Breachers hands-on: A top-notch tactical VR shooter in the style of Rainbow Six Siege
Breachers expertly brings the tactical gameplay of Rainbow Six Siege to VR. I tried out the 5v5 shooter for Quest 3.
As a huge fan of tactical multiplayer shooters like Rainbow Six: Siege, Breachers immediately captivated me. That's why I checked out the 5v5 shooter for Meta Quest 3. In addition to the version for Meta Quest 3, Quest 2 and Quest Pro, Breachers is also available for PSVR 2 and of course for PC VR.
Breachers is heavily based on the Ubisoft original and brings its proven gameplay concept to VR. Two teams compete against each other in multiple rounds, alternating between the roles of attackers (Enforcers) and defenders (Revolters).
As the Enforcers, your goal is to infiltrate a building and defuse two bombs planted by the Revolters. The defenders must prevent this from happening at all costs. Both sides have access to a variety of weapons and special gadgets to gain an advantage.
Exciting battles thanks to clever mechanics
In my very first round as an Enforcer, I learned to appreciate the possibilities of Breachers. Using a grappling hook, I climbed the wall of the house and rappelled down a window to the target. I then smashed the window with a powerful punch and entered enemy territory — an incredibly satisfying experience!
While the Enforcers can be so creative in gaining access, the Revolters rely on defensive measures such as door barricades, mines, or motion detectors. This makes for exciting games of cat and mouse where communication and coordination with other players is essential. However, I have a small criticism here because as in my hands-on with Pavlov's Shack, the game gods were not particularly merciful here.
I was paired with some very experienced players who, to my chagrin, only spoke French. This made communication within the team difficult. When I asked if we could speak in English, I was told that all non-French players were, and I quote, "second-class people anyway". I had found a really nice little group here.
Unfortunately, I'm no stranger to this type of communication from my competitive experiences on the PC, so I simply gave up on the voice chat for the rest of the round.
The climbing hook is an indispensable gadget in Breachers. | Image: Triangle Factory
Well-designed weapon handling and excellent presentation
The selection of weapons in Breachers is impressive and covers all common categories. The handling feels excellent — not too heavy, not too light. In particular, the reloading mechanics are very well implemented. Although I have to manually insert my magazine into the gun, I don't have to pull back the slide or the loading lever to load a new round into the barrel. This saves time, especially in heated situations.
Graphically, the VR shooter on Quest 3 looks really good. The detailed environments and realistic textures sometimes even make me forget that I'm "only" wearing a standalone headset. The lighting and water effects are also impressive. Even though the weapons and equipment are not based on real-life counterparts and the whole environment is a bit futuristic, Breachers definitely impressed me on a visual level.
In terms of sound, Breachers doesn't do much wrong, either. I can tell exactly when enemies are moving towards me. It's also easy to tell if someone is running above or below me. When it comes to weapon sounds, games like Ghosts of Tabor or the PC equivalent Escape from Tarkov with their much more realistic audio are more convincing. One small minus point for Breachers.
The weapons in Breachers are somewhat futuristic. Here you can also see the upgrade system. | Image: Triangle Factory
My verdict: Breachers rocks the VR shooter scene
Breachers does a lot of things right and stands out from other VR shooters. With enough varied maps and an offline training mode against bots, the game offers a lot of content. The developers also release new content or major updates every two months or so, expanding or improving the gaming experience long after the game has been released.
The well thought-out gameplay with switching between the roles of attacker and defender, the clever mechanics, the excellent gunplay and the high-quality audiovisual presentation make the title a first-class representative of the VR shooter genre.
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