Larcenauts Review: An Enjoyable VR Shooter That Falls Short Of Greatness

Impulse Gear isn’t a stranger to virtual reality. Having brought us PSVR shooter Farpoint, they’ve slowly worked on Larcenauts ever since, offering an arena-based multiplayer-only hero shooter with 6v6 teams. Similar to Overwatch, it recently launched for PC VR and Quest with cross-platform multiplayer and while you’ll find some enjoyment with friends, Larcenauts doesn’t live up to its full potential.

Now, if you’re hoping for something similar to Farpoint, you’ll be disappointed. There isn’t a single player campaign and all we know is that we’re guided by Captain Eleanor Kas, playing as one of eight recruited “Specialists”. Forming a crew to take on heists across the Tern system, each character can sprint, dash across gaps and grapple to greater heights with a hookshot, using touch controller buttons. Wielding two weapons and unique grenades, everyone comes with useful and varied tactical abilities, like healing teammates or temporary stat boosting.

Unfortunately, Larcenauts doesn’t help much beyond a basic tutorial, leaving players to figure out the rest. Controlling all these aspects feels slightly clunky yet ultimately manageable, though that faster-paced gameplay may cause comfort issues. I haven’t personally suffered any motion sickness, but those liable will be pleased to hear Impulse Gear’s implemented several options to make this a smoother experience. Alongside choosing your dominant hand, players can adjust quick turning, weapons placement (between your left/right side) and tunnel vision, which can be adjusted or outright disabled.

You’ll start with more all-rounded characters like Calima, and it doesn’t take long to unlock new specialists through Larcenauts’ “notoriety” progression system. Evander’s a stealthy sniper with camouflage abilities, Chi can heal teammates and separately freeze herself similarly to Overwatch’s Mei and becoming briefly invincible, while Thal can throw up shields and act like a tank-class specialist.

This all takes place between three modes to pick, set across four enjoyable maps. You’ve got the standard deathmatch option, a zone control mode called Refuel and lastly, a capture the flag experience called Uplink. There’s no major content variety within Larcenauts, though. I wouldn’t exactly call it barebones, but the lack of a ranked option is disappointing. Each mode is well-designed and needs around 10–15 minutes to complete. Battles are always a strategic affair, requiring co-operation between your teammates to win, which lends itself to high-end gameplay.

However, Larcenauts is a slow burner. Earning victories is satisfying, but this game requires patience in learning your preferred character’s abilities. You won’t succeed by going in alone and annoyingly, most specialists are initially locked behind Impulse Gear’s progression system, hampering your ability to form a balanced team right away. Customisation options can also be unlocked for existing specialists like new weapon loadouts. Larcenauts rewards player patience, yet you can come away feeling demotivated just as easily.

Impulse Gear has laid the groundwork for a solid 6v6 shooter, several choices hold it back from greatness. Having to unlock the entire specialist roster is unnecessarily limiting and variety feels notably lacking, leaving room for improvement. While it’s not exactly Overwatch in VR, shooter fans willing to grind it out will find an entertaining experience within Larcenauts that's worth a look.

6/10

Larcenauts was reviewed on Meta Quest 2, and a review code was provided by the publisher. It's also available on PC VR.

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