Extraction shooter in VR: This is how Ghosts of Tabor plays on Meta Quest 3
Extraction shooters like Escape from Tarkov are some of my favorite games, so I had to take a look at the prominent VR representative Ghosts of Tabor. Read on to find out what my first few hours of play were like.
Combat Waffle Studios, the developers of Ghosts of Tabor, have brought a genre to VR which has recently become very popular on the flat screen: Extraction shooters. While the founder of the genre, Escape from Tarkov, was the only game in the genre for a long time, there are now more and more good titles. All the better that there is also a suitable option for fans of VR games. All in all, you can tell which game inspired Ghosts of Tabor, and that's a good thing.
The title is available via SteamVR and as a standalone on Quest 2 and Quest 3. For my review, I took a look at the standalone version of Quest 3. Ghosts of Tabor focuses on realism and is definitely not a VR shooter that makes it easy for players. But it is precisely this challenge that makes the extraction shooter genre so exciting.
Sitting in my bunker
In Ghosts of Tabor, a bunker serves as my base of operations. Here I can equip myself for missions and craft items. The bunker has several rooms, all of which are equipped for certain things. First, I go to the generator room to fill up my generator and turn on the power in the bunker. This makes it much easier to find my way around the base, as the lights are on everywhere. Although there are numerous doors throughout the bunker, only a few are open to me at first.
These include an armory where I can equip myself, and a storage area where I can store new items and keep them for later missions. There is also a room with a trading terminal where I can sell items I have collected and buy new ones, and a safe where my money is collected. I can also unlock rooms like the kitchen, the shooting range, the barracks, a nursery, an intelligence room, and a medical room. To achieve this, I have to upgrade my bunker with various items and money. The rooms also have different levels, which means they offer more possibilities.
The terminal in the main room of the bunker. | Image: Combat Waffle Studios
Off into action
After the tutorial, I went straight into a raid. First, I have to equip myself in the armory. So I grab an AK, a suit of armor with some pouches for magazines and other stuff, and a backpack. After stowing my magazines and getting my weapon ready, I go to the monitor in the center of the bunker and start the raid.
Once on the map, I have to find my way around. Since I can't figure out where I am yet, I head to a nearby fenced area. Before I even get there, they open fire on me. Obviously, there are several enemies from the PvE faction in the area. I quickly take cover and try to locate the shooter.
After a short search, I find him. He was standing right next to one of the entrances to the area. I grab my AK and manage to take him out with three single shots. I quickly run over to his corpse to see if he has any useful items for me. Unfortunately, I don't get the loot I want, so I head into the fenced area. There, another enemy awaits me and manages to hit me twice. I reflexively raise my trusty Russian rifle and finish him off with a short burst.
A wrong decision
Afterward, I quickly made my way into one of the buildings to bandage my wounds. Once I've finished and reloaded my weapon, I make my way to the second defeated enemy. Disappointingly, I didn't find any items of value here either, so I climb one of the large towers to get a better view and plan my next steps. At the top, I find some crates with loot, which I immediately put into my backpack.
While I'm putting my backpack back on, I hear a shot. A sniper in another area, further down the road, has spotted me. I take cover and try to take him out from a distance with a few rounds. But just as I'm about to take cover again, another shot hits me right between the eyes. My mission is over, and I find myself back in the bunker.
On a similar tower, I ended my mission with a sniper's bullet. | Image: Combat Waffle Studios
My verdict on Ghosts of Tabor
Overall, Ghosts of Tabor is one of the best shooters I've played in VR so far. Since I'm already very familiar with the genre, the many mechanics in the game didn't cause me any major problems. With so many customization and setting options, I was able to set up the game exactly the way I wanted. As a result, I had few issues with the controls in Ghosts of Tabor.
Unlike in my review of Contractors Showdown, every item could be picked up directly and easily. Magazines were easy to change, weapons were easy to modify, and I found it easier to hit enemies. One reason for this is the slower pacing of the tactical shooter compared to a battle royale title like Contractors Showdown. Nevertheless, it all made a good impression on me.
I had already seen some videos of the Quest 2 version of Ghosts of Tabor. As a result, I can rate the game's graphics on Quest 3 as absolutely solid, although the PC VR version is of course even better. The sound design of the footsteps and weapons is also well done. All in all, Ghosts of Tabor will probably become one of my favorite VR games and is definitely at the top of my personal top list for VR shooters.
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