I did play all three episodes, but I don't think I have a ton of unique commentary across the trilogy, so I'm grouping 'em together at once.

Years ago, I had the chance to play a pick-up game of the Star Wars tabletop RPG at a convention. At the time, I decided I wanted my character to be a Force-sensitive janitor, because that seemed funny to me - just some random guy who happens to be Force-sensitive, who isn't really part of the Jedi or Sith or whathaveyou but is just kinda doing his own thing. I feel like that campaign was symbolic in a lot of respects of my relationship with Star Wars as a cultural phenomenon. By way of example, I was riding along with people who had been playing the game since the 70s, and they ended up having an in-character conversation for an hour in Jawa (none of us were Jawas), and I just kinda had to sit there for the duration of it.

But it's relevant to mention here because, as much as I can get swept away by the grand, sweeping stories of political factions, and as much as I can get caught up in individual stories about certain characters (ahem), after a certain point I just kinda feel like too many random people can do Force stuff, and having each and every one of these guys interface directly with major factions or main characters like Darth Vader sort of makes the galaxy feel a little smaller to me.

I know it's probably unfair to pick on this game for that sorta thing. Any Star Wars video game is gonna have elements of power fantasy, doubly so for a Virtual Reality game. It'd be a little strange if, in a universe where people possess mystical powers, all you could do in the tie-in VR game was bulls-eye Womp Rats or something. Still, it's the sort of thing that runs through the back of my mind for this experience.

Vader Immortal is not fully confident in letting the player roam 3D space - but that's not a specific indictment, since many VR games are anxious about that sorta thing. Actually, that there is some wandering around here, even if it's just on-rails, is decently interesting. But the large thrust of the game is getting from one shooting gallery or cutscene set piece to another, and it does a decent enough job at that.

I kinda think of this game like a decent theme park ride with a good budget. It's fun and memorable while it lasts, but more something I think of as a decent diversion than something with a gripping narrative. I don't remember a whole lot about the actual experience, aside from some decent messing around with Stormtroopers, Jedi Outcast-style. I'll admit I'd rather be playing Jedi Outcast, but I know myself well enough to recognize that's nostalgia speaking. No reason why this can't be someone else's Jedi Outcast.

+ VR Immersion
+ Strong visuals for Oculus Quest

- Segmented gameplay
- Simplistic, mindless combat
- Extremely short campaign
- Predictable story and unlikable characters

You're in it for the show only in this one, Vader Immortal is an interesting series (that shouldn't have been separated into three whole chapters for how short it is) but that's pretty much it. You at least get to see some more of some new characters, Mustafarians, and Darth Vader himself and his constant melancholy while remembering Padmé as you sneak into one of the Imperial facilities.

Honestly, they did really good in the art direction for this one, as a lot of the cave-ish and darker scenarios look very well and then the Imperial architecture looks fine as well, especially the more internal parts of it.

Now, with that said this is kind of something you watch as it unfolds in front of you as the game really doesn't need your input a lot of the times. You're pretty limited to run around, and interact with many things, as well as the climbing mechanics and others feeling pretty basic for VR standards.

The lightsaber battles were cool, although they reek of being scripted as some of the attack patterns they repeat for like 5 times until you're done with that scene, but it at least compensates the great feeling of cutting your way through with a lightsaber... Only that this happens once, in Episode 1.

...It's just alright.

While staying over at my Aunt's we watched lots of movies and played lots of her VR. During that time I decided to try out this game and shortly after I had a surprise completion on my hands.

This is a weird game to rate. It's an early VR game so its got some real rough spots. For one its weirdly split into three chapters. Its also incredibly short. Lack of normal walking and only teleporting is a bit jarring. Even the bonus dojo mode while cool to spend more time with the combat is a little basic. Theres not really a whole lot to it. You'll just play through a short little star wars story. Honestly I think it works. Theres so much that could make it better of course but as an occasional star wars fan I enjoyed it and it really helped me realize that I should consider an Oculus for my next big purchase.

Don't expect to get a lot out of this one. But dueling Darth Vader and force grabbing two blasters to dual wield against storm troopers was one of the most joyful experiences I've ever had In a long time. The lack of length definitely hurts it, and I dont think itd be fair to give this more than a 3.5. But as my first VR game I actually got to beat, I think it does its job quite well and Im damn satisfied

Time Played - N/A
Nancymeter - 75/100
Game Completion #71 of 2022
June Completion #6

So very short for $30. I played the entire campaign, at a leisurely pace, in under three hours, certainly. Maybe under two honestly. But I really did enjoy my time in there. For a 'Star Wars' fan, you really can't beat some of these experiences. A light saber duel with Vader, using force powers to defeat a raging darkghast, flying a ship into Vader's castle on Mustafar, commanding droid troops with light saber swipes. It really is something. And I like the story too. With both this and the 'Obi Wan Kenobi' series, I love learning about the different ways that Darth Vader...cares. His objective here was shocking to me. And indeed I was also surprised by what we learn about the geological history of Mustafar. I'm keeping the star score reasonable only because it's a steep price tag for an experience that's no longer than a feature film. But if you like 'Star Wars,' you really should play this. I played on PSVR and if you care about visuals, this game looks demonstrably better on PSVR than it does on Meta Quest 2.