The jungle now houses creatures more dangerous than big cats. Save the world in Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR.
It is very hard to make games like rail shooters exciting. Microids, developer and publisher of Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR, takes inspiration directly from the original. Originally developed by Taito and released in 1987, the game was an arcade-style shooter that was released on platforms like the Commodore 64, Atari ST, MS-DOS, and many others. It was hugely popular when it first came onto the scene and helped pave the way for what shooters are today. The current incarnation hopes to invoke a sense of nostalgia from players of the original, and it might be able to.
A mission must be completed deep in the heart of the jungle. Over the last few months, and seemingly under the nose of every agency, a criminal organization has been maintaining growth through drug trafficking and arms deals. Led by General Viper, the growing force is now delving into weapons research. If allowed to continue, the weapons Viper’s group develops could pose a threat to the world. Become the hero who takes it all down in Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR.
At its heart, the title is a rail shooter game. Rail Shooter, for those unfamiliar, is a genre of game where players are moved forward in a ‘rail-like’ motion. There is no need for certain movement controls when it comes to engaging hordes of enemies. This part of the game comes from the virtual reality title’s predecessor being a shooting gallery-style game. Virtual reality affords the story and enemies far more freedom when it comes to design and in-universe ability.
Aside from being able to duck and dodge, the player character in Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR sits in a fixed position. Being able to dodge bullets at certain times comes in real handy, especially when enemies surprise a player from far off to the side of their view. Targeting with the reticle might be a little off, but it’s off by such a minute amount that it is hard to notice if one is trying to look for it.
It might be safe to assume the weapon variety in Operation Wolf Returns has to do with maintaining a classic feel to it. There is a handgun with unlimited ammo, provided one continues to reload. The only other single-handed weapon is the UZI, which sports a nice magazine capacity of 60 rounds. Spare ammo sits around 500 by default. There are a few two-handed weapons, like a shotgun, an assault rifle, and sometimes a mounted gun.
Enemies in Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR possess multiple weapon types. They have the same weapons as the player, except for the handgun. Only two special weapons exist: the grenade launcher and the rocket launcher. It is an extremely powerful weapon. When the rocket meets its target, depending on its level, they are virtually guaranteed to be taken out. While powerful, it is a weapon that requires enemies to either stand still or move very slowly. Unfortunately, no auto-targeting exists for the weapon.
Occasionally, the enemies in Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR will drop tokens that have the image of a specific weapon on them. For the coins to be “picked up”, they must be shot. Only then will I be given any ammo for what the weapon is (UZI, shotgun, rifle). The shotgun is a powerful weapon that is most useful when enemies bottleneck through a narrow space.
Additionally, it is necessary to keep an eye out for medkits. Like the ammo tokens, medkit tokens will drop. Take too little to the end of a stage, and it will guarantee mission failure. Taking a look at the left controller will show a watch. This watch gives readings for armor, health, and the number of medkits. The percentage displayed represents the armor integrity, anywhere from 0 to 100. As is tradition in video games, player health is displayed on the watch with red ticks to signify danger and green ticks to show full health.
Developers of Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR also allow players to slow time if certain conditions are satisfied. What these conditions are is not immediately clear. Playing missions, for me personally, does not give a hint. One might surmise, though, that landing a succession of critical hits is what allows some Neo-style bullet time. When in doubt, aim to land a headshot every time. Even if this doesn’t activate the time slowing, who doesn’t love trying their hand at some gun fu?
In addition to stopping time and leaning away from bullets, they can be shot out of the air, Matrix-style. It could be my aim, or it could be the reticle being a little off. But missing too many of these bullets will easily help the panic set in. Having too many hits will, in addition to the obvious loss of health, blur one’s vision, making it hard to see anyone shooting.
Using the mounted gun is such an odd sensation. The weapon can be fired with the trigger on either the right or left controller, but one must turn the weapon left or right by moving both hands in those directions. Despite how awkward this gun is, the power to obliterate enemies is fantastic. Small enemies together can easily be taken out with a single round. When it comes to the choppers and jets of Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR, mounted guns can smoke them with 2 to 3 rounds.
Of course, it’s also important to mention the classic frag grenade and grenade launcher. The frag grenade doesn’t need to cook before it becomes familiar to an enemy. Simply hit the bottom trigger, wait for the arch to appear, and send the grenade on its way. Conveniently, it will release a small shockwave upon exploding, sometimes taking a few enemies with it. The grenade launcher is hilariously the perfect tool for taking a jet out of the sky. Fortunately, for anyone playing, these units seem to hover in the air, making them ripe for a calmly aimed grenade round.
There is a total of about 7 missions in Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR, with each having a boss battle at the end stage. Some of them are human enemies, but others are anything from mobile missile batteries to spider mechs. My favorite boss battle has to be against the spider robot. As a boss, the machine is not difficult to defeat, but the battle does take some time. It is because of the elaborate design of the boss battle that it will continue to be a favorite. If one is not satisfied with the final rating of a mission, one can simply go back and re-do it.
The graphics for Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR are great. It is a style seldom used in video games today. Very few titles in the past have been released with it. Cel-shading, the art style developers chose for the title, gives the universe of the game a very comic-book feel. Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR even sports comic dialogue bubbles. Where other games sport full cinematic videos between missions, this title treats players’ fully drawn digital comic pages. From beginning to end, when it comes to the artwork for the game, the artists in the team have done an excellent job.
As a fan of most comic books, there are not enough living comic book pages in Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR. It is a fun way to tell the story and can sometimes be engaging. Even if it doesn’t affect the story, the living pages could offer players the choice to input their pre-determined dialogue, adding to the humor the game is trying to play.
The predecessor to Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR didn’t come with traditional voice lines. Infusing a little comedy, aside from the commander issuing orders to the player, enemies will speak some funny lines about the player. Personally, my ears are unfamiliar with what guns sound like, but the distinct noises each weapon makes are greatly appreciated. It allows the players to take note of what weapon is in use without having to look at it.
As a remake, Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR seems to be a faithful recreation of the original. It improves on all the basic features of the original. However, there is exponential room for improvement. The campaign is certainly a lot of fun and does have a well-written story. But it is unusually short and leaves a lot more to be desired. I found myself way too hyped after defeating the final boss to be met with the end credits. Aside from improving the ratings and changing the difficulty, there is no incentive to return to the Campaign mode.
Different mission choices for Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR‘s Campaign Mode would be amazing. It could be improved by adding different story missions, each with location-specific events. Additionally, perhaps we can see a co-op campaign mode, offering the ability to play with friends and adding another layer of challenge to the overall experience. Perhaps there could also be something along the lines of unlocking special weapons as well.
All You Can Beat, Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR‘s only other mode is survival mode. Simply take out as many enemies as possible. That is all there is to it. After a certain amount of time, the mode becomes exhausting and affects the allure of the title itself. Getting to wave 78, as I did, seems pointless when the game does not register this achievement.
One of two things is the only way to end this mode: if the player dies or simply decides to stop playing All You Can Beat. Add something like a leaderboard showing accrued points and accuracy, and we have a winning combination for an online aspect of the game. The only thing this mode has that Campaign does is that enemies are able to converge on the player from all directions.
Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR is not a bad game. It is above average, but just barely. With a low replay value and lack of general features, a price tag of $24.99 feels very steep. Enemy units are engaging, and boss battles are fun enough. But there are only two game modes, and one is simply exhausting. Despite aesthetically pleasing graphics and the addition of voice lines, it feels empty. And the nostalgia factor is not enough to retain fans of the original game. Fingers crossed, the developers decide to add more content after some thorough discussion.
