Compound is an Wolfenstein 3D-style shooter in VR

When people say VR is still in the PlayStation-era, they usually mean it figuratively; developers are still working out the language of this new medium one game at a time. Bevan McKechnie has taken that analogy quite literally, though, and in the process discovered one of VR’s most concise shooters.

Compound’s trick is to breathe new life into the basics. It recaptures the revelatory 3D thrills of sneaking around Castle Wolfenstein, hugging a pixelated wall and quickly poking around a corner for a few pot shots at unsuspecting enemies, opening a door and leaping in fright at the sight of an armed goon opening fire, or the relief that comes with discovering a cache of health. But there’s renewed enthusiasm in unearthing the core of the first-person shooter that takes Compound far further than a faithful love letter.