Thank you Anshar Studios for providing us with a review code for this game!

Everything done in space is more complicated and there is no such thing as an easy job. In Detatched you play as an astronaut who gets stranded during a routine re-supply job. Since you’re flipped off by an astronaut floating away, the parting seems to be intentional. In order to find out why you were separated from your crew, you’ll have to fix your space station first.

Your initial goals are to repair the communication relay, reactor chamber, power relay, power inverter, and the emergency bay to activate the escape pod. All of these objectives have to be completed before you run out of oxygen or fuel for using your thrusters. Floating through space are refills of oxygen and fuel. If you’re big on Steam achievements there are forty of them and there are ones available for collecting all of the canisters or ignoring them altogether. There are multiple chapters and there is a Steam achievement for completing the entire game in less than an hour.

The single-player campaign has two difficulty settings (arcade & astronaut) with the arcade mode offering simpler controls. The tutorial goes over the controls, which are pretty easy to grasp. What does take some getting used to is the movement which can be sudden and disorienting. The first time I played this game I made the mistake of doing it while standing and it didn’t take long for me to get motion sickness. I did much better playing it seated though it still made me a bit woozy after a while. Shaded peripheral vision is in place to help combat motion sickness, but that may not be enough for some people. If other VR titles have given you motion sickness I would recommend giving this game a pass.

If you’re blessed with an iron stomach, there is a lot to like in this game. The space exploration is very immersive and fun. With the oxygen and fuel levels dwindling there is always a sense of urgency and you don’t have much time to explore for fun. Besides running out of oxygen or fuel, there are plenty of other ways to die in this game. I have collided one too many times with asteroids and other objects floating around in space. There are suit repair stations, but they are sparse and not helpful when you make contact with an object at high speeds. Using the gravitational boosters is fun, but you have to be careful.

Multiplayer mode is promising, but I didn’t see anyone online to play against. Your objectives in multiplayer are to secure a package, call a dropship, and deliver the package to it. All of this has to be done quickly and without getting killed. To deal with enemies you’re equipped with a missile launcher and a shield that can break glass or grant temporary immunity. A speed boost is also at your disposal, but will require recharging after using it.

The visuals are great in this title and it utilizes the Unreal 4 engine nicely. The background music and sound effects are top notch as well. The fully orchestrated score is composed by Mikołaj Stroiński who arranged music for The Witcher 3 and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter.

Morally speaking this game has a couple of flaws. There is some language and inappropriate hand gestures. Deaths are possible though bloodless.

In the end, Detached is a fun ride for those who are immune to the nausea inducing sudden movements. Sadly, I was only able to enjoy this game in short bursts. Since the single player campaign isn’t that long and there’s not much of an online presence, I can’t recommend paying full price for this title. If you have friends to play against its worth picking up for a great multiplayer VR experience.