Story and Gameplay
One of the most unique challenges in gaming today is digging through the absolute avalanche of titles that hits us on a weekly basis. While I would definitely never complain, it does present the need to dig through and weed out, especially on VR platforms, the games that are not just worth your hard-earned greenbacks and these days, ever more importantly, your time. Luckily, Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife is up there with Half Life: Alyx as one of the most solid VR experiences to date. The game is really that good and it was a terrifying privilege to play and a title that every Oculus/VR owner should experience
While I enjoy some horror experiences here and there, Wraith set in the World of Darkness universe hooked me from the very beginning with a strong atmosphere of dread that strikes right of the bat. Playing as photographer Ed Miller you start off in the afterlife returning to the creepy Barclay Mansion to wrap up some unfinished business. While being summoned to a mansion to start out a game may sound cliché, you realize that with Wraith, you are in for a different type of ride fairly quickly. This is not one of your average, gimmicky jump scare VR titles. Some of the themes especially about suicide are disturbing so, be warned. Overall, It’s a stellar, slow burn horror adventure that ups the Virtual Reality ante.
The Barclay Mansion is an atmospheric masterpiece that doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares to get under your skin.
The game controls have enough options to really help those that get motion sick or not at all on VR platforms. On our Oculus Quest 2, the controls and options were near perfect and after a few moments, everything felt natural and flowed smoothly. As you navigate through the mansion and realms of madness, the gameplay is especially solid when interacting with the details of the mansion and seeing the grisly effects on your arms, hands and body really stand out. While there was some frustration while handling said objects, it wasn’t a deal breaker by any means. Wraith is definitely one of the most polished experiences on VR in the story and gameplay departments.
Explore. Duck. Run. Hide. You get a nice variety of creepy scenarios that shine in VR.
Visuals and Sounds
While anything on the Oculus Rift and Quest platforms are not going to outdo the highest end VR headsets, Wraith’s dark, realistic worlds are definitely one of the more detailed and impressive experiences we’ve had on our Quest 2. The visual effects are the star of the show here from lighting and twisted moments that are once again, platform best to be sure. I wish some of the textures were more detailed but at this point, that’s just nit-picking because what the game is going for here is atmosphere and the visuals here definitely nail that. Animations and especially interacting with objects are fantastic.
While the visuals are extremely good in the game, the audio is even better with some chilling effects and surprisingly good voice acting throughout. Once again, not really on cheap scares the dread and atmosphere are brought to life with high quality audio that will frighten you so, dim the lights, crank that sound and enjoy.
There Will Be Blood.
Replayability and What Could Be Better
Games like Wraith aren’t really something that I am going to play multiple times and that’s ok as the experience is satisfying and meaty enough to be “one and done”., That being said, it’s definitely a showcase for VR when people visit and have never strapped on a headset or want to be impressed with one of the more polished VR experiences out there.
While I have praised Wraith quite a bit, there are a few niggles in the object interaction departments, some cheap feeling dying moments that feel a bit frustrating and some textures that are of low quality, especially when some are such high resolution. Finally, I still wish someone could nail VR movement striking that perfect balance of fluidity without getting sick.
Conclusion
In a world filled with cheap, shovelware VR experiences, Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife stands out of the crowd and climbs to the top ranks as one of the best VR titles I’ve played yet. Atmosphere and setting are so important in horror and while the game itself isn’t perfect, the experience nails what VR is all about and shows the potential of the platform when polish and production values are this high. If you have an Oculus Rift or Quest 2 headset, this is a must buy.
Wraith is available now for Oculus platforms and is coming soon to PC/Steam.
