I played an hour of By Grit Alone to see if this sci-fi VR horror game has what it takes to terrify you.
By Grit Alone is a horror VR title from UK-based Crooks Peak, and it’s coming soon to the Meta Quest platform. Offering a narrative-driven adventure split into an anthology, you’ll explore abandoned starships in a fight for survival. UploadVR was provided an exclusive developer walkthrough before next month’s launch, which you can watch below.
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The short preview, which I played on Quest 3, showcased the creepy atmosphere aboard the Agapemone, a derelict spaceship that’s filled with burned corpses and nasty insectoids. Right from the start, I knew that something was amiss, as holographic images presented scenes where numerous outlines of people milled about, while other information told me of “sisterhoods,” “womankind,” and “wives.”
Eventually, I learned that a cult leader brought these women aboard, and it’s clear that something went awry since only their decapitated and charred bodies remained. Something nefarious was afoot, as relayed in the files of an agent who’s investigating the cult. Oh, and apparently, my character was stuck in a region of space known as a “Bermuda Triangle” of sorts, a graveyard of starships where hostile aliens feed on unsuspecting victims.
By Grit Alone’s premise is intriguing enough, and I’ve been told that the development team also consists of writers who worked on Resident Evil 8, Dead Space, Judge Dredd, and Dr. Who. It seems that there’s no hand-holding either when it comes to exposition, as I had to piece together what had truly transpired by way of holo-logs and various tablets.
The initial levels didn’t really scare me as much as I would’ve wanted, though By Grit Alone aims more for action horror. Many of the Agapemone‘s corridors are dark and dank, covered in strange growths and goop. While the atmosphere does attempt to build tension somewhat, the enemy designs in these levels are a little uninspired.
For the most part, I’ve noticed little spider-like insects crawling on floors and ceilings so they can bite my character, as well as giant flies buzzing around and spewing green poison blobs. Likewise, there are thorny vines whose bright yellow bulbs need shooting to destroy them or prevent them from exploding whenever my character comes near.
In relation to the above, the only armaments available were a rifle and grenades that are slung in waist-height holsters. Since I play while sitting down, I could easily grab a weapon with my right hand, fire at hostiles, and then pick up a grenade with my left hand. It’s worth noting that grenades, by default, stick to enemies and surfaces; they can also be slotted into the rifle to grant ammo, which was a neat touch.
Still, I’m hoping By Grit Alone has additional weapons for me to discover in mid-to-late-game areas. As far as I know, the preview build only showcases 1/6 of the campaign—going through the whole story with only my default loadout would lead to a rather disappointing run.
I also encountered several issues with the limited settings that were available. Chief among these is that snap turning (with angular options) sometimes stopped working. I couldn’t tell if this bug was due to the Quest 3 or the game itself, but I had to restart the game a couple of times. If I switch to smooth turning, there’s no built-in vignette feature to alleviate motion sickness. Additionally, I didn’t see options related to height offset and brightness/gamma. There’s no magnetic pull/grip feature as well.
These problems became apparent in certain sections. For instance, if I drop an item or there’s a data tablet on the ground, I’d have to bend down to pick it up off the floor, though how much that bothers you will vary. Coincidentally, the positioning of my holsters meant that I could accidentally grab my weapon or grenades without meaning to.
One particular encounter in the Sacred Chapel area involves restoring power to a grid as alien insects and grasping vines kept spawning. New vines to my left and right kept reappearing after I destroyed the previous ones, which meant I had to keep turning rapidly to shoot bulbous growths, all while looking back at the center to fix the power grid. I felt dizzy in just a couple of attempts.
Nevertheless, I do hope that these issues are ironed out as we get closer to By Grit Alone’s expected launch in September. There’s bound to be some thrills and surprises as you make your way through abandoned starships in the Bermuda Triangle of outer space.
