Payday Aces High Review: A Must-Play Multiplayer VR Experience
Fast Travel Games delivers a compelling cooperative heist simulator built specifically for virtual reality.
1New VR Heist Chapter
Payday Aces High marks a significant shift for the franchise by moving into virtual reality. Players join a team of four to seek revenge against Warren Jupiter, a billionaire who framed them. The title is currently available on Meta Quest and SteamVR, offering a fresh perspective on the classic heist formula.
2Return to Series Roots
The game aims to recapture the spirit of earlier entries, moving away from the reception of Payday 3. While some legacy mechanics like taking hostages are absent, the core loop of robbing banks and museums remains intact. It successfully blends familiar series tropes with new, immersive interactions designed specifically for VR.
3Customizable Character Progression
Players choose from four distinct characters: Ace of Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, and Spades. These choices are primarily visual, as stats are managed through an unlockable point and money system. This allows for personalized progression, letting players earn masks and equipment upgrades that enhance their effectiveness during increasingly complex and challenging missions.
4Technical VR Implementation
The standalone Quest 3 version demonstrates strong performance and visual fidelity. Key VR-specific mechanics include on-body inventory management and physical interactions with locks. Players can engage in skill-check minigames to maintain equipment, while physics-based gunplay allows for multitasking, such as hacking a computer while simultaneously firing at incoming guards.
5Content and Crossplay Support
The game launches with six missions, with a seventh free mission titled Coup de Grace arriving on December 14. Developer Fast Travel Games has implemented full crossplay support across all platforms. This feature ensures that finding and inviting friends to join cooperative sessions remains seamless regardless of their chosen hardware.
6Missing Interactive Features
Despite its strengths, the game lacks certain bespoke VR interactions that would deepen immersion. Players cannot grab characters or shatter glass with melee attacks, and stealth mechanics feel somewhat limited. The inability to throw objects to distract guards represents a missed opportunity to fully utilize the medium's potential for environmental interaction.
7Rewarding Cooperative Gameplay
The core action is described as fun, challenging, and highly rewarding for cooperative groups. Repeatedly playing missions to perfect the heist formula provides significant replay value. The increasing difficulty of the objectives ensures that the experience remains engaging for players who enjoy coordinating tactics with friends in a virtual space.
8VR Multiplayer Benchmark
Payday Aces High stands out as a premier multiplayer VR experience due to its focus on cooperative synergy. By prioritizing team-based objectives and rewarding progression, it successfully translates the series' intensity into a new medium. It serves as a strong example of how established franchises can evolve through dedicated VR development.
Original article: 9to5Google — Payday Aces High Review: A Must-Play Multiplayer VR Experience