Pavlov, The VR shooter that could rule the world.

Pavlov, The VR shooter that could rule the world.

In a vicious whirlwind of gunfire and destruction, a handful of virtual bodies suddenly get ejected and obliterated by a perfectly cooked grenade, lobbed from the murky depths of Containers first floor. It was a visceral moment, my mind fighting off the wave of terror cascading upon me within this virtual realm, and it was in this stupefying moment, my obsession with Pavlov VR, was born.

Pavlov VR is a multiplayer virtual reality shooter with a tactical edge that takes inspiration from staple games of this genre, like counter strike’s buy menu, and the borrowing of game modes from the Call of Duty brand such as zombies, and gun game. One of the astonishing features is the amount of detail put into every weapon design and modeling, and how in VR, you must learn each weapons individual process of reloading. Pavlov boasts online and BOT matched games as well as a Kill House and shooting range map, so you can dial in on the weapon attachments, equipment, and all the specific reloads. The exciting part is that this game is still in development and the creators are on a steady wave of new content and ambitious goals for this title.

Coming to the steam store in February of 2017 Pavlov is brought to us by Vankrupt Games, an independent VR game studio that is dedicated to working with the games dedicated community to build Pavlov every step of the way. Vankrupt is lead by DaveVillz, a player you will frequently see killing it in game, and chatting it up on the discord server, seeing how we all interact and planting little seeds of what we should expect from the next update. Pavlov Discord has members from all over the world, coming together to share their feedback, build maps together and harness ideas on how this great game can get even better.

Pavlov’s gameplay feels fluid and realistic, especially in the close quarters combat scenarios, which can really get your senses hyper alert and kick start the adrenaline. Classic game modes like Team Death Match and Search and Destroy are the most common matches you’ll find but Pavlov also shines in casual game modes such as Zombies and Trouble in Terrorist Town, an interactive mode where a few members of your party are implanted as terrorists and have to take out the innocent members and take control of the town. With over 20 unique firearms the process of learning how each one works and reloads is a fun mission within its self. This realistic touch to the firearms aspect really drives forward the immersion and depth the creators strive to uphold.

While new custom maps are being released almost everyday the default Pavlov maps still hold a fun and fast paced place in players hearts. Datacenter, symmetrical in design with long hallways and corridors a garage area and 2 bomb sites, and Sand that has a visual style similar to dust of Counter Strike, with middle eastern style accents and islamic architecture, it was the first map designed specifically for Search and Destroy on Pavlov.

The future of Pavlov VR is wide open, but one possibility that needs to be capitalized upon is the potential for a Battle Royal game mode. With the explosion of BR titles on traditional consoles in recent past, VR has yet to have that realistic competitive BR that forces the medium into the mainstream world of E sports. If Pavlov could manifest this reality, the cake would be for the taking. Lucky for us there is a team on the discord modding this game mode and quite a few others as we speak. One that catches my eye is the parkour mod, my imagination quickly jumping to old school Mirrors Edge, but then also wanting something maybe like Fall Guys. But once VR takes place in the forefront of esports, I believe we will usher in a new reign of entertainment, The Immersion Age, destined to be what all our ready player one hopes and dreams are made of.

If you compare Pavlov apples to apples with any other VR shooter in a smilier style you will find that its gun dynamics and gameplay are unparalleled, leading the charge into realistic warfare. These dedicated creators still have a wealth of untapped potential and creative inertia that we should see blossom into a billowing mushroom cloud of success in the future years, growing with the industry. Overall Pavlov VR will drop you right in the middle of a virtual battle ground that will have your senes heightened and heart beating out of your chest, facing down the ultimate assortment of players dedicated to developing this exciting new era of FPS games.