Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR is a Meta Quest action game where you play as Ezio, Kassandra, and Connor, experiencing parkour, stealth, and sword combat with your own body. Based on hands-on gameplay, this review covers the controls, VR motion-sickness settings, gameplay, highlights, and drawbacks.
Game Introduction
The first Assassin’s Creed game I ever played was Assassin’s Creed II. That was probably about ten years ago.
The game is set in 14th-century Italy. You play as Ezio Auditore, a young man from a noble family who witnesses the execution of his father and brothers, then grows into a legendary Assassin.
To reach your target, you would slip past guards and quietly take them out with the Hidden Blade. You would also spend a lot of time being chased by groups of guards, escaping across rooftops and towers.
I barely remember the story anymore.
What I do remember is standing at the top of a tower with an eagle circling overhead, looking down at a cart piled with hay, then jumping off and feeling that rush on the way down.
If you were really an Assassin, would you look at the haystack below and jump?
Or would you just climb down normally?
That answer changes depending on whether you are holding a PlayStation DUALSHOCK controller or a Meta Quest controller.
In VR, I am an Assassin too.
Just an Assassin who is afraid of heights.
After trying the Leap of Faith once, I have used the stairs every time.
Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR is an all-new VR game based on the previous Assassin’s Creed titles.
You play as a hacker hired by a hacker group to infiltrate Abstergo’s system.
Abstergo is working on the “Nexus Project.” The company is analyzing the memories of three Assassins from history to locate Pieces of Eden scattered across different time periods.
You need to find those fragments of memory before Abstergo does.
Using the Animus, you switch between three Assassins from different eras and experience adventures that have never been told before.
Controls Overview
This game does not show you every controller input with images at the start of the tutorial. Instead, you learn each action gradually as you play.
There are many things you can do in the game, and the same button may work differently depending on the situation. From here, I will explain the controls using images from actual gameplay.
When the game begins, it first checks your play position and posture. As shown in the image, fully extend both arms out to your sides, then hold X or A depending on how you plan to play.
- Hold X: Play seated
- Hold A: Play standing
Comfort Levels: The game offers plenty of settings to help reduce motion sickness.
The more prone you are to motion sickness, the more comfortable you can make the experience, though this will reduce immersion.
| Comfort Level | Movement | Field-of-View Restriction |
| Most Comfortable | Teleport | Blinks during teleportation |
| Comfortable | Smooth locomotion | Large |
| Moderate | Smooth locomotion | Small |
| Immersive | Smooth locomotion | None |
Fear of Heights: A line appears on the floor to make it easier to see where your feet are.
When you fall, a motion-sickness reduction frame covers a large part of your view, helping reduce the sensation of falling.
Gameplay Scene
As soon as the game starts, “INITIALIZE ANIMUS” appears directly in front of you.
Let’s touch it and see what happens.
Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings contact you.
They are members of the Assassin Brotherhood serving as your handlers for this mission. They explain what you need to do and give you a general idea of where the story is heading.
Abstergo is developing a new memory-analysis technology that goes far beyond anything it has created before.
For years, the company has collected and stored the memories of countless people. That includes not only politicians and military commanders, but also ordinary people like you and me.
If Abstergo can analyze your memories, it can learn how you think, what matters to you, and what you believe in.
It can then use that information to keep showing you specific content online and in your everyday life. Little by little, the plan is to overwrite your original beliefs and replace them with the ideology of the Templars.
Dominika Wilk, the Abstergo executive leading the project, needs someone with your technical skills to complete it.
What she does not know is that you are working for the Assassin Brotherhood and trying to shut down her entire operation.
First, switch over to Abstergo’s network and head to your first meeting with your new boss.
You need to solve this puzzle.
A 3D unlock code appears beside it. Use the code as a reference and move each block into the matching position.
When the screen switches to Abstergo’s network, your boss, Dominika, appears in front of you and explains the mission.
Using Animus technology, you will enter another person’s memories and see what they experienced in the past through their own eyes.
However, nothing you do inside those memories can change reality.
Dominika’s orders are to go deep into the memories, find the information she needs, and bring it back.
The first memories you will enter belong to Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the protagonist of Assassin’s Creed II and a Master Assassin.
