One of the big things that sets the Meta Quest 3 (and Quest 3S) apart from its competition among the best VR headsets I’d recommend is its library of games. Put simply, nothing comes close to it in a standalone headset — giving you an ocean of content to sink your teeth into.
And now, the $20 Star Wars: Beyond Victory brings a (frankly) incredible experience to the Quest that is worth every penny for fan of the series. Whether I was playing solo, or watching my nephew go podracing, this is a true homage to the love I’ve had for this universe for so long.
"Eat my exhausts!"
So let’s start with what’s most important in a podracing game — the racing itself. And from the very second you open Beyond Victory for the first time, you’re plunged straight into a race on a virtual table in front of you.
I’m used to fully immersive VR gaming experiences, so to see it all play out on a moving surface in front of me from an isometric perspective was a refreshing change of pace (literally).
What may have been ferociously difficult in first person is freakishly addictive from a top down view. Looking up to see the leaderboard is a nice touch, and this does definitely take some notes from the likes of Mario Kart with power ups on-track and simplistic controls that offer a surprising amount of depth too.
Before even realizing there was a story mode, I’d already sunk a good couple of hours into the Arcade mode — this would’ve been more than enough for me! But we also have an Adventure Mode, and this is where it really gets good.
"Ooh! You wanna buy pit droids eh?"
To give you some storyline context, you’re in the age of the empire — playing the part of a struggling podracer being mentored by Sebulba. This is where you really get into all the mixed reality elements gameplay-wise.
The story is told from two key perspectives. Firstly, you’re back at the AR surface that you can rotate and resize to your liking using handles. That isometric view again gives you a great sense of your bearings in the level, while also revealing certain locations and secrets you may not have seen in first person.
But most impressively to me (and to my nephew) is when the cutscenes kick in. The tracking on that AR table is strong enough that you can actively walk around it and look at the characters talking from all angles — just like during gameplay.
Does it serve much purpose compared to sitting down and playing? Not so much, but it’s still really cool that you can stand up and see things from a different perspective.
Then there’s the mini-game-esque moments of fixing your podracer or small missions in full VR, which are much more what you’re used to in the Quest 3. Immersive environments with interactable elements to move the story along. This merging of the two makes for a ton of variety in the gameplay styles and experiences you’ll have during the two-hour campaign.
A mixed reality dream for Star Wars nerds
And for those who have been gripped by Star Wars since childhood (and are still addicted in their thirties), the Playset Mode is an incredible chance to create an interactive museum.
Of course, there’s plenty for the younglings too — the small padawan loved setting up a circuit and racing a podracer around the room. But for me, it was all about creating my very own Star Wars diorama with digital action figures placed in the physical space.
It’s cozy gaming meets that love for being a collector, which brings super accurate 6 DoF tracking to create your own virtual memorialization of your favorite moments from the galaxy far, far away.
Oh, and fun note, that Playset mode was actually inspired by a tool Industrial Light & Magic actually used in a number of feature films to place objects!
No need for midichlorians
To me, VR gaming hasn’t been my main way to play. It’s been a temporary jump into an experience every now and again — either being Batman or working up a sweat in Beat Saber.
Star Wars: Beyond Victory is the first game to really grip me from start to finish, and actively wills me to get back in and race more with its satisfying gameplay loop. Top it off with Playset Mode that gives you a nice chance to form a trophy case of all your favorite Star Wars characters, and it’s one of the best ways I’ve found to blow off steam.
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