Amongst the still-growing world of virtual reality games, an early staple that's retained a devoted following is Pavlov, a first-person shooter available for PC and the Oculus Quest. On the surface, it seems like a straightforward Counter-Strike clone, even explicitly carrying over many of the same maps and weapons. But there's more to it than meets the eye, making it one of the more commonly recommended games in the VR space.
There are several core modes in the game. Aside from Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, which are self-explanatory, the two borrowed directly from Counter-Strike are Gun Game and Search & Destroy (SND). The former is a deathmatch variant in which each kill cycles players through the an arsenal of pistols, rifles, and shotguns. SND asks a terrorist team to plant a bomb while a counter-terrorist team tries to prevent it or defuse the bomb if it is planted. Critically, gear costs accumulated money, and anyone killed during an SND round stays dead until the next one.
For many players, having access to these in VR is reason enough to sign up. The experience is much more tactile: each gun not only fires but reloads in a unique way. The .50 caliber sniper rifle, for instance, requires players to grab a single bullet from their pocket, slide it into the chamber, and slide the bolt. Players can crouch, blind-fire, and steady their aim with a second hand. In fact, some weapons – like the .50 caliber – may simply launch backwards if fired single-handed.
Pavlov's Endless Possibilities
The true popularity of Pavlov, however, lies in its mod support. Players are regularly creating new maps, and server admins are implementing custom rules, for instance offering revives and healing in SND play. The game's developer, Vankrupt Games, recently added an entire World War II component, complete with new maps, guns, and multi-person tanks. The most popular mode by far though is Trouble in Terrorist Town (TTT), which is less about shooting than outing traitors, much like the blockbuster Among Us (TTT predates the latter, having been born in Garry's Mod). There's relatively little modders can't do, which gives Pavlov an endless sense of variety.
The best Pavlov experience requires a PC, but Vankrupt is focusing a lot of its recent work on the standalone Quest version, Pavlov Shack, bolstering graphics, gameplay, and map selection. Since Shack can be played without being tethered to an expensive desktop, there's the potential for the game to reach a much wider audience than its forefather. For the moment, though, it still requires installation via SideQuest, so players will need a PC to get started.