How does archery feel with the Artemis smart bow on Quest? We went hands-on with Tiny Archers VR to find out.
Developed by 1DER Entertainment, Tiny Archers VR adapts the mobile game for most major VR platforms. As a lone ranger atop a tower, you must defend the Northern Kingdom against a 24-day onslaught, protecting various colorful locations and stopping goblins from taking you out. Following an early access launch, it recently entered full release.
VR archery games aren't a new concept. Earlier efforts like Elven Assassin, The Lab, and QuiVR hit the ground running, while more recent games like Horizon Call of the Mountain or Dungeons of Eternity use archery but don't make it the primary focus. Tiny Archers VR is entertaining without being particularly innovative, though the hardware smart bow adds an interesting twist.
For the unfamiliar, Wonder Fitter's Artemis smart bow is a 10lb, 52-inch peripheral that costs $198. You can also use it for mobile games via a smartphone app, though my focus was unsurprisingly on VR compatibility. Tiny Archers VR currently only supports Artemis on Quest, though Pico support is coming this fall.
Constructing the Artemis bow is relatively easy, though several moments required assistance from my partner because of its size. Once assembled and the battery is charged, connecting it with Tiny Archers VR is similarly straightforward. Load the game on your headset, find the settings menu, hold down the 'Artemis button' to connect via Bluetooth, and attach your right Touch Controller in the holster.
Using Artemis unlocks a more streamlined 'Arcade Mode,' which forgoes your hub's extra activities and goes straight to stage selection. Menu options are picked by firing the arrow, and Quest tracks the bow well. Short pressing the Artemis button conveniently switches to special arrows, more on those arrows later, while a double press opens the options menu.
The campaign splits into separate missions with three difficulty settings, and these provide some welcome options depending on your skill level; easy mode offers greater leniency for how many goblins can reach your tower, while hard mode turns off your arrow's guiding line. Regardless of your chosen difficulty, using Artemis disables the aim line entirely for a tougher, well-balanced challenge by providing more gold, and landing those kills feels more rewarding.
The bow fails to provide enough resistance to really satisfy people looking for a simulation that feels exactly like a real bow, though removing the aim line does help the sim quality. Still, handing the Artemis bow over to a newbie and launching Tiny Archers VR from the Horizon app menu for your friend might be a tempting first-time VR demo for some.
Whether you choose Artemis or standard motion controllers, missions ultimately progress similarly. Each stage includes five objectives that award one star each. Objective No.1 is always to survive, and you can earn other stars by clearing targets like shooting fish, high shot accuracy, or stopping foes from climbing the tower.
The mission structure quickly feels repetitive, and repeated objectives don't help. Even the increasingly varied enemies like armored goblins, shield bearers, and bomb holders rarely feel impactfully different. Special arrows provide some fun power-ups, like freezing enemies or armor piercing, though limited stock while in missions and high pricing means you have to pick your moments.
That's not to say I didn't have fun - hitting weak points between the armor and landing shots on far-off enemies feels satisfying, and you score more points for hitting them at a distance. I just wouldn't call it especially exciting after several hours of gameplay.
I also don't feel inclined to retry stages to earn a higher score, even with the online leaderboards. However, Tiny Archers VR ties earning stars with unlocking better bows as the campaign progresses.
If you're not using Artemis, you can explore the hub once you return but there isn't tons to do. The shooting gallery is a nice distraction that wears off pretty quickly, and you can spend gold to buy new special arrows that unlock after reaching a set stage in the campaign. Side quests are provided by the white raven, though these feel more like filler than a meaningful expansion.
I'm hoping 1DER's post-launch roadmap adds that necessary variety - it lists three campaign expansions, new game modes like asynchronous PvP raids, and more. Presently, the game houses a decent premise that's competent but not especially thrilling, and I wish the Artemis bow provided more resistance when firing shots. Still, if you're after some lighthearted action, Tiny Archers VR will serve.
Tiny Archers VR is available now on Quest, Pico, Rift, and Steam, though Artemis is currently only supported on Quest. You can order the Artemis VR Game Bow now for $198.
