One of VR’s Finest Games | Compound Review
More People Should be Enjoying a Staple of My VR Sessions
More People Should be Enjoying a Staple of My VR Sessions
Compound is a staple of my VR sessions. I love using my Quest to burn calories, so exercise is usually the goal, but at the end of my session, it’s nice to boot up something for a bit to wind down. Compound has been perfect for that, and has been played much more than the other games I’ve fit into this slot of time! It’s challenging, fun, and something I definitely recommend.
Compound is a roguelike where you’ll be shooting bad guys in, you guessed it, a Compound. There are a bunch of differently themed floors to traverse through, each randomly generated, with their own smattering of enemies, and you’ll find guns and ammo along the way. You die, and it’s back to the beginning.
The roguelike structure of the game lends itself to easily be played in short bursts. I can clear a stage in 5 minutes or less, and I can save my progress to continue from there if needed. But usually, I’m so engaged in the run that I keep playing for 30 minutes, to an hour.
It has relatively simple mechanics, but that’s a part of the charm of it. It’s indie in a retro way that just feels right. Reload actions are quick and easy to do, swapping weapons is on a button press, and dodging bullets is as easy as moving out of the way, either digitally or physically. There’s really not much more to it!
So I think it must be the variety of Compound that makes it truly compelling. A perfect amount of weapons. Difficulty that’s tuned just right. A change of scenery every two stages. Good enemy AI. A nice amount of achievements to chase. The developers understand one thing I wish more VR games did, and it’s that they focus more on the mechanics and game feel than realism. This occasionally means sacrificing some common VR game trends, but I believe it lends to a more fun and engaging experience.
It’s always pretty cheap, and the game size is relatively small (something my cheap, low storage Quest 2 unit appreciates deeply) and I’ve never had game breaking glitches or slowdowns.
If you’re looking for a nice little package of a game to play in-between games or want a fun VR roguelike that you can fit into smaller game sessions I highly recommend you give Compound a try. It’s quick, fun, difficult, and has that “one more run” energy that I think will resonate with a lot of players.
Originally published at https://backloggd.com.