Pixel Gear Hands-On Impressions - Going Rambo

By Mike de Leon Posted on September 26, 2016

I was a little wary about playing a first-person shooter after putting the PlayStation VR (PSVR) headset on for the first time, but it only took a few minutes to thoroughly enjoy my experience with Pixel Gear. Being cautious at the start, I aimed for the largest mass (mostly body shots) of the increasing waves of pixelated bats, skeletons and other creatures of the night. Bats carry exploding pumpkin bombs, which can be dropped on other enemies, and you can shoot enemy attacks that are flying towards you. Ghosts will float around the environment carrying coins and other items, but just make sure you don’t hit any nearby angels.

Pixelated lava spews from the Golem boss

You're represented on-screen by a floating gun, but you are unable to move around. Instead, you can spin in a full 360 degrees, although directly behind you are only the control directions. It didn’t take long before I was pulling off head shots, and successfully covering all sides from incoming enemies. After successfully completing my first wave, I purchased a machine gun using coins I earned while playing and begun to unload carelessly at everything. It was only then did I realize scarcity of limited ammo with the weapons, and although I could get more, I relied on precise aiming with my trusty handgun to advance. When enemies grouped together and began to overwhelm me, I activated a bullet-time ability to take out multiple targets as quick as possible.

Pixel Gear is a colorful shooter, which pits you against advancing 3D pixel monsters. Each level includes multiple waves, and each one will culminate with a boss battle. While I only experienced the single-player mode, I was told developer Geronimo Interactive is planning on adding an online cooperative mode after launch.

Pixel Gear is an excellent introductory game (and timed perfectly with the Halloween vibe) for those wanting to test their VR skills. It is currently scheduled to be released on October 20, 2016, a week after the PlayStation VR launches. It requires a single PlayStation Move controller in order to play.