Pavlov VR

The only thing that I enjoy more than being terrible at gunplay in video games is realizing that I am abhorrent when it comes to gunplay in VR games. In single player experiences like Hot Dogs, Horseshoes, and Hand Grenades, I can do alright since the in-game threats are nothing too complex to avoid. Of course, this doesn’t include my own stupidity – my ‘deaths’ (especially at the shooting range) were at my own hands because my mind has adopted the flawed adage, “Drop the grenade, throw the pin.” The extent of my ineptness is magnified in any VR title, but Pavlov VR by Vankrupt Games does it in such an enjoyably hilarious way that I don’t mind continuously losing. Pavlov is a game built on being a multiplayer shooter and is a simple concept to grasp, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that you’ll be able to pick it up and play without a bit of a time investment to learn the wide variety of controls that pertain to each weapon.

Guns. Lots of Guns.

Pavlov is entirely centered around playing some of the best multiplayer game modes, such as Search and Destroy, Team Deathmatch, or Gun Game, with the added difficulty of experiencing them in VR. With several pieces of gear and over 25 weapons at your disposal, you can create the loadout you’ve always dreamt of and put it to good use against your opponents. Operating in a similar manner to Counter Strike: Global Offensive, each weapon and piece of equipment can be bought at the beginning of rounds, and you’ll have access to better items as the game progresses. Getting down the basics of gameplay is no challenge: shoot your enemies, try not to get shot yourself. Pretty similar to any FPS throughout history. You’ll quickly find that, while your enemies are still pretty smart (sometimes, anyway), your true enemy will be learning how to operate each weapon as efficiently as the elite soldiers you would normally play as in other FPS games.

The Enemy of My Enemy is Also Aiming & Reloading

An important concept to note in Pavlov VR is that the learning curve for weapon operation is incredibly steep. No weapon is necessarily hard to operate on its own, there’s a right way to reload each weapon after all but keeping track of those actions in the middle of a tense firefight is easier said than done. This also extends to using other items like grenades, planting the bomb, or even just trying to aim in general. It’s a welcome challenge that is surely an inkling of what’s to come for a good chunk of future FPS’s. Despite the curve, experiencing Team Deathmatch in true first person is something I had hoped for since I was 12 and playing Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It was worth the wait.

Pavlov’s Dogs

Overall, Pavlov VR is a fun experience that was translated to VR effectively and with great care. The movement is fluid, gunplay is innovative yet realistic/rewarding, the maps are detailed, and modding is heavily supported for even greater variability.

There are a few hiccups in terms of gameplay, specifically concerning the usefulness of certain items (the 8x scope in particular), some movements can be tricky to trigger/clunky to use with trackpads (drawing a knife while trying to reload), and finding a decent lobby is almost a herculean task.

Pros

• Great gunplay
• Fluid motion controls and detailed maps
• Plenty to learn but not complicated

Cons

• Lobbies can be toxic/difficult to connect to
• General bugs found in early access titles
• Minor balancing issues between weapons