Skyrim VR Review

We at GamesReviews.com have reviewed Skyrim on multiple platforms, over many years. As such, this review of Skyrim VR won’t talk about the story or quest structures, but rather how the entire game ports over to the PlayStation VR. So does it work well? The short answer is “no, but yes.” What’s the long answer? Let’s take a look.

Bethesda has a knack for creating immersive open world experiences that take years to develop, but sell incredibly well year-over-year. That being said, large open world games like this tend to allow a few setbacks in order to put resources to best use. In Skryim, that often involves textures, because often times you’ll never get close enough to something to realize how bad it might look.

Enter PlayStation VR, where when you play Skyrim, you are as close to things as possible, and can look at things that normally Bethesda wouldn’t assume you would. And the roughness shows, from the time you step out into the open world, to the moment you slay your first dragon, to when you see the game through to the end of the story. It’s rough. Every. Step. Of. The. Way.

And because the PlayStation works so hard to keep up with the necessary framerate for playing smoothly, other graphical hitches are also incredibly evident, most notably the pop-in that occurs on a consistent basis. But at the core of it all, at the game play, Skyrim VR is the best way to experience this world!

And for myself, knowing the limitations of PlayStation VR, and that this was merely a port of a very old game, solid gameplay is what I wanted when exploring the world. Sure, certain vistas look impressive when you stand in place and just enjoy what’s around you – from a distance of course – but that was minor. I wanted gameplay that was engaging, and Skyrim VR delivers that in spades.

Looking around to engage with the world works really well, and being right in the thick of things can really ratchet up the intensity when fighting giant spiders, or other like enemies. You feel a part of the world, and you will begin looking and exploring things you might never have otherwise done. Ultimately, everything feels more alive, and every step you take seems to have a greater purpose, and a higher chance for failure.

The best example of this was working in stealth mode. Sure, there is the censor that tells you whether you can be seen, but when sneaking along a corridor, without the ability to zoom back and see a bit around me, I was always weary of someone coming up behind me and catching me. And as the censor isn’t as accurate as we might like, this can happen from time-to-time, creating a more suspense filled experience.

This is but one example of what Skryim VR delivers time and time again. Is it rough around the edges? For sure it is, but as the game delivers in so many other ways, it is easy to look past the problems, and enjoy the stellar gameplay experience underneath!