1 
0 VR Shooters are ten to a penny, but something that isn’t common is one that brings up that feeling of nostalgia. On Point from Actuator Digital does just that! Released recently into early access on both Steam VR and Meta Quest, via App Lab, the game looks to help you relive some arcade memories. All while playing from your living room.
Say What Again!
Can a VR game really invoke that much emotion? Can it compare to a game that I spent possibly hundreds of pounds on in the arcade? Will On Point be the messiah that brings me back to VR?
Gameplay
Firing up the game you are transported into a classic arcade, complete with cabinets all around. Unfortunately, you can’t actually play all of these as they are currently stuck inside a barriered-off area. Moving away from the this, in front of you is a nice straightforward set of options, and right in the middle is Play! Let’s shoot that one.
Next up is your difficulty, now being a seasoned VR pro, I went straight for the middle option, skipping the tutorial levels, and definitely NOT picking the expert ones! Was this a mistake? Only time will tell. Heading straight into the game, I was presented with a selection of mini-games to take part in. Each of the mini-games comes with its own set of rules. Whether it’s a specific time limit, a specific number of bullets or a total number of objectives to complete. Each one feels different. Which is exactly what you want.
Be it sheep you have to shoot the wool off, or targets that you have to hit, heck even fruit being thrown at you from behind market stalls. Each game plays incredibly smoothly. I experienced no issues at all during my playthrough.
Levels
While I didn’t count how many levels there are in the game, you can rest assured that each play-through will be different. Just as you’d expect from an arcade style game. Each difficulty setting just ramps up the objectives in the game. For example in the Tutorial setting you might only have to hit 10 targets, but this might ramp up to 15 in the amateur setting.
Changing the difficulty of the levels does mean that you have to hone your reflexes that little bit more. With only 3 lives to make it through it’s not an easy ride either. Especially if your aim is slightly off. So take your time, take a breath and let loose!
Graphics & Audio
I’m going to start with the audio for a change. The quite obvious arcade-inspired audio is impressive, albeit a little loud. Although this does add to the arcade experience. Afterall what arcade isn’t a little loud?!
Graphically, On Point is exactly, well, on point. Colourful, bright, vibrant, all those great buzzwords that you want for a 90s-inspired game.
Longevity
With the replayability factor turned way up high, On Point has the longevity of a Twinkie. This means you will be playing this so much more than you realise. I know I lost more time than I realised whilst playing. I blame the ‘Just One More Game’ trap we gamers seem to fall for quite a lot! The leader boards help with this too. I mean who doesn’t want to beat their friends and show just how much better than them you are? I know I’m going back into VR soon to try and beat some friend’s scores. The bonus being I don’t need a whole load of coins lined up on a machine to beat their scores either!
Final Thoughts
Lightguns, Check. Inspired by one of my all-time favourite arcade games, Check.
On Point brings nostalgic emotions into VR and even during this heat leaves me wanting more! Hopefully, as the game moves through its Early Access phase leading up to its full 1.0 launch it will continue to grow. The Devs have promised light gun customisation, leaderboard improvements as well as Twitch chat support. Is this the game that brings Thumb Culture back to regular streams? Only time will tell.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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