Price at Time Of Review: £4.49 ($6)
Comfort Rating: Green (No Movement)
Genre: Strategy
Supported Platforms: Oculus Rift, Rift S
Supported Controllers: Oculus Touch
Best Playing Position: Standing, Sitting,
Multi-Player: Yes
Age Rating: PG
Description: With multiple game types you will need to take over 150 enemy controlled hexagons to beat the game and become Fleet Admiral. Losing a battle will mean you can’t continue down that path. Lose enough times and you will be cut off and unable to continue your game.
Review: I was never very good at placing my ships down strategically while playing Hasbro’s board game version of Battleships. My brain needed order and alignment and this game requires chaos, randomness and strategic cunning, none of which I had. So move forward a few years and we are now in the realms of VR gaming and Focus VR Ltd has decided to release Salvo on the Oculus Rift that is pretty much that classic game of Battleships only in VR.
While the game itself is pretty much unchanged, the playing arena is what makes this version so special. You play in some sort of underwater room and you are surrounded by all sorts of deep sea monsters. From whales, sharks to giant octopi. If there is one thing you can’t take away from this game it is how good it looks. The way you play the game hasn’t changed much since it was made in 1915, but this version is the best I have ever seen.
They could have made this battleships remake a lot simpler looking using just the Oculus Remote as an input device. But they didn’t and went all out with some great visuals, good sound effects and full Oculus Touch support. Sure the controls are a little touchy at times and the AI seems to be set very high. Also, the lack of online multiplayer is a shame. But I still love it and would recommend any fan of the original board game download it immediately.
