Synopsis:
Tony Stark has retired from making weapons and instead creates technology used to battle evil as Iron Man. After several years as a world-famous Super Hero, Tony is attacked by the mysterious Ghost, a hacker and anti-corporate activist who repurposes old Stark Industries weapons. In her efforts to topple his empire, Ghost attacks Stark’s corporate locations around the world, leading to ever-escalating stakes and a final showdown.

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Reviewed on: PSVR (base PS4)

Cast: Josh Keaton, Jennifer Hale, Leila Birch, Chantelle Barry, Ike Amadi, Leonardo Nam

Developer: Camouflaj, Darkwind Media
Director: Ryan Payton
Writer: Brendan Murphy

If there’s one Marvel superhero that is best suited for the virtual reality treatment, it’s Iron Man. Not to say he was the first, we’ve had two short Spider-Man PSVR experiences that were okay. However, this is the first fully-fledged Marvel character to receive a virtual reality makeover, and the first time you’ll get to step into the well-pressed suits of Tony Stark and raise the iron gauntlets as Iron Man.

Over the 6–8 hour campaign, you’ll play as Tony Stark as he deals with a personal attack on his company, his loved ones and himself. He dubs the attacker ‘Ghost’ as the person moves through solid walls into Tony’s high-level compounds, and walks through his high-level security to breach what barriers he thought were protecting him and his partner, Pepper Potts.

The opening level sets the bar for action high as you leap out of a plummeting Stark Jet that has just been attacked and call in the Iron Man suit mid-air. Having each part of the suit fly in and attach itself to you is going to be a religious experience for Iron Man superfans.

Iron Man VR features an original story from developer Camouflaj, but one deep-seated in Iron Man history and lore. You don’t need to have a history with the character to enjoy this game, but it will be more enjoyable if you at least know his basic origin story. The primary drive for Ghost wanting to destroy Tony is for things he’s done in his past and having that knowledge will help you understand, somewhat, where Ghost is coming from.

One chapter towards the end of the game slows things down and gives it a psychological horror atmosphere. A jump scare got me in an Iron Man game, and I bet you weren’t expecting to read that. As Iron Man’s armour is stripped away, the game asks if he should be washed of his sins? Do his new actions make up for the sins of his past? The game never really answers that question, but neither do the comics or movies. It’s still my favourite level in the game for at least diving into that psyche for even a brief moment.

Over the 12 chapters in the campaign, you’ll experience moments like the opening plane level that feel pulled from a Marvel blockbuster. You’ll fly above the waters outside Tony’s home, to Shanghai, and even battle around a S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier. There’s variety, even if you return to these locations, and for the most part, the levels become arena fights against drones. They’re broken up by objectives like rescuing civilians or welding a door shut, but they all boil down to flying and shooting. The good news is that being Iron Man is so much fun that you likely won’t care.

Using two PS Move controllers, you control both of Iron Man’s hands and need to master both movement and combat. It may seem confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll truly feel like a superhero as you fly, spin, punch and let off repulsor blasts like the real deal.

At first, you’ll probably be stopping your momentum to fire using both hands, but as the game progresses it asks you to learn to move with one and fire with the other to take on certain drone types.

How you play with both Move Controllers is intuitive, but like past PSVR exclusives, the tech holds back the game. Sometimes my hands would get lost behind my back when flying, or I’d forget orientation since the Move controllers don’t fit naturally. Luckily, the in-game HUD shows where your hands are at all times. Still, a PSVR 2 port with better controllers would improve the experience dramatically.

Between chapters you’ll have downtime to upgrade the suit or interact with Tony’s AIs. ‘Friday’ is his most recent creation and mission voice, while ‘Guns Smith’ is an AI version of Tony from his past. There are also mini-games (punching bag, basketball, pull-ups) and a trophy shelf that displays your unlocked PSN trophies — a fantastic detail.

Although human faces don’t look perfect, the facial animation and voice acting carry them. Jennifer Hale plays a warm Pepper Potts, though she’s sidelined for much of the game. Josh Keaton voices Tony Stark and Guns Smith with a performance that feels authentic without mimicking Robert Downey Jr.

The biggest complaint is the constant loading screens, even after a patch. Thirty-second loads before levels, after deaths, and between scenes add up. In VR, standing still with no distraction makes this more frustrating than in regular games.

It would be criminal not to mention the music, which ties everything together. Kazuma Jinnouchi does a phenomenal job on the score, hitting all the Marvel movie beats. The soaring final track gave me chills.

After the story, completionists have more content: a brutal bonus mode with 40 drone waves, plus flying and combat challenges. No online leaderboards, but plenty of bragging rights.

Iron Man VR sits alongside Blood & Truth as a full-blown campaign many PSVR players seek. More mission variety would have been nice, and the Move Controllers are aging, but the game achieves its goal: Iron Man VR makes you feel like a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist — you are Iron Man.

(Marvel’s Iron Man VR code provided for review)