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The impact of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 19th-century novel on culture cannot be understated. Pirates VR: Jolly Roger takes the latter approach. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Pirates VR: Jolly Roger takes the latter approach.
The FactsThe Pirate QueenWhat is it?Sail: A VR action-adventure game where you play as a pirate exploring a cursed island.Furious SeasPlatforms: Battlewake (reviewed on PC VR via Quest 3 and Virtual Desktop)
: Jan 14, 2025 (PC VR), Q2 2025 (PS VR2)Developer
: Split Light StudioPC VRPrice:
$19.99As an unnamed pirate captain, what follows is a linear campaign that’s over a little too soon. Pirates VR is only four hours long, divided into replayable chapters. The parrot, your companion who is not afraid to insult you and give helpful hints when he can. He jokes that I’m a bird but he is a chicken as I back out of the cave to avoid an attack. The game is not exemplary, but it works. Pirates VR: Jolly Roger is an enjoyable VR adventure, though several design choices detract from the immersion.
While key inventory items are stored across your body, pulling up a menu by holding down a face button for the rest isn’t especially immersive. The controls can also be used to destroy rocks using a pickaxe. There is no feedback when you do this. Reloading manually is also disappointingly missing. You instead move your weapon toward the ammo pouch at waist level to reload, then repeat after firing a single shot.Pirates VR: Jolly Roger screenshot captured by UploadVR
You’ll also need to solve a handful of puzzles that can be hit or miss. You can solve some puzzles with ease, such as by shining your flashlight to reveal a secret answer. Or you can memorize a pattern. Some puzzles required a lot of trial-and-error. In one endgame, you must place the vases in an exact order and in a certain place. Where each vase goes is clear, but the order to put them down is not despite scanning the environment for clues.Shallow combat doesn’t help, either. It’s fun to destroy skeletal pirates using your lantern light blast, especially when you can hit several enemies at once. This adds a strategic element as it also drains your oil. You’re mainly fighting skeletons with guns or cutlasses, and most can be easily defeated with one headshot. It’s disappointing because Pirates VR is a game that excels at exploration. Bright beaches offer an invitingly colorful Caribbean Island that is full of mystery. These rich environments are combined with powerful lighting which looks fantastic on PC. Dark caverns, prison cells and a lantern are all I need to explore the dark environments. This keeps me alert as I fight off those cursed zombies. You don’t have unlimited stamina while climbing up cliffs, so you’ll need to be quick.
Pirates VR: Jolly Roger screenshot captured by UploadVR
Still, I would love more from these environments. Since swimming only occurs in a few sections, it’s not surprising that the physics aren’t as good. There’s a nice underwater environment but there is barely any splashing when you reach or enter the water. Motion controls don’t feel too responsive while swimming, making analog stick input to swim more reliable.
Pirates VR: Jolly Roger only uses artificial stick-based locomotion for movement, there’s no teleportation option, and you can crouch by pushing down the right analog stick. The direction of movement can be determined by your hands or head. You can choose between smooth and snappy camera settings with an adjustable speed of turn. You can calibrate your height and change the hand angle at any moment. When you explore the caverns in darkness, you will be able to hear how well it sounds. This helps you stay aware of what you are doing. I appreciate how the game uses more subtle environmental design to signal where you can climb, like green moss across ropes and trees.
Pirates VR: Jolly Roger screenshot captured by UploadVR
. The end of Chapter 1 involves heading towards a cave. However, I misjudged my path and got stuck under a branch. Without a reset button, I was softlocked. A second time, as I approached a ledge I accidentally jumped too far because I had been moving too quickly. I became stuck at the edge of a cliff. I was forced to fall down to my doom because there is no jump button. This caused me frustration as it meant that my progress had been lost for about 5-10 minutes.
Pirates VR: Jolly Roger screenshot captured by UploadVR
Outside of the campaign, that’s pretty much it beyond two challenges for climbing and axe throwing. This is a small extra that’s not very interesting. To unlock these challenges, you must find gold or valuable items scattered around the island in hidden spots and treasure chests. Thorough exploration is well rewarded and I finished this campaign with a decent haul.
Pirates VR: Jolly Roger delivers a colorful VR adventure, yet Split Light’s latest game feels like a missed opportunity. I was left wanting more by the noticeable jank and design problems, but it is balanced out with rewarding exploration and beautiful visuals. If you don’t mind a brief visit to the Caribbean, this lighthearted four-hour campaign has its charms.SubsideUploadVR uses a 5-Star rating system for our game reviews – you can read a breakdown of each star rating in our Kayak VR: Mirage.