So I wanted to get another VR game and Moss, which is out since February 27, seemed a good fit. While I will be definitely playing that game soon (just downloading it, actually), I decided to start another VR game that had me intrigued when I saw it in the store: Theseus.

The legend of Theseus and Ariadne vs. the game Theseus
As a teenager I was a sucker for Greek mythology and the legend of the Minotauros was one of my favorite tales. So, the Minotauros is half-brother of beautiful Ariadne, daughter of Crete’s king Minos and his wife, who herself is the daughter of sun god Helios. Minotauros himself is a blood-thirsty beast, half man, half bull, and is being held captive inside a labyrinth on the island.

Now, according to the legend, king Minos subjugates the city of Athens to avenge the death of one of his sons, who had perished there, and presses the people into sending seven maiden virgins and seven boys to Crete every nine years, to be sacrificed to the beast.

One day, Theseus, prince of Athens, decides to end this cruel tradition and travels to Crete, disguised as one of the doomed. Ariadne falls in love with him at first sight and promises to help him defeat the Minotauros.

The game Theseus interprets this Greek classic a little differently. Here, hero Theseus finds himself caught in a nightmarish labyrinth, guided onward by a ghost-like apparition that finally introduces herself as Ariadne. Asterion, the former guardian of the once beautiful labyrinth turned into the evil Minotauros, holds her prisoner, she claims, and asks Theseus to free her in order to end both of their nightmares. It is a classic setup: hero saves maiden from monster. That’s not much, story-wise, but story is not necessarily what I am looking for in a VR game.

The setting and gameplay
The labyrinth itself is atmospheric and beautifully done, if a little repetitive, but while I initially compared it to the lost city of The Last Guardian, I realised over time that those two don’t really compare. Since I am only at the beginning of this game, though, it may yet surprise me in a positive way. As mentioned, I have only just started, but I really like the mobility of the (mute) protagonist, who can climb, crawl and sprint, use a torch and fight.

The VR experience
I haven’t played that many VR games so far, but Theseus is the first one offering a third person perspective instead of the first person perspective I had been used to in VR so far. It’s an interesting take, but as you progress through the labyrinth, the perspective will change from behind Theseus to above him to more distant perspectives in what I perceived a pretty nonsensical manner. Yes, it does give you better views of the labyrinth and where you are supposed to go, but I find it somewhat annoying and even confusing at times.

As for the graphics, I have seen better, nevertheless, once you have first encountered the Minotauros, sneaking through the labyrinth and not drawing the beast’s attention takes center stage anyway.

The Minotauros itself is pretty impressive and of course I will have to face him again numerous times later in the game, that is a given and I am really looking forward to that.

Motion sickness
There are few VR games that don’t cause me motion sickness (e.g. The Last Guardian VR, Kismet and the London Heist-episode of PlayStation VR Worlds), but Theseus, sadly, is not one of them. The way the camera moves is at times quite nauseating. Which is why I haven’t played that much of the game just yet.

But I am sure I will continue to play.

So, what VR games have you been playing so far? What’s your experience?

Looking forward to Moss, by the way!

Keep on playing!

Vanessa