In the heart of Virtual Reality’s relentless evolution, there’s a new adrenaline-charged adventure and it’s making a buzz across Zero Latency’s network of 80+ locations worldwide. We had the chance to play Outbreak, the latest creation from the Australian-born VR trailblazers, at the team’s North Melbourne location. We had a blast on this exciting ride.
Zero Latency is a venue pushing the boundaries of what VR tech can do. Literally taking place in an empty warehouse, you can strap on a headset, completely untethered, as your movements around the warehouse are tracked in the game. It makes for a seamless freeroam VR experience, something we enjoyed back in 2021 when we played their games Singularity and Undead Arena, though the latest offering is yet another step forward.
In Outbreak, you’re tasked with safeguarding a top-secret research facility. Deep within its fortified walls lies humanity’s last hope – the cure for a mysterious global zombie virus. But a threatening adversary has plans to hijack this lifeline.
When sabotage breaches the lab’s defences, the future is in your hands. Your mission, should you choose to accept it: team up, arm up, and fight back against relentless mercenaries and hordes of ravenous zombies.
The game invites up to eight players to strap on a VR headset and grab a rifle to mow down the hordes of zombies through this 30-minute campaign. After our five-minute briefing before the game, we were very excited (if not a little nervous) to jump right into the experience.
We were immediately tense as we learned our movement and got our bearings in the initially quiet halls of an abandoned hospital. Not soon after that, the zombies start coming from all directions in absolute chaotic fun. As you progress through the hospital, into elevators, across rooftops, through a sewer, and along a hectic helicopter ride, you can’t help but feel like Outbreak is the VR Left 4 Dead we all wish we had.
Outbreak isn’t your run-of-the-mill VR shooter. The terror is tangible, the enemy is relentless, and the action takes no prisoners. With no cables to tether your movements, this adventure spans ten spine-tingling environments. The visuals are impressive and the whole setup is so immersive. There are moments when you are moving up ramps or looking over barriers into an endless abyss that you nearly forget you’re just standing in a large, safe, flat space with people watching you jump at that zombie behind you.
At the end of the campaign, you’ll be faced with a formidable boss fight. It’s all sorts of exciting and keeps the tension high with zombies coming from all directions. The final face-off with everybody together, power weapons in play, and a huge space to move around is a great highlight.
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“We’ve crafted Outbreak to be the most epic adventure yet, and we’re eager for everyone to plunge into this terrifying, exhilarating world,” says Tim Ruse, CEO at Zero Latency. “Our dedicated development team has meticulously polished and honed this experience, building on lessons learned from over three million games played across seven immersive worlds. We’ve pushed the boundaries of fear and excitement, and we believe Outbreak will leave you breathless.”
For those ready to take on the challenge, Outbreak is now available at all Zero Latency locations. We also loved having a laugh at the personalised video of our Outbreak adventure after the game’s end. If you’re bold enough to face the outbreak head-on, visit the official website for more information.
Disclaimer: One of the Editors of Checkpoint Gaming works for Zero Latency. Zero Latency and Checkpoint Gaming operate completely independently, and no special consideration is given to Zero Latency announcements or promotions for coverage.
