As a fan of first-person shooters since the days of Goldeneye on the N64 (yeah, I’m old, so what?), I am always on the lookout for awesome, chaotic, shoot your friends’ avatars in the face fun. Gun Raiders delivers on all counts!
Every Social Space Should Have a Mirror and Green Screen!
Yes, you read that right. Among many great aspects of Gun Raiders’ social space, they have added a virtual green screen and mirror so you can capture your avatar, and just have fun with it. It seems like a minor detail, but it certainly is inventive for an FPS. It really feels as though this whole game was built around fun.
When you start Gun Raiders for the first time, you are taken to a tutorial to learn the basics. This is important, because, besides the weapons, movement is a huge part of the game. You have a boost and a jetpack that draw from the same stamina bar. When airborne, you’ll have the ability to glide by outstretching your arms, meaning you cant aim at the same time. So using these movement skills wisely will mean the difference between life and death, digitally speaking. Luckily, the developer has given a “Combat Area” to us as a part of the social space. This is an infinite ”free for all” where you can kill each other, however, you do not earn XP (Which I’ll get to later) and there is no score or K/D counter. It’s just an infinite match to allow players to test the weapons and movement during live fire.
Now you know, and knowing is half the battle! But the other half is guns!
The main event here is the matches. To win, you’ll not only need to master the movement systems but the weapons as well. The good news is you’ll have access to all weapons immediately via the weapon wheel. You can access any weapon at any time during a match, however, you will be vulnerable while you switch, so choose your time carefully. There are guns for all types of player preference here. Sniper rifle, auto rifle, dual pistols, grenade launcher, dual uzi, and even a sword (which grants a movement speed boost)!
Now, while you’ll have access to all these weapons right away, mastering them is no easy task. Each weapon has a unique reload. For instance, the shotgun requires you to grab the slide at the bottom of the barrel and cock it back and forward, however, the auto rifle needs you to release the magazine and grab a new one from your hip and click it in place. The uzi only requires you to aim at the ground, and the sword is a sword. At first, I thought this would be an annoying thing to have to deal with, especially since you can switch weapons on the fly, and keeping each weapon reload method in mind while being shot at can be difficult. But I actually LOVE it! It is an amazing addition to the standard chaos of an FPS that keeps you on your toes and can provide a much-needed opening when an opponent has to deal with the same challenges. And the sense of satisfaction in finding yourself pinned down behind cover, frantically reloading, and successfully, flawlessly pulling it off and making a comeback is indescribable.
Cosmetics! As Far As The Eye Can See!
One of the big draws for players here, and in most games (in my opinion) is customizability. We love being able to show off our unique style or, perhaps, items we’ve earned either through long bouts of playing time or skill. With both, Gun Raiders has you covered! There are a plethora of skins. Not just for your avatar, but your weapons as well. Some of these are purchasable through the game’s store with real cash, but a lot of them can be earned through in-game coins earned through leveling your avatar with XP (see, I told you I’d get to it later). There are daily and weekly challenges available in your lobby, and completing them can give you big XP boosts, as well as being a good way to introduce some players to weapons they may not usually choose.
Gun Raiders may not be the “Halo” of VR, but it is an incredibly fun, frantic, and inventive FPS that it’s honestly hard to believe is free to play.
