Skip to main content

Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

COMPOUND is a vibrant and exciting VR rogue-lite that embraces the 90s

Zoomer shooter.

Screen shot of COMPOUND
Ian Higton avatar
Video by Ian Higton Video Producer
Published on
8 comments

As someone who was brought up on a diet of 90s FPS games, I'm easily enticed by modern video games that embrace the aesthetic of that era.

This is exactly why I purchased the Early Access build of Compound a couple of years ago and why, on this week's episode of VR Corner, I'm showcasing the final 1.0 release of the game.

Compound is a vibrant, exciting and suprisingly punchy VR rogue-lite that features gorgeous retro graphics and a whole lot of fun. Check it out in action in the video below for 30 minutes of totally radical gameplay, yo!

Cover image for YouTube videoIf You Like 90s FPS games You’ll LOVE COMPOUND VR - RETRO ROGUE-LITE REVIEW - Ian's VR Corner
Watch on YouTube
The first thing you'll notice when you watch this week's VR Corner is just how bright and colourful Compound's visuals are. They're garish, yes, but that's in keeping with the 90s style and you'll be surprised at how well the chunky, pixellated visuals translate into VR. Make no mistake, even with the cartoony graphics, Compound is still a highly immersive experience.

Maybe it's the animations of Compound's humanoid foes and the way they crumple realistically when you shoot them. Maybe it's the crunchy, punchy sound effects of the game's large variety of weapons - each with its own unique and satisfying reload mechanic. Maybe it's the moorish rogue-lite gameplay that can be tailored to your liking with handy mutators so that each run is slightly different. Or maybe it's because playing Compound feels like you've climbing inside your memories of 90s gaming and it's somehow brought your rose-tinted recollections to life.

Whatever Compound's secret is, and I'm pretty sure it's a mixture all of the above, it's the first actual, non-modded, VR game that I've been excited to spend an extended amount of time with in ages. If you'd like to try out Compound for yourself, it's currently only available to buy on Steam, but according to its public roadmap the developer does plan on porting the game to Oculus/Quest 2 at some point post release.

Read this next