‘Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge’ Is One Of The Most Immersive Virtual Reality Games To Date – Review
Before I jump into my review, I want to say wear your mask and social distance!
I’ve always been fascinated with Virtual Reality and since this since the pandemic started I’ve found myself spending way more time in VR to escape the current reality. It has been an incredible year for VR as a medium. From Half-Life: Alyx to Iron Man VR to Population One and beyond, we’re getting virtual experiences from our homes that we were ever able to before. Now with the Oculus Quest 2, VR gaming is even better than ever for a mobile at-home experience.
The latest addition to the VR world is Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge from the team over at ILMxLAB, and it is by far one of the most immersive and fun games I’ve played in VR! This game is the follow up VR game to their critically acclaimed Vader Immortal Series. Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge is an action-adventure experience where you travel to the planet Batuu and get caught up in your own unforgettable story.
In the story, you fight alongside classic characters like R2-D2 and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), and face intimidating villains, like Guavian Death Gang cell leader Tara Rashin (Debra Wilson). You can also visit Seezelslak (Bobby Moynihan) in his cantina to pick up missions that will take you into the wilds of Batuu.
The experience takes place on the outskirts of the Black Spire Outpost on the planet of Batuu, as depicted in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (the immersive epic lands at Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida). When you start the game, you take on the role of a droid repair technician operating near the planet, but when a group of pirates attack, you hit the escape pods and crash on Batuu – where you’re put on your own hero’s journey.
In addition to the main storyline, you also get the chance to step into “Temple of Darkness,” a short tale about a mysterious Jedi temple on Batuu, where you will encounter Yoda (Frank Oz) and a new Padawan, Ady Sun’zee.
The team at ILMxLAB is constantly at the forefront when it comes to virtual reality experiences. I’ve had the pleasure of doing the Ralph Breaks VR and Avengers: Damage Control experience at The Void Labs and have also played through Vader Immortal a few times which I loved. So, it’s safe to say we’ve been through a lot together which made me have extremely high expectations for this new VR event. Tales From Galaxy’s Edge felt like a Void experience in my own home – all I was missing was a haptic feedback suit and I would feel like I was in Ready Player One.
This game did not disappoint whatsoever. I’ve seen people comment that they couldn’t get enough of Vader Immortal and wanted more time in that world, and the team definitely heard the fans to deliver that with this game. It is longer than all of the Vader Immortal episode combined and while it is different from Vader immortal, it’s still familiar in the best ways. From the opening title screen with the iconic Lucasfilm logo to actually starting the first mission I’ve never felt more connected to the Star Wars universe.
The combat and traversal in this game is extremely fun and makes you feel like you are in an action adventure, rather than a linear type of play style. The wide range of weapons and droid bots you can use is pretty awesome and the haptic feedback in the new Quest 2 controllers makes it so much better when you’re in a fight. The addition of the jetpack also make traversing across the field a lot of fun, while also adding another dimension to the game which I hadn’t experienced with Vadar Immortal.
I played the story through on the highest difficulty and it made the experience much better, and a bit longer which was an added bonus. The grunts were challenging and so are the bosses, and it really made me feel like I was saving the Galaxy and fighting alongside the resistance. The score for the game itself is one of the most beautiful scores I’ve heard in the Star Wars universe (and just in video games scores in general). It captured the essence of Star Wars while still adding a new layer of music that blends perfectly for an unforgettable score that sticks with you after you finish the game.
Star Wars has taught us that a hero can be anybody and this story perfectly encapsulates that. Making the character a simple droid repairman truly grounds the character and you connect with him faster because at the end of the day he doesn’t have any powers. He’s just a normal human.
Although it’s shorter than your triple A games, I still felt like it was a compelling yet fun story that is accessible on all levels. Whether you’re a newbie who just jumped into Star Wars or a life long fan, this game is a true joy that will make you feel connected to the Star Wars universe like never before.
Score: 9.5 /10
I’ve been seeing a lot of trailers for this, good to know that it’s a worth while buy 😄 Been a Star Wars fan since I was a kid, so the concept of it becoming a VR game and feeling like you’re actually there with your favorite characters is crazy cool!