Pavlov is a game that I was very excited to check out. It is in early access as I write this and the fact it is being compared to the renowned Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is what has gotten me very intrigued about Pavlov VR.
How to Download Pavlov VR
To start downloading the game, click on the button at the end of the review. You can also get a free demo of the game. And if you love VR FPS games you should also download and check out Onward.
The Game Review
This is the VR shooter that you have been waiting for. This is what the HTC Vive was made for! If you have ever wanted to feel like you were in a Call of Duty game or of course a CS: GO match, Pavlov is as close as you are ever going to get to that.
Let’s start by talking about the controls. You use the left tracking pad to move around the map. The developers call this kind of movement “Free Locomotion” and it lets you move, but does not make you feel motion sick. Motion sickness is something some other first-person shooters have caused, but this Free Locomotion method of movement gets rid of that for most people.
It is the way that you handle guns and weapons that makes Pavlov such a blast to play. The idea of Pavlov is to make you feel like you are in a war. This means you have to hold “the gun” as you would in real life. You need to actually reload properly, you need to use to hands to hold a larger gun and grenades will require you to pull the pin and then actually throw them. This is what a VR shooter should be! It takes a while to get used to, but it is awesome.
As far as game modes go to start you off you can play a game of Team Deathmatch or Search and Destroy. These are pretty self-explanatory and if you have played any other first-person shooter before, you will feel right at home here. You may think that the number of game modes that are listed is rather weak, but the two “official” game modes are just the tip of the iceberg.
Pavlov VR fully supports Steam Workshop and anyone can make a map if they want. I have played on classic Call of Duty maps, CS: GO maps, and even maps from Halo in Pavlov VR! Players have also made their own game modes like zombies, gun game, and so on and I expect there to be even more added in the coming months.
While this is all about playing online, you can play offline with bots if you like. Thanks to Pavlov having its own dedicated servers. Getting into a game does not take that long, plus thanks to these dedicated servers if the host quits out the game does not just end. I have found the community to be a lot of fun and full of laughs which is nice.
You earn money when you play and the better you and your team does the more money you earn. This is important because before each match you can use what you have earned to buy weapons, body armor, and so on. Items that are going to help you out greatly in the heat of battle.
Even though Pavlov is in early access the presentation is very good. It looks like you would expect a war game to look and there is more polish here than you would think. I was also very happy with how the game ran and I never encountered any lag, even when playing in some crazy map someone in the community made.
