Falcon Age by Seattle based game studio Outerloop was built specifically for the PSVR and the move controllers. VR aficionados know that the PSVR and its Move controllers are a bit more limited than the other (more expensive) VR competitors. Some VR games do feel like a “light” version of PCVR. Making a game with that particular hardware in mind could potentially be great. Astro Bot Rescue Mission already proved it.
Raise your bird
In Falcon Age you play as Ara. Your planet has been invaded by robots who are farming for resources. At the beginning of the game, you are imprisoned for a minor infraction. While you are assigned mindless labor in the prison camp, you befriend a young falcon. After bonding with the bird, the little thing helps you escape the prison camp. You and your bird are bound on a quest to free the planet from its robot invaders.
Weaponize your bird
After escaping the prison, you join your auntie in the resistance. During the game, you are taught how your falcon can be used to aid you in your quest. Your bird’s main advantage is that it can be used to attack your enemies. Just point towards a target, click a button and off she goes attacking your foe. Outerloop found clever ways to incorporate this mechanic in their game. Some enemies are only able to be destroyed if you use the right combination of stunning with your baton and attacking with the falcon.
Accessorize your bird
During the adventure, you’ll encounter a few settlements of the resistance. Here you can find all sorts of accessories for your falcon. Some are purely esthetic, like different scarfs, hats… Others like a back-pack with a bomb detector inside or a rubber beak to attack electrified enemies with are essential to get past certain areas.
High five your bird
Falcon Age is all about bonding with your bird during an epic adventure. NPC’s will give you all sorts of object you can use to interact with your falcon. If you ever wanted to see a falcon kickflip a skateboard, falcon age got you covered. In battles, your bird will fall prone to the many dart turrets the invaders have lying around. Once your bird is injured, you can call it back to help it. Remove the darts and high five your bird to refill its health bar.
Different experience
Although this game is made with the PSVR and the Move controllers in mind, the possibility is there to play this game as a non-VR game. I preferred the VR version because it’s quite a different experience. There’s something magical when you put your Move controller towards your mouth to whistle at your bird and seeing your bird land on your hand like a real falconer. Although not standard, Falcon Age does offer free full range movement. The amount of backtracking made this game a bit tedious and intense for a full VR playthrough.
Conclusion
Falcon Age has one of the best ways to incorporate the Move controllers and gives the player an almost real falconer’s experience. Based solely on the way you interact with the falcon I would praise this game. The only downfall is that the world you interact with is almost lifeless which made this game only exciting when you actually had to battle robots. At its price point I would still recommend it very much but be wary about the long walks you’ll have to endure. Luckily you still have an utterly epic falcon to interact with.
