Budget Shooter Operation Serpens Hits PSVR2

THE ONE MAN ARMY GAME…

Operation Serpens is one of those really old (by now) VR shooters that I honestly expected would land on PSVR at one point, that never did happen, and for years I thought I would never get the chance to play it since it never appeared on my preferred platform, well, a month ago this changed as Ginra Games announced (out of the blue?) that Operation Serpens was to be released for the PSVR2 in February 2024, heck the announcement even mentioned that it would be released on Blu-ray too as a special edition title from Perp Games.

THERE’S SINGLE PLAYER, CO-OP, HORDE, ZOMBIES…

At first glance, Operation Serpens looks like a rather simplistic game and sadly this will most likely put some people off right from the start, but as always with VR games – there is often more to it than just graphics, especially so if a game is as feature packed as this one. I have no idea how this game was back in 2020 (I refuse to be coloured by other reviews) when it launched on “other VR sets” but the way I read this game today is that it feels a lot like one of those “1 man army” and his passion for creating the one game that will learn him everything about how to create a Virtual Reality title.

The game boasts a single-player campaign, online Co-op, Horde mode, Zombies, lots of locations with variation and full locomotion as well as a bunch of weapons etc.

Every mode and feature found in the game can be seen and played straight away from the in-game menu, which ain’t even a menu but an actual war room where you see all missions and game modes as well as a shooting range and a few easter eggs that will go nicely down with the older generation of gamers.  -Well, that is actually wrong as you can’t choose all of the single-player missions right away as it will require you to complete some of the earlier ones first.

ONLINE CO-OP, SINGLE-PLAYER CAMPAIGN, HORDE MODE AND MORE!

Seven single-player missions might not sound too much, luckily they are all very different to each other (in terms of what you do and where) as it starts very quietly with the first level but it eventually turns into a full FPS shooter in the later missions, some are ok, one is boring but the 3 of them are very worthwhile of your time…

The mechanics are pretty much like every other arcade shooting gallery type of game, limited moving around, shooting, dodging bullets, swearing, finding weapons or shields that will make it easier etc…  until it eventually turns into a more open freely moving game.

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR FRUSTRATION…

Operation Serpens is actually quite annoying at times thanks to the difficulty spikes, but for the game to last more than a few minutes it has to be a bit aggressive, you will get used to it but for old people like myself, well, it is quite exhausting on the trigger fingers and I had to take breaks after the tougher sections in the game as my fingers where glowing.

I have seen all the missions and modes in the game now (without cheats!), so it’s not game-breaking nor bad but at one point i was sure i would never finish this game, luckily i continued to play it, especially the last level was well worth it and to be honest it took me by surprise, the idea and concept are pretty good which involves speedy climbing and shooting among other things.

Has to be said that every trigger-heavy game on PSVR2 has managed to exhaust me, some even gave me tendinitis as my hands are simply too big for the orb controllers…

IT JUST WORKS…

The game is not a visual showcase, and it’s not an audio showcase either but it does both of those things in a comfortable way that just works without getting annoying, the style and quality are balanced and it shows how much the developer loves its creation, this is not the game you pull up to impress people (or yourself), this is the game you pull up and play to have fun and maybe most of all, to try something different.  

The game is fully playable while sitting down (even the last level.. i tried both sitting and standing), there was never a time where i got upset because of tracking issues or design flaws in regards to how to play the game, the online connects quickly, the other modes just start, and there is no endless waiting around in the lobby either, I encountered zer0 glitches and I have yet to see any bugs, yes it feels and looks like a budget game but it sure is a polished one, it just works!

Has to be mentioned that I hope the price tag for this game won’t be too high, it deserves to sell quite a bit and this is one of those that would do really good as a digital £8.99 – £15.99 budget title, the physical version will for sure be higher.

Ginra Gamez has already expressed interest in doing more content for the game one day.

Early review code provided by the developer.