Zenith: The Last City

VR RPG games are hit-and-miss these days, with intriguing qualities that compose gameplay, yet they lose their luster quickly. Zenith: The Last City will be another one of those attempts to turn virtual reality open-world titles on their heads. It's to be a multiplayer experience that finally exploits the technology how it's meant to be used.

So what's inside Zenith: The Last City? It's an MMORPG built exclusively for VR, where players will battle, explore, and craft their way to success. Once again, the idea of immersing oneself in a massively multiplayer world sounds attractive. However, the delivery of these titles is always seen to fall short of expectations. Will Zenith: The Last City be the beacon in a dulling genre?

Big City Dreams

Zenith: The Last City is almost what every video game enthusiast would hope for in a title. It's an MMORPG that puts you at the forefront of the action, where players take the role of their custom-built characters to live out a life in a fantasy world, the epitome of true gaming escapism. However, where other attempts have been made to bring this immersion, the limitations, and realities of VR technology have always been an obstacle.

So can Zenith: The Last City overcome these nuances? It's a generic MMO world, offering beautiful landscapes to explore, a variety of enemies to fight, and, naturally, a progression system that leaves players competing for game-world glory. The story isn't going to blow minds, nor are there any groundbreaking mechanics to achieve objectives. But the central area of focus is how well traditional MMO gameplay comes off in a VR world.

Surprisingly, it plays well. There's no dizziness surrounding actions when engaging in combat; overall, the gameplay is pretty fluid. However, the focus on bringing more immersion with the VR headset has come at the expense of game quality. Removing the virtual reality component of Zenith: The Last City would mean you'd have a bland MMORPG.

Every element of Zenith: The Last City, including combat, exploration, and crafting, is elementary, with little to excite the senses like many other MMORPGs. Other than experiencing the world firsthand, there's little incentive to drag out the grind, where achieving high levels and additional gear doesn't make a difference in your world stature. All considered in balance, Zenith: The Last City is average.

A City Needs Planning

Remember that the game is still in early access and constantly improving. However, if Zenith: The Last City is going to be a memorable VR game, there's a desperate need to improve gameplay outside the VR control schematic. The title is generic and bland and won't attract players for more than a few minutes. If someone wanted to immerse themselves in a virtual fantasy world right now, they'd prefer the more popular VrChat.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• A beautiful open world to explore
• The VR control schematic is solid
• Combat is engaging

Cons:

• Overall gameplay is generic and bland
• Progression is more of a bore than exciting
• It feels like an endless grind with no incentives