He was close to Leonardo da Vinci and Machiavelli, and had a long history with the Borgia family.
In the late 15th century, Ezio changed the fate of many people. Quite a few also fell to his blade.
When you enter the game, you are transported into a room.
From here, your mission as an Assassin begins.
There are many objects in the room that you can interact with. You can pick them up and hold them in your hands.
Some are important items required for the mission, and you will need to collect them before you can move forward.
Watch out for the guards.
As an Assassin, getting spotted means the mission is over.
A detection meter appears above each guard. Once the meter fills completely, they have noticed you.
Swing your arm upward from below to extend the Hidden Blade.
With this blade, you can sneak up on an enemy without being noticed and quietly stab them.
Hey! …Wait, why are you bleeding?
Oh, sorry about that.
Go ahead and sleep for a while.
You need to collect these pieces and assemble them into one complete shape.
Once it is finished, you will be able to pass through the hidden door.
Done!
Once you place the pieces into the wall, the hidden door slowly opens.
Climbing has always been an essential part of Assassin’s Creed.
If you have played plenty of VR games before, you should already be familiar with how it works.
Is that a gun?
No, it’s a sword!
From here, you will have to face enemies head-on. The Hidden Blade on your wrist probably will not be much help.
It is time to upgrade your weapon.
Block!
As the enemy attacks, swing your weapon toward the incoming strike to stop it.
Looks like someone is slacking off over here.
This guard clearly needs to learn the hard way. I’ll take care of him.
There are plenty of ropes to grab and launch points throughout the city.
You can jump onto them, leap off, and enjoy full-scale VR parkour.
Being able to look down over the city from high above may be one of the biggest reasons I play Assassin’s Creed.
I can watch people moving through the streets and take in the city’s energy from a distance.
It is a quiet moment, and I can feel myself slowly relax.
Game Rating
The Highlights
- You can freely explore the city, running and jumping wherever you like.
- The game offers a wide variety of activities, including puzzles, combat, and parkour.
- You can also adjust the comfort settings to reduce VR motion sickness.
The Drawbacks
- Players who are prone to VR motion sickness may not be able to enjoy the game at its best.
- The game does not support multiplayer.
Setup & Safety
You can play either seated or standing.
It also requires very little play space.
Final Score & Comfort Level
Final Score: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (Top Tier!)
VR Comfort Level: 🌀🌀🌀🌀 (Intense)
Video Overview
Meta Quest Official Information
Price: 39.99 USD
It occasionally goes on sale during seasonal promotions, Black Friday, and New Year sales.
The discount is usually around 30–50%.
If you enter VRPUPU at checkout, you get another 10% off.
Rating: 4.3 / 5 ( 5,460 Reviews)
Official Description
In this all-new Assassin’s Creed adventure, you play as three legendary Assassins.
You become an Assassin in a way the series has never offered before, experiencing the thrill of parkour, the intensity of combat, and the tension of stealth in a full-scale action-adventure game.
Follow the new memories of Ezio Auditore, Kassandra, and Connor as you work to stop Abstergo from gaining the power to manipulate people’s beliefs.
Parkour:
Freely run across vast open maps and experience the thrill of parkour.
Explore Renaissance Italy, ancient Greece, and colonial America.
Talk with NPCs and interact with historical figures, including Leonardo da Vinci.
It feels like stepping directly into history.
Combat:
A quick flick of your wrist deploys the Hidden Blade.
Use both hands to block, parry, and counter as you fight a variety of enemies.
You can take part in full-scale combat with a wide range of weapons, including bows, swords, throwing knives, battle axes, crossbows, Hidden Blades, and bombs.
Every weapon can be equipped directly on your fully visible character model.
Stealth:
You can quietly approach a target from behind or launch an aerial assassination from above.
Blend into crowds to avoid detection, or use nearby objects to distract enemies.
Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR includes all the series’ signature elements, including the thrilling Leap of Faith.
You become the Assassin and decide how to complete each mission.
Use stealth, movement, and combat as you race across open maps and experience an unforgettable story.
If the combat in Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR is not enough for you, there are plenty of other combat games that will keep you busy.
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