Go For Launch: Mercury Demo

Space exploration is not something people do on a regular basis, given the costs and the risks involved in the endeavor. On the other hand, it’s only natural that we take these risks and get better at it, because we already know we might need to leave this planet at some point. Thankfully, the technology is constantly being improved, especially when it comes to rockets and fuel efficiency.

Go For Launch: Mercury is a simulator that allows you to experience the early days of space exploration at the board of Mercury Seven, one of the pioneering spacecrafts used by people to go into space. The demo at hand is not particularly full of content, however, so there’s not an awful lot to do at the moment, but it’s still quite the thrill if you are a fan of astronomy or physics.

To begin with, the cockpit is designed to come as close to the real thing as possible, which means that it’s full of buttons and switches you can interact with. Granted, not all of them have a clear purpose, but even so, it takes a while just to get the launch procedure ready. The flight simulator is very convincing, not to mention the fact that the entire Earth has been recreated in-game using low-orbit imagery.

You also have control over the ship’s movement, but don’t expect a very agile craft, given the fact that its main goal is to follow a strict trajectory. Thus, this aspect should be left in the hands of the auto-pilot. The missions available in the full game should be quite close to the real ones performed by Mercury, so this is a great educational tool as well if you want to use it for that purpose.

Lastly, probably the most exciting thing about the game is the fact that it comes with full VR support for both Oculus and Vive. Not only that, but you can even use the tracked motion controllers to interact with the spaceship, which makes the experience that much more exciting. The visual quality is top notch when it comes to the cabin interiors and the rockets, although the environment features rather low-resolution textures, as you might expect.

Go For Launch: Mercury is not yet a complete package at the moment, but it seems to offer a lot even in this short demo. Thus, the full game should be a real treat for space enthusiasts everywhere, especially if you also happen to have a VR headset lying around.