🧠🤯 Review: Esper - "The PSVR Telekinesis Is Strong In this One" 🧠🤯 #PSVR

Esper is a VR puzzle game that uses telekinesis to test your skills in solving unique 3D puzzles to progress through the game.

You are a trainee in a government-funded retro spy institution that evaluates new recruits telekinesis powers. 

You start the game on your first day in the government centre undergoing telekinesis assessment tests, checking how well you can use mind powers to carry out your spy missions.

The game is a VR puzzle game where you only use your minds powers to interact with the world you’re put in. You move objects around the room with ease to solve more increasingly difficult puzzles.

The whole game takes place in one room. The room isn’t any room as all its sides hide the parts of the puzzles. The room moves around and robotic parts appear from the sides and get assembled in front of you as the rooms changes and transforms by very retro looking mechanisms.

The whole game has a 1950’s Americarna feel with the room design and voice acting fitting into the stylish 50’s theme perfectly.  

The voice acting is of a high standard and is more than ideal to make you feel like you’ve gone back to the good old days of 50’s America.

The tester that speaks too you is a cool chap and I easy understood the commands and instructions from him.

You never see your tester, he communicates too you via a retro television that’s on the right of your desk. The fact you don’t see anyone made me feel a slight isolation and that I was actually a danger to people due to crazy mind powers!

The graphics are good and even though you’re just in one room for the experience, the graphics never feel lacklustre or subpar and they really do the job well. All objects and surfaces you interact with feel solid.

The light tracking does the job well, I never had my concentration broken by tracking problems and I never felt any frustrations by tracking issues moving the objects around the room as the tracking did everything I needed it too so I could remain focused on the job at hand. You can pick up and throw objects and puzzle pieces in the world and you are never limited by where you can move these objects or where in the room you can put them.

The whole game you’re sat behind a desk in what looks like a regular retro office, so you get no motion sickness and no black blinder issues on moving as you’re using your mind to interact with the vr world, not your body.

Esper is a PSVR puzzle game that uses a unique story to guide the player through the game. It’s not a traditional puzzle game story using telekinesis in a government spy recruitment centre, and I really enjoyed the story for the of the game.

The puzzles are challenging but a relaxed experience that took me just over two hours to get through, and at times I was left scratching my head working out these puzzles but only to see the answer plain as day was in front of me all along.

I’ve experienced this type of puzzle game before but with the game set in a crazy institution for mind powers gives it a unique world and makes it a game I’m glad I played.

On my first play through I completed 72% of the game and got many trophies. I wasn’t trying to get any trophies so if you’re a trophy hunter I’d say this is an enjoyable way to add to your platinum haul.

After completing the game I did feel it was short, but when you take the price into account (£6.49 uk) and the high standard of graphics with excellent voice acting, mixed up with a very entertaining puzzle I’d say definitely worth a try at the asking price. I’ve picked up a lot of the lower priced PSVR games/experiences and Esper is most definitely one of the better ones on offer.

Also if you have a VR noob trying your headset for the first time, Esper would be a very good choice for them as i didn’t even get a sweat on from playing and I do get motion sickness easy. I felt more than comfortable to play the game through with only one break 3/4 of the way through.

Summary

Overall I’d recommend Esper to anyone who wants a VR challenge and to experience a unique take on a traditional puzzle game.

The price is more than fair for the experience you get and at just over £3 an hour it’s excellent value. 

I wouldn’t replay Esper as I feel I got everything there was on offer first play but there are hidden trophies to find, so if you’re a trophy hunter there is at least one more play through after completing Esper.

If you like puzzle games you must experience Esper.

💧❄️ RATING: MELTING ❄️

Ratings Explained

ICE COOL (Great Game Recommended)

MELTING (Recommended with reservations, one to consider if you are a fan of the genre)

MELTED (Not A Recommended Purchase)

Review by Simon Budd