The Unspoken
Review
In the past couple of years, Insomniac have really gone and put their all into the PC market, with their foray into the indie gaming scene back in 2015; this next title is a VR exclusive, designed specifically for the Oculus Rift and its VR-Touch accessories. Even though Insomniac have been well known for their console exclusives, their first jump into the VR side of things has well and truly proved that if you want a game done well; then leave it up to Insomniac Games!
Before delving too deep into the biggest elements of the game, I’m going to touch upon the one that’s the least appealing: the story. Well, while I do say the story is unappealing, that technically isn’t true. The story and the world around The Unspoken is quite interesting; it’s operating under the pretence that almost everyone you’ve ever met could potentially be a wizard – a spell caster – but you would never know, due to the strict rules that embody the world of magic. From a quick glance, the story behind The Unspoken is really quite interesting, but the problem with it is that at no point does it ever get developed, which is due to the game being exclusively for PVP multiplayer and has no resemblance of a campaign mode anywhere in the entire game. This is easily one of the biggest issues with the game, and that’s only because the game doesn’t give you the chance to explore the world around you and see how this world would really look like if that next stranger you met on the train could sling a fireball from the palm of his hand!
Even though the game is almost exclusively PVP, online multiplayer, there is a training mode that doesn’t require you to be online to give you the chance to get a decent feel for the controls before you take your newfound powers into the wizarding world! Despite this, it’s little more than something to practice with if you feel yourself getting rusty and is definitely a part of the game you can completely ignore if you don’t care for it.
As I’m sure you can imagine by now, being a spell caster is pretty damn cool, as pretty much anything in your nearby vicinity can be picked up, charged, and thrown at your opponent. You’re given a whole host of abilities for you to put to the test, some being offensive and others being defensive; all depending on your preferred playstyle. With the focus on allowing the player to effectively play to their playstyle, it gives them the chance to change their approach with every combat scenario they get into, to see which one is the most enjoyable for you as the player.
One element that the game deserves some serious credit for is the interesting creativity that’s gone into the game and while there may be the typical spells you might see out of any RPG; there are also others that you might not ever even of considered until now. For instance, you can craft a paper-aeroplane in the midst of battle, fling it towards your opponent, and watch as it turns into a whole fleet of them dropping bombs onto your opponent. It’s this creativity in the game that makes it that much more interesting from a longevity standpoint.
From a controls perspective the game does a nice job of making it feel like you’re really there, casting spells and looking like the magic badass that you are. Controls don’t take long at all to learn how to use, and after the tutorial you’ll have a pretty decent grasp on what needs to be done. Currently, the only detriment I’ve found with the controls so far is the lack of free flowing movement, as the game restricts you to one spot the entire time. Throughout all of your duels, you’re expected to attack and defend all from the same spot, with the occasional option to teleport to another place on the map to dodge an attack, but that’s all done at the press of a button. It disappoints me to some degree that I can’t run around the battle arena, dodging enemy attacks and returning my own back to them. In the grand scheme of things it’s not the biggest deal, but it does affect the experience to some degree; for some people more than others.
Overall, The Unspoken is a truly interesting foray into the VR world, and it just goes to show that Insomniac Games knows their stuff when it comes to creating new IP’s. The Unspoken does have a couple of issues here and there, but when you consider just how incredibly fun it is to hurl a bin at your opponent, watching them flail in panic trying to defend themselves from it; then you know you’ve got a good game and a good time on your hands.
Guide
With close to any online, multiplayer game, it’s good to have a few tips and tricks going into it, to make sure that you don’t get completely eradicated during your first few matches. These may not necessarily be a substitute to skill, but they are a way to make up for it until you manage to cross them together with your newfound abilities and reactions.
First of all, get a decent overview of your surroundings. You’ll be at a much higher advantage against your opponent if you can locate some of the nearest environmental weapons to use at your disposal and to keep your opponent guessing throughout almost the entire fight.
Secondly, if you don’t know exactly how your abilities work or at least not to the degree where you feel actually competent with them, then make sure to hit up the practice mode. You can spend as much time as you like in the practice mode and it gives you the chance to test out exactly how certain spells work, how the enemy might react to them, the speed of them – whether they’re fast or slow launching – and it’s always a good way of noticing the flaws in those spells if your opponent ends up using them against you.
Lastly, you’re bound to come up against a wide variety of opponents through your time in The Unspoken, and just like in any other online PVP game, make sure to adapt to their playstyle. If they decide to be aggressive, play a little more defensive, and if they decide to counteract that, attack aggressively to catch them off guard and reduce their chances of landing any decent hits to zilch! You don’t need to rush into every match online, as you’re given plenty of time to see how your opponent likes to play and it will give you the opportunity to learn their strategy and what the best way to defeat it is. The more you learn to look out for that particular strategy, the faster you’re going to know how to counter it every time you come across it. Treat every match like a learning experience – doesn’t matter if you win or lose – and you’ll be able to improve a lot more than spamming spells and hoping for the best.
There’s only so much hints and tips can get you in these sorts of games, but if you try and focus on a couple of these, especially the last one then you’re going to be starting the game with an advantage that many players might not initially receive; giving you the edge on the competition from there on out.
