VR game libraries certainly have a plethora of good titles, big and small but not all have the longevity of others. Population: One offers plenty by bringing the mainstream trend of battle royales and brings it to the VR interactive. A smart choice to make even with it not being free to play and sitting at a $40 price point. With it offering the chance to be inside a battle royale, it’d be hard for fans of the genre to pass up, especially when it plays as well as Population: One does.
GOOD
Population: One starts by dropping you and your two teammates onto a map to loot weapons, health, shields, and resources to prepare for the fights ahead. Queues are taken from popular battle royales with a ping system for marking items and locations for you and your teammates and a simple building mechanic reminiscent of Epic’s Fortnite but in a lesser role here since so much of the game is dependent on standard shooter aspects. Good aim, managing reloads, and positioning plays an integral role in how well you’ll do and it’s great that a big part of your performance comes from interactivity. It’s not just about tapping a button to reload, instead, you have to change the clip or magazine, cock the gun, etc. This ends up impacting weapon choice as having a beefier weapon like an LMG will result in longer load times, especially if you are slow at doing it, which at first you will be. Health and shield items play into this as well as they require unique actions to open and use. All of it ends up giving the game a nice learning curve that is inviting and easy to get the hang of but has the ability to take it to the next level to master for people who want to perfect their play.
The mobility of the game is also well done, especially for a VR title, letting you scale walls and glide down from rooftops with a simple outstretched arm motion as soon as you walk off a high surface. This keeps games moving by helping you transverse the map and get into fights quicker rather than walking around the whole time looking for people.
Gun variety is here as well, with automatic and burst assault rifles, shotguns, snipers, pistols, and SMGs, offering a large sandbox to explore to find that perfect combo. Team play is also a must like most team shooters, since going solo could easily land you in a tight spot in an outmatched fight, so sticking with your squad to level the playing field is crucial. Completing matches and challenges grants you XP similar to other BRs and is put towards a free battle pass that gives new skins for your characters and weapons to help keep you invested day to day as the season goes on.
BAD
While console shooters and BRs specifically are huge projects with some now sporting multiple maps, frequent map changes, and events, this is where Population: One struggles. I give the team a big hand for creating such a well-made VR battle royale but would have liked to see more variety in environments or at least more atmosphere to the map. Things sometimes feel empty and while I believe this is a limit of the technology, I hope as the game’s lifespan goes on we see more content added.
WRAP-UP
Population: One gives us the first true battle royale in VR and a great one at that. With a wide sandbox, great moment-to-moment action, fun mobility, and cool interactive ideas, a solid base is here for hours of fun and limitless possibility for expansion going forward. $40 may seem high for some people on VR, but it is worth the price for one of, if not the best shooter in the VR market as of today.
SCORE: 8/10
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