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0 Premier League Player VR is the first ever officially licensed VR football game. Sounds like it should be a massive hit then. Least this is what I had hoped. Developed and published by Rezzil, a company that uses both XR and VR to help train in a number of sports, the game was released earlier in December. Rezzil aimed to give fans a glimpse into the on-pitch action from a footballer’s perspective. Do they succeed, or should we leave them on the bench?
I Don’t Know Jeff!
As a football fan, there is a lot of promise here, or at least there’s a lot of potential for promise. Let’s take a look and see just what to expect in Premier League Player VR.
Gameplay
When you first fire up Premier League Player VR you are greeted with a really brief tutorial. Hit the ball in the back of the net. Sounds easy right? Well, it was anything but. I tried being gentle, I tried a side-foot pass into the net. I even tried absolutely tonking the ball. Needless to say, I wasn’t very good.
Fast forward to now, well I haven’t improved that much, but I have found my calling. Headers. I’ll explain more in a bit. First, we need to check out the main mode within the game aka Moments. In this mode, you can replay highlights from the 2023/24 season. Make those killer passes players made in real life but it’s you, in VR, in your living room. Now I had issues with this mode. Essentially you have to recreate the clip to the letter, otherwise, the game would get you to try again. There were a few times during my playthrough whereby the goalie would dive even though I hadn’t even shot anywhere near the goal. It sounds like a small thing, but it really dragged me out of the immersion of being on the pitch at [Insert Stadium Name Here].
With the game being in early access, there are a few other game modes. These are the fun ones, Shot Stopper places you in goal. Tasked with stopping shots in any way you wish. Parry, punch, or catch them. You also have the Headers mode, which is probably my favourite mode to play. You simply have to header the ball through large hoops either in the air or on the ground. It is a lot of fun. Although I’m sure people looking on at me in VR wondered what I was doing. Headers can be played Solo or with friends to start friendly rivalries.
Other Mentions
You also have a free play mode where you can have a local party mode. Sharpen those abilities and practice in the training drills.
You can even explore your Player Sanctuary where you can organise your unlocked players. Edit the area in several ways and then show it off to your friends.
Feel free to even edit your persona on the pitch with the avatar. Premier League Player VR lets you edit your hairstyles, and boots, and even add your name and number to your kit. Make sure you have it exactly how you want when you step out onto the pitch.
Graphics & Audio
I always struggle with what to say when I’m playing a VR game on the Quest 3. Purely because the graphics are always ok. The one thing that Premier League Player VR does really well is the stadiums. Each stadium is lovingly recreated to give you a feeling of standing out there on the pitch. The player models are rendered nicely, although I couldn’t tell you who was who based on just looking. I had to use the kit numbers and my knowledge.
The sounds on the pitch were all good, nothing ground-breaking. Just solid audio.
Longevity
With this being in early access there is a lot of time for the game to be updated. Albeit at the moment I can’t see myself spending day’s worth of time playing the game going forward. However, the time that I did spend in the headset was enjoyable, even if a bit frustrating now and again.
Final Thoughts
One frustrating mode is countered by a number of great mini-games and modes. Meaning Premier League Player VR is an enjoyable game more than it isn’t. As with everything though, practice makes perfect and I’ll continue to dive in.
Disclaimer: A code was received to write this preview.
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