I recently received my Oculus Rift, courtesy of Oculus PR, for the purpose of writing about and reviewing games here and over at MMORPG.com. Like any good digital storefront, the Oculus Store is having their summer sale and for a limited time, if you bought anything in the store, you’d get Ripcoil for free. I bought a racing game that I thought would be a steal, but even at $2.50, I’m regretting my purchase. Thankfully, I did get Ripcoil as promised. What is Ripcoil? Basically, it’s VR Pong mixed with TRON’s Disc Battle scene. And for $9.99, it’s worth the price of entry if you own the Rift and the Touch controllers. This is our one hour review of Ripcoil on the Oculus Rift.
That latter part is key, as without the Touch controllers the chief sell and mechanic of Ripcoil would be gone. You’re a heavily armored athlete floating left and right on a large disc in an arena where you face off against an opponent by trying to wing a light-powered disc passed them and into their goal. You lean left and right to move the floating apparatus, a sensation that feels so incredibly lifelike I wound up queasy after my first couple of matches. The feeling subsided, but the Rift does an excellent job of tricking you into thinking you’re floating and sliding left and right. You can bank the disc off walls, curve it, and of course, if you charge your power glove up you can occasionally time a punch to slam the thing back at your opponent like a spike in volleyball.
It all plays extremely well, and in a sea of VR games that try to put you in the action without offering movement, this compromise really does an excellent job. The 1v1 matches are quick, intense, and the built-in VOIP means you wind up having some great exchanges with relative strangers. A few jerks were here and there in my time, but I also added more than my fair share of friends to my Oculus list while playing Ripcoil too.
The downside of Ripcoil is its simplicity. For $10 (or free with the sale) you won’t find a much better bargain elsewhere, but Ripcoil is still decidedly light on content. There’s a target practice mode, a general play mode, and ranked mode. But it could use a 2v2, maybe a triangle-based 1v1v1 mode, and other creative ways to play with the rules and crazy mechanics.
This is also one game where more personalization could come in handy, and dare I say it, a game where Loot Boxes a la Overwatch would be welcome. I’d love to personalize my character in-game, add some taunts or flashy moves. Maybe customize my disc, too? A single player tournament mode where you can climb the rungs like classic Street Fighter games or the recent ARMS from Nintendo would also be mighty welcome.
All said, Ripcoil is a beautiful and fun game from Sanzaru. It’s one of the first truly great competitive sports in VR, but it’s missing the kind of extras and fluff that make a game like this truly last the test of time. Fun alone, I’m sad to say, isn’t enough to keep players coming back. Progression is sorely lacking, and keeps this from being a game I could devote serious time towards.
One Hour Review Score – 6/10
Pros:
- Intense matches
- Immersive controls
- Slick looking visuals
Cons:
- Lacking long-term goals
- Needs more modes.
