels like a great adventure.”
“The main campaign is simply too short, with only six missions total which I completed in six hours.”
“As for the campaign's story, it isn't really memorable or noteworthy.”
“One gripe I have is that the story ends on a cliffhanger and the game hasn't been updated since 2020, so I'm not sure if we'll ever see a conclusion.”
- gameplay196 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay experience is a mixed bag, with many players enjoying the core mechanics of stealth, climbing, and shooting, but expressing frustration over inconsistent AI, poor sound design, and a lack of polish in various mechanics. While some find the stealth action engaging and reminiscent of classic titles like Metal Gear Solid, others criticize the game for its repetitive gameplay loop and janky controls, particularly in VR. Overall, the game shows potential with its unique ideas and fun mechanics, but it feels unfinished and requires further refinement to fully realize its promise.
“There are a few pieces here and there that are rough but the actual gameplay experience is fantastic, and I would happily purchase this at full price.”
“I was pleasantly surprised by how fun the stealth action gameplay actually is, despite seeing the mixed reception on the game's Steam store page.”
“The main draw for me is the gameplay, which is fantastic.”
“Gameplay is really boring, there is no purpose.”
“The gameplay loop is pretty unrewarding, you just move from one area to the next.”
“This game feels unfinished, it's playable but stealth and AI are just not consistent, which in turn, makes the gameplay loop not very good.”
- graphics70 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting that while some elements are visually appealing, overall quality is inconsistent and often falls short of AAA standards. Issues such as bland environments, limited graphical settings, and occasional bugs detract from the experience, leading to an average rating around 6-7/10. While some players appreciate the smooth performance in VR and decent enemy animations, others criticize the game's aesthetic as feeling rushed and lacking polish.
“The graphics are smooth with my Pimax, and the use of VR has been impressive.”
“The game has very good graphics, professional voice acting, and a pretty good story.”
“Graphically, this game looks amazing and works very nicely.”
“Now setting that aside... this game looks horrible... graphics settings are limited textures and everything looked washed out (the only way of improving this is setting the pixel density to 200 or even 300 since the default 100 looks completely utter trash).”
“The graphics are really not that great and the environment is not really that interesting.”
“It feels wildly unfinished, like every menu feels like a temp mockup menu, and issues all around that make it feel like a game with graphics that were rushed to the finish line, lacking consistency, where some assets, like the hands, look like a pretty decent quality VR game but most of the assets I've seen through playing the first 50 minutes look like one of those crappy old Star Wars games from the early 90s, where everything is just the same asset repeated.”
- stability36 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been widely criticized for its instability, with many users describing it as a "buggy mess" and "unfinished experiment." Initial launch issues included frequent crashes, unresponsive controls, and problematic AI behavior, making it nearly unplayable for some. However, a recent update has improved stability somewhat, reducing glitches, though many still report ongoing issues that detract from the overall experience.
“Just don't buy this without knowing you're getting a buggy, incomplete experiment.”
“I'm personally going to ask for a refund since this is a broken product that can't be played as intended due to multiple glitches happening all the time.”
“Game is a buggy, unfinished mess with terrible controls, which is a shame because there's some really cool ideas in there that can't quite save the experience from being soured by these glaring issues.”
- music28 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's soundtrack, primarily composed of dynamic synthwave tracks that adapt to gameplay, is widely praised as a standout feature, with many calling it the best they've ever heard. However, the overall sound design has notable flaws, including inconsistent sound effects and distracting background noise that can detract from the experience. While the music and voice acting are of high quality, issues with sound localization and volume fluctuations have been highlighted as areas needing improvement.
“Probably the most standout part of the game was its soundtrack; every track in the game is a synthwave banger as it dynamically changes based on the alert level of the guards.”
“This soundtrack fits super well with the environment and the action.”
“This game literally has the best soundtrack I've ever heard.”
“The sound design is poor with your character's footsteps being incredibly loud, giant mechanical metal airlock-esque doors making no noise whatsoever when opened or closed, and music changing volume at seemingly random.”
“The game has a constant electronic buzz which is very loud and plays constantly to the point of causing headaches; it distracts from the dialog and music, as well as enemy sounds.”
“My only gripe is that the soundtrack isn't available for purchase on the Steam store page.”
- optimization22 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting excellent performance and no issues on less powerful VR setups, while others experienced significant stuttering and tearing, particularly on high-end hardware like the 4090 and Titan XP. Overall, many users appreciate the fast loading times and good visual quality, but concerns about performance inconsistencies and support for certain headsets remain.
“The game does have a lot of good in it, it's very well optimized and the gameplay is a lot of fun.”
“The game runs fine, optimization is very good, loading is very fast.”
“Very good performance and nice overall visual quality, full options as it should be, you can play seated, or standing, real crouch if you mind, comfort options etc...”
“Was unplayable on my 4090, lots of stuttering, tearing, and jumping regardless of CPU/GPU frametimes.”
“Performance was not that great on my Titan XP and overall just didn't look that great.”
“I only played it for a short while, so maybe things improve, but for now I won't recommend it due to poor index support and poor overall performance.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its high replayability, with players enjoying the fun and varied challenges that encourage multiple playthroughs. The presence of different progression paths adds to its replay value, making each session feel fresh and engaging. Overall, it offers a compelling experience that keeps players coming back for more.
“Fun VR stealth action game with high replayability.”
“The challenges are so replayable and fun every time.”
“I also like the fact that there are multiple ways forward, so I think there is actually some real replay value here, in trying out other ways of progressing through the air locks.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its engaging art direction and immersive sound design, featuring subtle audio cues that enhance the experience. It combines elements from iconic titles like Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell, creating a unique blend of stealth mechanics and vertical level design, while incorporating VR capabilities that add to the overall intensity and depth of the gameplay.
“The concept, art direction, and atmosphere are very cool. I love the design of the Espire units!”
“The sound design is good, with little hums and beeps during movement and atmospheric noises.”
“The atmosphere combines elements of Metal Gear Solid stealth mechanics, Splinter Cell vertical level design, and a bit of Deus Ex, enhanced by VR abilities to climb, punch, and throw objects.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional responses to the game are mixed, with some players feeling a sense of excitement and empowerment from the immersive camera mechanics, while others report discomfort and nausea, indicating a strong but varied emotional impact. The frustration with control sensitivity also suggests that technical issues can detract from the overall emotional experience.
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its setting within Australia's intelligence agency, which users find amusing. Additionally, the developers' apparent disregard for player concerns—such as banning inquiries about game updates—adds a layer of dark humor to the overall experience.
“The fact that it's set in Australia's intelligence agency is pretty hilarious.”
“Devs don’t care about us, banning people for asking where their money is, lol that's just funny.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Users express confusion and frustration regarding the monetization aspect, questioning its necessity and relevance as a key feature of the game.
“I don't understand why this was implemented and can't see how it's a key feature worth promoting.”
“The monetization strategy feels excessive and detracts from the overall experience.”
“It seems like the game prioritizes profit over player enjoyment with its aggressive monetization tactics.”
