Zero Caliber is an intense first-person shooter created by developer Game Cooks. The game is supported on the Oculus Quest and was released as part of the platform’s launch window.
About: In this review, we will be evaluating the VR action title based on gameplay, graphics, audio, user interface (UI), and replayability or ‘time played’.
Gameplay: Score: 9/10
An intense and chaotic first-person shooter that distinguishes itself from other VR shooters with its choice to use teleportation instead of locomotion to navigate maps. With a wide array of weapons and items at your disposal, you’ll need to hone your skills in order to survive in multiplayer matches against AI or human opponents.
Graphics: Score: 8.5/10
An impressive looking game that shows off the potential of Quest’s graphics capabilities. We recommend turning on chromatic aberration and disabling the HUD to maximize immersion, which ends up making it particularly challenging in some levels. Even so, there were a few areas where we experienced unnecessary drops in FPS and slowdown when multiple enemies appeared on screen at once and in larger arenas with more players present.
Audio: Score: 9/10
The audio is well done, offering an immersive soundscape with dynamic battle music that changes depending on your location or the number of enemies surrounding you. In terms of voice acting, however, this seems to be less important within early access games but could improve before launch if Bethesda decides to incorporate more resources.
User Interface: Score 8/10
The UI design is well done overall, but it tends to feel cluttered in some areas when there are a lot of small icons on the screen. The main menu could also be improved by including more options for customizing audio or controller settings
Replayability / ‘Time Played’ : Score 9/10
Zero Caliber offers a single-player campaign mode that can be played offline in order to better familiarize yourself with weapons and enemy behaviours before moving online to compete against other players. It has enough content to keep newcomers engaged for quite a while, so only minor improvements will likely need to take place before launch.
Verdict
This VR action game provides an intense experience that distinguishes itself from other shooters by using teleportation instead of locomotion. The UI design could be improved before launch, but the hours already invested to date should provide enough content for players to continue engaging with it in early access.
Score: 8.5/10