Younger gamers won’t quite understand the allure of the original Operation Wolf, but it’s a landmark in the sea of early arcade classics. Nestled in a smoky room, surrounded by the bleeps and bloops of other machines, the cacophony of dollar changers spitting out quarters, the machine made an instant impression with an fake Uzi bolted in, pointed at the screen. Wrapped in a garish camouflage, with art reminiscent of the sun-faded VHS boxes for tapes that the kiddos were forbidden to rent, it just called out for the gamer looking for something more intense and visceral, even though we didn’t have the vocabulary to express the thought. The military-themed, first-person rail shooter was also this gamer’s first experience with force feedback, as the gun would jutter and spit in the hands, while mowing down the kidnappers and evildoers that dared to think about shooting back. It was pure adrenaline, an overstimulating blast to the senses. My parents really should have paid closer attention, instead of handing me some quarters in exchange for being left alone while they shopped. It’s these memories that make the idea of the resurrection of the long-dormant Taito series so interesting. The cool thing is, Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR actually delivers the goods.
As a rail shooter, there isn’t a ton of plot to dig into. The player is a combat specialist assigned to go on a one man hostage rescue mission in some unspecified tropical country. It’s basically asking the player to step into the shoes of Schwarzenegger’s character from Commando, or enter the Matrix, to fill the bad guys with speed holes, while avoiding hurting the hostages. Hitting a hostage harm’s the player’s health, which could be made into a philosophical essay on the representation of loss of morale caused by collateral damage in early digital media.
To accomplish this mission, the player is given access to four primary weapons: a shotgun, an assault rifle, the series classic Uzi, and a pistol with unlimited ammo. The player can also toss a limited number of grenades. There are also a couple of limited bonus weapons to add explosive firepower. Reloading is simply a matter of pointing down. Also, medkits can be used with a press of a button. These basic systems do a great job of keeping player options open, while being quick to access, something that serves the fast pace of the game.
An astute person might note that two of the weapons are classically intended for two hand use. Operation Wolf Returns doesn’t skip this, which was slightly odd at first. Two-handed weapons in VR tend to not be great, with the exception of a bow and arrow. The developer actually got it right. The player holds both controllers in a pantomime of holding the weapon, but it’s extremely forgiving. The onscreen reticle allows for simple, general aiming, while a score chaser can use iron sights to rack up the headshot bonuses.
The only weapon complaint comes from the shotgun. Strangely, it’s pretty much useless at short range due to the wide spray. It’s great for taking out large groups of midrange enemies, but the spread is so haphazard that innocents can and will also be hit, even if they are nowhere near where the player is aiming. After getting to know the weapons, this was the least used, because even the weak pistol is more consistently useful.
Overall, this is a short game, stemming from the fact that it’s a resurrection of an arcade shooter. While the brevity of the levity can be frustrating, the game actually serves its purpose well. It’s nice to throw on a headset and blast through the waves of enemies, mowing down Hind choppers and the freaking Gigatank, have a full experience and then be done. Of course, difficulty levels add replayability, but a good rail shooter is one that is fun to just do over and over again, causing havoc and chaos, and there are cool sequences and explosive reactions to enjoy. Some of it comes from learning enemy placement to avoid some of the devious cheap hits. But what really locks Operation Wolf Returns as a must-play VR title is the ability to dodge bullets. The player can see them coming, sometimes shoot them out of the air, but it’s often best to duck or weave, hearing the telltale whiz as it flies past the ear. Other VR titles have done this well, but this is a standout in making the player feel completely badass.
There are a couple of other places where the game could be improved, other than that accursed shotgun. First, and this is probably unreasonable, but it would have been nice if the arcade original were playable here. They modeled the cabinet for the menu screen, so there’s a call out there, but even just throwing it on screen and letting the player point and shoot would have been great. Not asking for an arcade perfect VR replica here. The other criticism is that the endless mode, All You Can Beat, is slow and tedious. After a few waves to get acclimated to the setting, it’s a simple matter of hearing where the enemy is, spinning around, and shooting. The waves are short, making it feel like more time is spent waiting for the countdown for the next spawn compared to actually playing. I made it to wave 40 something and decided to just let myself be killed, despite the allure of the leaderboard.
Closing Comments:
Despite a short wish list of things that would improve it, Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR is a pleasant surprise. The assumption was that it would trade on the name but be a big standard VR rail shooter with nothing to really add. Instead, newcomer developer Virtuallyz Gaming threaded the needle, making a title that is reverential to the original arcade, while doing new things to amp up the action. It’s not the second coming of a VR rail shooter, but it’s extremely solid and just darn fun. It’s understandable if people see this and think it’s just another VR shooter, but this game is a reminder that, when well made, sometimes simple is better.
