By Joseph Luster

We previously covered developer Milky Tea’s Grit & Valor: 1949, which recently made its way to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC. For those who want an even more immersive alternate-history experience, however, publisher Megabit also brought the dieselpunk roguelite real-time strategy game to virtual reality platforms alongside the other releases. At the time of this writing, these include PlayStation VR2, SteamVR and Quest.

The studio behind the virtual reality version is nDreams, and what they’ve produced seems to have aligned nicely with Milky Tea’s original vision for the game. Upon launch, producer Kevin Campbell said, “What nDreams has helped us achieve is giving players added immersion, bringing the world of the game to life in a virtual setting.”

As for how that translates to gameplay, the VR version puts even more emphasis on placing you in the role of commander of the virtual battlefield. You can reach your virtual hands out to pick up units and place them on the map, letting you take control of the battlefield in as direct a manner as possible. If you have a capable setup, this certainly seems like the ideal way to experience an already exciting mech-based WWII strategy outing.

As previously reported, the world of Grit & Valor sees World War II continuing in 1949, a time during which the Axis has all but secured victory for its side. Europe is down for the count, and Axis soldiers patrol what’s left of the landscape in massive and deadly robots in an attempt to take out any remaining rebels. It’s up to you to join the resistance, raise your hopeful flag and dash into enemy territory to unleash an EMP weapon that will turn the tide of war back in your favor.

The mech battles complement the aesthetics and overall strategic stylings of Grit & Valor nicely. Maps are full of imposing encounters, from your standard Axis mechs to larger boss characters like General Harmsworth and their even more intimidating spider-like mechanical monstrosity. Region bosses serve as an additional challenge at the end of each run, making players square off against various Axis generals and the cannon fodder surrounding them.

Historical purists may want to stay away from alt-history fiction like Grit & Valor: 1949, but don’t let its lack of accuracy get you down. Anyone who enjoys a bit of sci-fi “what if” action would do well to check this one out, especially now that VR is an option.

Publisher: Megabit
Genre: Strategy
System: Playstation 5, Xbox Series, Switch, Pc
Available: Now

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