Farpoint: Is this the game that takes VR to the masses?

Prepare to take on many giant terrifying spiders in Farpoint, Playstation's great hope for virtual reality.

Stupidly scary, occasionally sickly, Farpoint surprises and delights. But only in short doses.

"Some people may experience motion sickness," reads Farpoint's dramatic warning.

I've only just synced my VR helmet, pointed my gun at the screen and pushed play on the game.

The warning continues. Apparently, I could also suffer "nausea, disorientation, blurred vision or other discomfort".

It's a shopping list of potential hazards but the warning that really disturbs me is that last one.

"Other discomfort?" What could it mean? It could be, literally, anything.

I quickly find out. Farpoint, the game that Playstation hopes pushes virtual reality into gaming's mainstream, arms you with a gun, sets you loose on a hostile planet and makes you kill anything that moves.

Mostly, those things that are moving are giant freaking arachnids. Nope, there is nothing about hairy armour-plated spiders wanting to eat your insides included in those early warnings.

To get there, you've got a fair bit of setting up to do. You'll need a Playstation VR kit (about $600), a Playstation camera (up to $100) and an Aim Controller (it's bundled with the game for around $150), which is essentially a playstation controller remodelled into a pretty sweet sci-fi weapon.

The Aim Controller used to shoot spiders in Farpoint.

First impressions count, so once you're set up, Farpoint definitely does. You're part of a space team trying to dock your vessel when things go haywire, forcing your ship to crash land on an alien planet. It's an impressive whirlwind of action that feels like you're in the middle of Gravity.

A scene from Farpoint, Playstation's new virtual reality game.

Once you land, you've lost your space mates and are tasked with finding them. It's an old-school arcade gaming concept that makes you tread a fairly linear path. You're not spoiled for choice when it comes to options for exploring. Mostly, you're walking, or your shooting, or you're watching cut scenes.

But Farpoint doesn't muck around in delivering genuine, hair-raising scares. That's thanks to those spiders, who start out small, flying at you with fangs bared hoping to devour your face. Later on, they get bigger, using their egg sacks to lob toxic green fireballs at you.

Then you'll meet the grandaddies, giant scuttling beasts that corner you then sink their fangs into you. Farpoint is not for those who suffer from arachnophobia, and there are several instances where I rip the VR helmet off in sheer terror when I turn to find a hairy beast trying to gnaw me.

Yes, there's a story to go along with all this spidey carnage but it's not a memorable one. Farpoint's best moments are those when you're in the thick of it, waving your Aim Controller like crazy and blasting anything that moves.

A scene from Farpoint, Playstation's new VR game.

It's a nerve-wracking experience that, because of the VR system, gives constant and consistent chills. By the end of my time with Farpoint, I am a sweaty, shaky mess in desperate need of a cup of tea and some quiet time. Also feeling slightly nauseous, a little disorientated and a bit blurry for about half an hour afterwards.

I'd suggest playing this game in short, sharp bursts. Three hours in a row could wreck you.

As for any other discomfort? I'd be happy to never see another spider again, no matter how small.

Farpoint

Platform: Playstation VR
Rating: M
Verdict: A space romp best in small doses

Win a Playstation VR set and Farpoint game pack!

A scene from Farpoint.