When I heard a game was coming out led by award-winning filmmaker Eloise Singer, which also involves Lucy Lui as the main character, I was certainly interested to see what they would bring the VR medium.
Release Date: March 7th 2024
Developer: Singer Studios
Publisher: Singer Studios
Price: US $16.99 / CA $21.99 / €16,49 / £14.29
Reviewed On: DPVR E4
* Code Provided For Review *
FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
In the game you play as Cheng Shih, as you find out how she started from humble beginnings to become the most feared and respected pirate of all time. As you play out the trails and tribulations on the night she came to power.
PUZZLE-LITE
The Pirate Queen is quite light on the gameplay elements, as the game wants to focus on the story and narrative and is more for the type of player who wants to lose themselves in a story. This means it will be quite a quick experience for some, as it took me just under an hour and half to get through. It does offer two difficulties which are Story and Escape room, but when I went into both versions I failed to see and major difference, that explains the two modes being available (my full playthrough was on Escape Room).
For the gameplay, the main element is puzzles in each location, but these are never overly taxing and normally the voice over will point you in the right direction when you are close to the puzzle. So, nothing will ever leave you spending a prolonged time trying to figure it out. Outside of the puzzles, you will do things you would expect as a pirate, which are rowing through the foggy night to get to another ship, climbing the netting to get on said ship, firing cannons for a short part on one chapter and putting out fires on your own ship.
As aforementioned, the aim of the game is to tell the story of The Pirate Queen and is for someone who is looking for a narrative experience. So, the gameplay and the design of these elements allows the story tho keep flowing and offer what the team at Singer Studios wanted.
ON THE PORT SIDE
For this review I also got the chance to take a look at the Meta Quest version of the game (which I played on Quest 3). From what I can see, it seems the PCVR version is a direct port of this version of the game, as all the model and texture pop-in is still present in this version. This leads to lower resolution textures that sometimes look a little grainy. With this in mind where the game still looks good on PCVR, it doesn’t excel in the visuals department as well as it could. But, the visuals really do set the atmosphere and will transport you to the South China Sea during the Qing dynasty, as the story plays out.
The games story and Cheng Shih is perfectly brought to life by a fantastic performance by renowned Hollywood actress Lucy Liu and direction of critically acclaimed filmmaker and creative director Eloise Singer. With the environmental audio bringing the settings to life, with the sound of the sea being ever present, with all the story taking place at sea. With all the other main voice acting being well done, however, some of the throw away lines as you explore sound a bit off. With the finishing touches of the audio design being a light music in the background, which is used well to set each scenes pace.
COMFORT
THE VERDICT
Summary
The Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend does what it is designed to do and tells the story of Cheng Shih’s rise from humble beginnings to the most feared pirate in history. However, the light gameplay elements might not appeal to everyone, as you really need to be invested in the narrative to get the most out of the game – and the gameplay might not do enough for some to keep them playing. However, if you are one who loves a good story and narrative driven game, the captivating performance from Lucy Liu as Cheng Shih will certainly drag you into the experience.
