Ironwolf VR – Submarine Hunting in Virtual Reality
Experience the quiet tension of hunting merchant ships in World War 2 as a German submarine captain, dodging enemy Destroyers and launching torpedoes from below the water. Every room in your cramped submarine is fully rendered in Virtual Reality.
Firing the deck gun is incredibly satisfying, but trying to run away from pursuit takes an enormous amount of patience and careful positioning of your sub. Leaking is also a major problem for your submarine.
IronWolf VR: World War 2 Convoy Raid
In IronWolf VR, you play as a WWII Submarine Captain, hunting merchant ships on the high seas while dodging enemy Destroyers. The game fully immerses you in the experience of being in a cramped, yet beautifully realized submarine that feels like it is truly beneath the waves.
Each room in the submarine is fully and accurately rendered in Virtual Reality, and navigating from one to another is as simple as turning a wheel on a door or opening a hatch before you are teleported into the next room. Each of these rooms is filled with the necessary instruments and controls you would find on a real submarine, but they are designed for use in a game, with the goal of making it easy to understand what each does and how to manage them.
The Command Room contains navigation, steering, dive/surface control and rows of gauges that display essential data items. The periscope room includes the periscope, torpedo aiming/tracking control systems and a few other things. The torpedo room is, of course, where the player loads the submarines torpedoes.
The submarine is equipped with a variety of weapons, and it is up to the player to deploy them at the right time to best take out the merchant ship or destroyer. One of the most dangerous tools is the deck gun, which can be triggered when the Submarine is surfaced and within 1500 meters of an enemy Destroyer. The Destroyer will then use sonar to locate the Submarine, and when it does, it will deploy depth charges at that location which can be avoided if the player changes the submarines sonar location before the Destroyer finds them again.
IronWolf VR: Free Roam
IronWolf VR is one of the most satisfying and realistic experiences you can have as a World War 2 convoy raiding submarine captain. The game is easy to pick up and play, but it also feels authentic and incredibly difficult to master. Especially VR Submarine once you get to grips with the fact that your sub moves very slowly underwater and positioning it takes forever.
The dingy interior of your cramped submarine is fully and beautifully realized in Virtual Reality, with each room clearly marked and all the instruments well displayed. The sound conveys this feeling perfectly, from the loud roar of your diesel engine to the quiet creaks of your hull as you sink deeper beneath the waves.
While it is possible to play IronWolf VR without a headset, the experience is less immersive and not nearly as fun. Without the ability to use the rudder and EOT controls to move around, it becomes impossible to position your submarine correctly. Similarly, aiming the AA cannon and operating the periscope are not very intuitive without a headset.
IronWolf VR is a fantastic, highly detailed and immersive experience that can be played alone or with up to three friends in online co-op. Unleash torpedoes on enemy ships, shoot down fighters and bombers and attempt to survive depth charges dropped by deadly destroyers. This is the perfect game to enjoy with a group of friends and it is very easy to find reasons to return for more adventures.
IronWolf VR: Single Player
IronWolf VR does a wonderful job of immersing the player in the experience of convoy raiding as a World War 2 submarine captain. The rooms of the cramped submarine are fully rendered and beautifully presented in Virtual Reality, with old timey dials wheels and switches that you can actually manipulate with your hands. Each room has something different to do, from managing speed and power in the engine room, lining up targets with the periscope in the sterrage room, and firing the deck gun (which is very satisfying when it hits).
Even the sound conveys the tension of a ship hunted by enemy planes and ships. The roar of the planes is replaced with the underwater booms of depth charges, and the creaks of the hull are a constant reminder that your safety is in question.
There is a fair amount of content to explore in the game, and the controls are well thought out. You can move around the submarine by turning a wheel on a panel and then teleporting into an adjoining room. The only thing that really takes away from the immersion is waiting, which is a frequent occurrence when you are below periscope depth and your hunters lose track of you. This is especially frustrating when you have leaks that must be welded, which can take tens of minutes to complete.
IronWolf VR: Multiplayer
IronWolf VR is a great example of how immersive and engaging a good VR game can be. With the ability to play with up to four players online or locally, this atmospheric submarine game gives you a sense of being a real captain on the high seas.
There’s plenty to do inside your submarine – you can navigate and lock on to targets with the command room, fire your deck gun or load torpedoes in the weaponry room, and manage speed and engines in the engine room. Each of these areas are detailed with old timey WW2 dials, switches and gauges that you actually have to manipulate physically using your hands, making each action in the game feel authentic.
One of the more fun parts of this game is firing your deck gun, which feels really satisfying VR UFO Machine when you line up a ship or enemy aircraft and slam your sub’s main battery on it. You’ll also get to experience the quiet tension of hunting merchant ships for vulnerable convoys, dodging enemy Destroyers and launching torpedoes beneath the ocean waves.
One of the biggest issues with this game is that it’s not very forgiving if you lose your sub to damage, and especially when playing solo missions. Sometimes you’ll be forced to wait below periscope depth with no power while your hunters lose track of you and wander away, which can take tens of minutes.
