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Fated: The Silent Oath: It is not often that I get to review a VR game so when the opportunity comes around, it is always a new and enjoyable experience. In this case, it’s a short, two-hour game, which is more an experience than a game.
The game is set in a fictional Viking world where you take the body of a young married man, brought back from the dead in order to save the day. In exchange for your God-like resurrection, you forfeit your voice. A clever twist considering the VR doesn’t have sound recognition. The short story unfolds with you being the one person who can look after your family.
Graphics aren’t always the most important part of a game, and that is quite lucky for the VR at the moment. This game opts for cel-shaded graphics (probably to hide the limitations) which are accurately used in games like Zelda, Ni No Kuni and Guilty Gear. On the basis of them looking okay. However, I found myself quite frustrated with them. First of all, I was constantly reminded of the film Frozen. This was a big issue for me as I can’t say that I particularly liked said film… Even the characters reminded me of it. As you travel to the nearby village, you start to see the lack of colours on offer in this game. Frustratingly, this made my experience quite dull and didn’t give the game any stand-out features. Infuriatingly, it had the potential to astound you with the graphics, but instead it was relatively boring.
I also had one graphical technical issue in which the game kept on cutting with a white line. I’m not 100% sure this is the game, itself, or my PSVR/TV situation, but I’ve not had this with any other PSVR titles. The line would only flash up once in a while, but was quite annoying and, at times, spoilt the excellent immersion this game offered.
When I write about gameplay, I normally focus on the controller sensitivity and the movement of your character, but my focus will be slightly different, here. As you are in control of a character, the most important gameplay focus is his movement. You control most of the looking with your head. When you look around, so does your character and I must say this helps immerse you within the game/experience. The problem comes when you want to move in different directions. You have to turn the second analogue and it feels very jolted. I could never quite settle this issue and this made the limited action parts (shooting an arrow) quite disjointed.
– Direct-Feed Games
On a more positive note, when you walk forward using the main analogue, it does indeed feel like you’re within the game and moving. The tip is to just not touch the second analogue. You may not get very far, but you will definitely get the sense of being a part of the game. Another issue is the lack of me actually finding a way to run – I tried everything including actually running and couldn’t find how to move any quicker than the protagonist’s slow walk. What I really liked, however, is that when you answer the questions in the game, you get to shake your head or nod; Although such a novelty, this feature was enjoyable.
The sound, although not offering much, helps you enjoy the Fated experience. It uses sounds which immerse you in the game and help you understand the life of a Viking. The animal noises, as well as those noises of the forest, all sound realistic. The voice acting is sturdy, although a little bland. There’s no music, but this helps give you the realistic feel of the Viking life.
When it comes to enjoyment, it’s worth mentioning the importance of the story – whether you have a child or not, you’ll find this it quite empowering, becoming one with the story. This is very telling, considering the game itself has lots of different problems which stand in the way of your experience of it. Saying this, I was brought close to tears – the first game which has done that since Final Fantasy 7.
In addition, it has to be mentioned that this game only lasts around two hours and costs £9.99. It offers very little replay and you will find yourself completing this in one setting and then never playing it again. Overall, it is up to you to decide whether you think this is worthwhile.
Graphics: 5 – had potential but are too bland
Sound: 7 – nothing standout but full of deeply immersive sound
Gameplay: 6 – some good elements but the movement lacks the finer details
Enjoyment: 8 – not even its faults can get in the way of the experience this game offers
Overall: 6.5 – An experience but not so much a game.
Fated: The Silent Oath is out now on PS4 (PSVR) and Steam (Oculus Rift, HTC Vive).
Important info:
- Publisher: Frima
- Players: single-player
- HDTV options: up to 1080p
- Sound: DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
|
GRAPHICS SOUND GAMEPLAY ENJOYMENT |
5 7 6 8 |
| OVERALL | 6.5 |
I have been a video game player since 1993 and a music fan since I can remember. I studied Film and Journalism at university and ended up becoming a Primary School teacher. Video games changed my life and sent me on the right track and have stayed with me ever since.