Esper | PS VR | Review

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Coatsink’s puzzle room ponderer has been perplexing non-PlayStation players for a period, but now, thanks to a better-late-than-never port, owners of Sony’s budget-friendly headset can finally get in on the fun.

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by Sam Sant

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@SlamShotSam

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Developer: Coatsink
Publisher: Coatsink
Platform: PS VR, Oculus
Rift, HTC Vive, Samsung
Gear VR 
Players: 1

Esper is an acclaimed early VR title in which you find yourself confined to a chair in an office, positively dripping with 50s Art Deco, for around a couple of hours. While that might not sound very exciting, you soon learn that you’re there at the behest of the government and their mysterious ESPR division; having shown signs of “extra sensory abilities”, or telekinetic powers, an enigmatic and lightly comedic narrator unravels the story from afar as you’re left guessing right up to the very end.

Once you’ve also accounted for the clear, concise visual design and an animatronically shifting environment, comparisons to Valve’s Portal are inevitable, though, honestly, what modern puzzler truly escapes them? While the encompassing immersion of VR and motion-controlled inputs that anchor you in the simulation are the most obvious differentiators, when it comes down to mechanics, the two games are really very different.

Fans of contraption-based board games like Marble Run and Mouse Trap will appreciate the intricate and tactile feeling of playing with Esper’s many moving parts, which imbue its series of head-scratching enigmas with a playful sense of discovery. You’re encouraged to tinker with the tools at your disposal and learn from each unjudging failure, ultimately reaching logical conclusions grounded in real-world physics.

Beautifully smooth difficulty progression delivers frequent “Aha!” moments as you learn to out-think obstructive barriers that sever your psychic link to items, build makeshift ramps, bridges and catapults to overcome increasingly complex obstacles, account for individual items’ weight, buoyancy and propulsion potential, flip switches to operate multi-part mechanisms and more. Its depth of variety makes what (let’s be frank) could easily have amounted to little more than tediously lugging objects through mazes, instead feel like an ever-evolving test that’ll put your grey matter and trigger finger to equally good use.

You’re encouraged to tinker with the tools at your disposal and learn from each unjudging failure, ultimately reaching logical conclusions grounded in real-world physics.

That’s no mistake, as the development team were careful not to outstay their welcome, limiting the game's length to less than the latest Marvel blockbuster. With a £6.49 price tag to compensate, Esper is an easy recommendation for fans of the genre, provided they can stomach its few faults.

Regardless of your chosen method of input - be that Move, DualShock 4 or head tracking - the game’s motion controls can lack fine precision and this occasionally leads to fumbles that are out of your hands, which can be extra frustrating in the rare event you’re forced into restarting the (admittedly short) section at hand. We also encountered a bug in the very last moments of the game that put a dampener on the otherwise intriguing finale, poised to lead into the currently-Oculus-Rift-exclusive sequel, though that’s another downer in itself for those without Facebook’s brand of 3D goggles.

Still, it’s hard to hold a grudge when Esper is such a well-executed little game. It’s thoughtful and requires a reasonably high level of execution at times, but consistent in being low intensity and incredibly laid-back, making it a great choice for novice through to journeyman VR voyagers.

Pros

• Removed narrative perspective makes the mystery compelling
• Exquisitely balanced puzzle progression
• Priced to match its appropriately brief runtime
• Simple, stylish aesthetic
• Easy-going VR accessible to all

Cons

• Some control and minor physics engine quirks
• Sequel is currently exclusive to Oculus Rift

8/10