For two solid years, a group of friends and I played Breachers every Friday night. It was something I looked forward to all week, and thanks to the game's regular updates, it took us a solid two years to finally call it quits. Since then, we haven't found something that all of us consistently want to play, but that's all about to change with the release of Forefront.
In his weekly column, Android Central Senior Content Producer Nick Sutrich delves into all things VR, from new hardware to new games, upcoming technologies, and so much more.
I recently had the opportunity to play the final release build of the game with dozens of YouTubers and gaming journalists, and when I tell you this is the next big multiplayer VR phenomenon, I'm not exaggerating. By the end of the three rounds we played, there wasn't a single person who wasn't cheering and asking for another one.
Article continues belowIt's a feeling I haven't had since Breachers came out, and while I've played many different (and excellent) multiplayer VR games since then, this is the one that's going to bring me back to consistently playing with my friend group, and I couldn't be happier about it.
Battlefield 2035
Forefront takes place in the year 2035 and puts players in 32-player battlegrounds, vying for control of different points on the map in one of two game modes. It channels classics like Battlefield and Tribes with plenty of bespoke mechanics for VR headsets and is available on Steam VR and Meta Quest platforms, with a PSVR 2 release in the near future.
As you might expect from a game like this, you can choose from one of four classes, each of which has its own special traits and equipment. Whether you choose the Assault, Medic, Engineer, or Sniper classes, you can pilot a dozen different types of vehicles, from jet skis to helicopters, ATVs, tanks, and more.
All vehicles allow more than one player to board, and several even allow players to operate large guns or other special equipment while riding. The environments are semi-destructible, including many buildings that can have walls blown up, as well as other obstacles that can be destroyed to open up new paths of attack.
As someone who poured hundreds of hours into Tribes 2 and Battlefield 1942, it's been a while since I've truly enjoyed a game in this genre. Don't get me wrong, I've tried several similar titles over the past 20 years since those games existed, but few of them have held my attention the way Forefront was able to.
Unironically, the same thing happened with Breachers, as the last time I played a similar type of game was Rainbow Six 3 on the original Xbox. Clearly, there was a time where I enjoyed these types of team-based multiplayer games, and that ship certainly sailed for a bit, but it appears it's back in port thanks to the immersion only VR can provide.
Being able to physically steer vehicles, hide behind walls, climb towers, and slap the paddles together to revive a teammate just hits different. Physically doing something feels objectively different than watching an on-screen character do it, and it's that difference that's reinvigorated these types of games for me again.
It also helps immensely that VR games like Forefront make communication so darn easy. All the equipment needed to talk to my teammates is built into the headset, no silly keyboard menus to navigate through, and no nonsense tech support to deal with just to get a microphone working, either. Just strategize with your teammates using your voice and they hear you.
Forefront has been in early access for several months now, and the difference between this version 1.0 release and the original release is pretty monumental. The odd lag or occassional jank that was present in earlier versions is gone, replaced with an impressively smooth game that delivers Battlefield-sized levels with 32-players, all minus hitching or lag. This is why I love gaming on consoles like the Quest 3, and it's great to see something made so well!
Developer Triangle Factory also introduced a combat bow with the version 1.0 release, and I couldn't be happier about how it feels to use it. Bows are already my favorite weapon to use in VR because of the highly tactile nature of the weapon, and this one is typically an instakill so long as you pulled back far enough on the string.
There's nothing quite as thrilling as setting an arrow sailing across the ravaged town square only to down an enemy in an instant. It's far more rewarding than using a gun, even if guns are more efficient.
I also loved operating vehicles, but will understand if some people need to have others drive. If you're prone to motion sickness at all, you'll definitely want to enable some of the supporting settings to keep that at bay while operating a vehicle. It can be intense.
I'm so happy to have a game like Forefront that reinvigorates this genre for me, and I can't wait to see what Triangle Factory does with the game over the next few years. Their support of Breachers over the years was legendary. Given the community that Forefront has already developed over the past few months of early access, I know big things are coming to an already impressively big game.
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