Star Wars Pinball VR

About

"Star Wars Pinball VR" brings the classic pinball experience to virtual reality, featuring a variety of tables set in the Star Wars universe. With immersive 3D environments and authentic sound effects, players can become part of the action as they battle against the dark side or join forces with the rebels. This game is a must-have for fans of both pinball and Star Wars, offering a unique and interactive way to explore the galaxy.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

34%

Audience ScoreBased on 131 reviews

story7 positive mentions

graphics11 negative mentions

The game features a fun and immersive Star Wars-themed environment with a variety of pinball tables to play.
The addition of a customizable 'Fan Cave' allows players to collect and display items, enhancing the overall experience.
Gameplay mechanics are solid, and the tables provide enjoyable challenges for both pinball and Star Wars fans.

The game lacks support for many VR controllers, forcing players to rely on gamepads, which diminishes the VR experience.
Graphics are subpar compared to previous titles, with low resolution textures and a blurry appearance, making it feel like a rushed port from the Quest version.
Technical issues, such as crashing and problems with Oculus software, have been reported, leading to frustration among players.

graphics
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
64%
19%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the low resolution and lack of graphical options, particularly in comparison to older titles like Pinball FX2 VR. While some users have found ways to enhance visuals through external tools and settings, the overall consensus is that the graphics feel dated and poorly optimized for PC VR, resembling a mobile experience. Despite some positive remarks about the aesthetic design and immersive elements, the general sentiment leans towards disappointment due to the visual fidelity not meeting expectations for a modern VR title.
- “There is a really great game here with good use of properties for both visuals and the audio/music.”
- “Using virtual desktop on ultra settings, it gave me much sharper graphics than the Quest version, easily comparable to Pinball FX2 VR on PCVR.”
- “The graphics are gorgeous though - they really make use of VR with all the moving parts, flying spaceships, and whatnot.”
- “The graphics look like someone has smeared vaseline all over your lenses and the ball moves in erratic ways, even flickering when near the flippers. I will happily buy again when all this is fixed; in the meantime, I'm off to refund after 2 tables and 5 minutes of play.”
- “The graphics aren't as good as the other Zen tables, with blurry textures and low poly counts.”
- “This game has poor graphics and no knuckles support, which is disappointing.”
story
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
76%
7%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, primarily due to its perceived status as a subpar port from the Quest 2 version, resulting in low-quality graphics and technical issues. Many users express disappointment with the game's performance on PC, noting that it feels optimized for standalone Quest use rather than for a tethered experience, leading to frustration with controller compatibility and overall visual fidelity. Despite these criticisms, some players still find enjoyment in the gameplay and challenges offered.
- “There's a good deal of achievement and quest-related challenges to keep you playing, highly recommended.”
- “The game is fun and the idea is great, but this is a sad port of the quest version with low quality textures and polygons, and poor lighting and effects.”
- “I was excited that Star Wars Pinball VR was coming to Steam; I prefer to buy all my Oculus Quest 2 VR games on Steam.”
- “Terrible port - when it works it's far better than the native Quest 2 version, but it destroys the Oculus software and you have to manually kill the application in Task Manager as it will not close on its own. Needs more attention from the dev team.”
- “It's a lazy PC port with Oculus Quest graphics, utterly disappointing.”
- “I found out this is optimized for Oculus Quest standalone and not for a tethered headset.”
gameplay
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
37%
16%
The gameplay offers a blend of traditional pinball mechanics and an engaging career mode with various challenges across different tables, enhancing the overall experience. While the VR simulation provides an immersive feel, some users noted issues with visual fidelity compared to previous versions, and concerns about UI design and locomotion quality. Overall, the gameplay is praised for its fun and responsive table mechanics, particularly with new themed tables like the Mandalorian, despite some graphical and design shortcomings.
- “Besides the normal gameplay of any 3-ball pinball games, you can play additionally a career mode that will give you an increasing number of challenges to beat on different tables.”
- “I truly value Zen Studios' efforts on adding an additional layer of joy to the player that is around the core pinball gameplay.”
- “The tables are fun and the gameplay seems to respond and feel like a real table.”
- “Besides the normal gameplay of any three-ball pinball games, you can play an additional career mode that will give you an increasing number of challenges to beat on different tables.”
- “It feels like an additional show added over the pinball gameplay itself.”
- “I love all of the actual gameplay that this has to offer, even with the graphical degradation compared to Pinball FX2 VR, but until this gets addressed, I can't play this game without reinstalling all of my software afterwards.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised for its smooth performance, especially on high-end systems like the 1080, allowing for additional activities like gameplay recording. However, some users express disappointment over the lack of graphic and performance options, noting that the game seems primarily optimized for the Oculus Quest. Additionally, a third-party tool, the fholger VR performance toolkit, is recommended for those seeking to enhance graphics further.
- “Regarding performance, the game plays amazing!!!!”
- “The performance is great.”
- “On both cases the game worked without hiccups for me and I had plenty of performance to even record some more gameplay when I used my 1080.”
- “Unfortunately, the developers decided to give no graphic/performance options at all and optimized it for the Oculus Quest.”
- “Unfortunately, the developers decided to give no graphic/performance options at all and optimized it for the Oculus Quest.”
- “There is also a thing on GitHub you can download that will also improve graphics called Fholger VR Performance Toolkit.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
29%
14%
The music in the game is highly praised, featuring original soundtracks from Star Wars that enhance the overall experience, although some players prefer the film scores over the variations presented. The combination of great audio, sound effects, and the option to customize music through a jukebox adds to the enjoyment, making it a standout aspect of the game.
- “There is a really great game here with good use of properties for both visuals and the audio/music.”
- “Original soundtracks from Star Wars are great.”
- “I love the variety of pinball tables, amazing music (as expected), sound effects and cool room which you can decorate, showcase your achievements.”
- “I suppose I could disable the music and use the jukebox to play what I want?”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report significant stability issues, with frequent bugs and glitches, particularly on Oculus Rift, leading to frustration. Despite these problems, some appreciate the game's content and theme, though the instability detracts from the overall experience.
- “Super frustrating, and I'd return it if I could. It breaks everything, and the troubleshooting takes you past the return window, so I'm a proud owner.”
- “It's a little buggy and glitchy on Oculus Rift, but it's a pretty good collection of Star Wars tables, and the 'collector' theming is sound.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers highlight that the game offers significant replayability due to the diverse and engaging tables, along with additional incentives to revisit them beyond just gameplay. This combination enhances the overall experience and encourages players to return frequently.
- “The tables themselves already have a ton of replay value, but adding more reasons to play them outside of the tables is even better.”
- “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to return, making the replayability quite low.”
- “After a few playthroughs, the lack of variety in gameplay mechanics really diminishes the desire to replay.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the career/challenge mode to be well-structured and enjoyable, as it effectively balances the need to level up force powers for arcade mode without feeling overly tedious.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and tedious, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I find myself repeating the same tasks over and over just to level up, which takes away from the enjoyment.”
- “The amount of grinding required to progress is overwhelming and detracts from the overall experience.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers express disappointment with the lack of realistic reflections for metal and glass, as well as insufficient atmospheric lighting and shadow effects. They also note that detailed textures are not as immersive as expected, even when viewed up close.
- “The game immerses you in a world filled with stunning reflections on metal and glass, complemented by local atmospheric lighting and shadows that create a truly captivating experience.”
- “The detailed textures are so impressive that you can appreciate them even when you move your head close to them, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- “The atmosphere is enriched by the interplay of light and shadow, making every environment feel alive and engaging.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, indicating that players feel the game prioritizes profit over player experience.
- “This was clearly a cash grab.”
- “The monetization system feels exploitative and unfair.”
- “I can't enjoy the game without being bombarded by ads and in-app purchases.”