Simulated Space Chaos – Space Docker VR – Review

My PSVR2 may not be covered in dust, but my PlayStation HOTAS certainly was until I discovered Space Docker VR. It has been out a while but still provides a unique experience on PSVR2—space flight, complete with Newtonian laws of physics.

I’ve been watching a lot of The Expanse lately so I strapped on my headset with a confidence which was quickly dashed by the tutorial. Once I stopped thinking I was flying a plane, my confidence and skill grew again. I was hit by a strong memory of attempting to dock in Elite Dangerous – momentum is not to be underestimated.

There is certainly some challenge inherent in space flight and Space Docker will throw extra challenges at you over its 14 or so missions. Runaway or spinning crates, blackhole orbits and nuke delivery or a combination thereof. As a simulator, there is a lot to handle and thankfully there are assistance options, and automatically matching velocity with cargo definitely saved me from being overwhelmed and giving up early.

You do get some FMV tutorials from “Just a Guy“, an authentic, realistically cringe training video. Although the innuendo-laden instructions probably wouldn’t fly at my place of work, they do help set the tone and atmosphere (and in space too).

I found the graphics to be surprisingly sharp even on distant objects. Although the textures aren’t super high detail, some nice industrial blocks of colour really sell the setting. It’s a bit more sci-fi than The Expanse but still grounded like Shipbreaker or maybe Fifth Element.

The only real downside is probably one of the game’s strengths. It is mostly just docking; all missions involve moving crates from one place to another. The challenge makes it entertaining but if this doesn’t sound appealing, it may not be for you. There are several race circuits though if you want to test yourself in another way. There’s also a decent amount of missions for the asking price, plus as many procedurally generated missions as you fancy.

You can, of course, play with sense controllers using a virtual joystick if you don’t have a HOTAS, which gives you a bonus lever of satisfaction to pull to release your cargo.

Space Docker VR does everything it sets out to do and does it well. It might not be for you, but it might also be exactly what you’ve been looking for.