A new battle-royale game called Population: One has launched on every mainstream VR platform besides the PlayStation VR, arguably offering the closet experience to Fortnite in virtual reality.
Created by BigBox VR, Population: One features staple battle-royale multiplayer elements such as a shrinking battlefield, colour-coded loot and the aim to be the ‘last man standing’ in the 18-player shootout. The building mechanic is also plucked straight out of Fortnite, enabling you to create cover and towering structures.
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However, Population: One can’t be accused of being a lazy Fortnite clone for VR, as BigBox VR has added plenty of twists to make this battle-royale take feel refreshingly unique. Firstly, the ‘Vertical Combat System’ allows you to climb any building you see, and since this is virtual reality, you’ll have to physically swing your arms above your head to pull yourself up.
Spreading your arms also allows you to glide from one building to another as if you were Batman. This emphasises the importance of vertical movement, allowing you to spring a surprise attack on an opponents from the sky.
BigBox VR has fully embraced the VR platform to maximise immersion, requiring you to manually reload guns with realistic hand movements rather than simply tapping a button. You can even wave to teammates by waggling the Oculus controllers in the air or fist bump them to add them as a friend.
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A large range of weapons have been included from assault guns and shotguns to snipers. As with most other battle-royale games, each gun has been colour coded to reflect its quality, and has been randomly dispersed across the entire map to ensure a level playing field.
Population: One is available to buy on both Oculus Store (£22.99) and Steam VR (£23.79). There’s currently no word of it arriving on PlayStation VR, but we wouldn’t rule out a future port.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
