Downward Spiral: Horus Station (PlayStation 4) Review

As with Downward Spiral Prologue, Downward Spiral Horus Station gives the same premise. Floating on a Space Station; trying to get each of the vital systems back online; and fighting against a multitude of mechanical menaces that are dedicated to ensuring the nameless astronaut does not succeed. There's a mission to undertake, objectives to complete, but no real story to speak of, just a series of "Acts" as each part of the station is restored. That is, if combat is selected, as there are a number of ways to play. Not only can the whole thing be played with VR enabled or not, but the whole campaign can also be played through entirely in either single player or co-operative mode.

For those who just want to experience the exploration aspects without taking on the combat challenges, that's an option too. Upon starting, the game exploration mode can be selected which removes the enemies and weapons. Something that may be preferable to some, considering the combat is likely the weakest aspect. Not that it's particularly bad. There's a handful of different weapons and enemies, but in VR it's a bit tricky to aim. This uses the headset as opposed to, say, the right analogue to aim the reticule, making for an awkward combat experience.

The combat may be weak, but the strength in Horus Station comes from the environment and the exploration. A few VR titles have already used the same sort of environment as Downward Spiral Horus Station - because it works so well. The zero gravity experience means that getting around doesn't have to rely on a teleportation or clunky movement system. Instead, the focus is on grabbing onto walls and releasing, using the inertia to propel from place to place. It works just as well here as in others, as it feels really natural to grip from wall to wall. It's a system that's easy to pick up and it's complemented by a tether gun. This can fire out a line, dig itself into a wall and pull the astronaut towards it as the line is reeled in. Later on, a device that propels is even better, giving a smooth, floaty, experience.

The best VR games are the ones that can totally immerse their players - it's definitely the greatest strength of the platform. Downward Spiral Horus Station is wonderful at this, crafting an environment that is fully realised, with the station feeling like something developed by Weyland Yutani. At points, it's necessary to step outside the ship too, traverse from airlock to airlock. At others, there are scenes of wide environments. The whole experience of exploring the ship and these areas is truly wonderful, and enhanced by a deeply atmospheric soundtrack that comes courtesy of Ville Valo; the former frontman of gothic rockers HIM.

But once the shine fades from that experience, the truth is there's a big issue with the game. The lack of a narrative can be ignored. It can be a storytelling decision to abstain from one, and it mostly works here. It doesn't need a convoluted explanation as to why the ship is damaged or the motivations of the engineer fixing it. What isn't forgivable is what needs to be done to fix it. There should be puzzles here, utilising the strengths of VR to solve them, instead, it's mostly fetch quests. Go to an area, grab a piece of tech or keycard, go back, repeat. It's a shame. It never really gets dull, mostly thanks to the three-hour campaign, but it feels like it could have been even better.

On top of the main campaign, there's a tacked on combat based online multiplayer. This consists of two modes: Deathmatch, and Horde. They're okay to mess around with briefly - that is if there are ever any other players randomly happening to be playing. So friends who own the game are pretty much a must to even experience the multiplayer, and even then, it's not much fun with just two or three. Also bundled onto the main menu are some developer diaries and trailers, a strange bonus, rarely found with games these days, and frankly, of little value.