This Mixed Reality game turns your living room into a spaceship
Mixed Reality has a lot of potential when it comes to transforming your room into a different world. But Astra takes it a step further and lets you fly around the solar system from the comfort of your home.
Made in collaboration with Meta, Astra can be played on Quest 3, Quest 2 and Quest Pro. The game uses your headset’s passthrough feature to show you your room. But one of your walls is transformed into a giant window that serves as the spaceship’s windshield.
And that is the most fascinating aspect of Astra in my opinion. You’re in a room that’s so familiar to you, but you’re also traveling through the solar system. Instead of looking out at your neighbor’s yard, you’re looking out over a massive planet or the emptiness of Space.
Made in collaboration with Meta, Astra can be played on Quest 3, Quest 2 and Quest Pro. The game uses your headset’s passthrough feature to show you your room. But one of your walls is transformed into a giant window that serves as the spaceship’s windshield.
Imagine seeing Jupiter out of your kitchen window.
The main plot of the game (spoilers, obviously) revolves around the player trying to learn about the origin of life. You follow in the footsteps of your mother who was an astrobiologist. And most of the game is spent gathering and learning about various substances from different planets.
When you get teleported onto a planet or moon you can use your hand or controller to pull these substances towards yourself. There is a little more to do in these tasks but the general consensus seems to be that this is the weakest part of the experience.
To be clear, there's no game or challenge here, and even with that, Astra's interactions feel repetitive and uninspired.
— Mixed, April 2024
Astra is fairly positively reviewed on the Meta Horizon Store and you can buy it for $9.99. However, do keep in mind that this is a very short experience. It usually takes around 60 minutes to get through and that’s it.
Though it's a fascinating take on MR games, its short runtime and repetitive nature mean it’s not for everyone. If you can do without the Mixed Reality aspect, I’d highly recommend Elite: Dangerous. Its VR mode is sublime for those who love Space and it can be played for a much longer time.
Though it's a fascinating take on MR games, its short runtime and repetitive nature mean it’s not for everyone. If you can do without the Mixed Reality aspect, I’d highly recommend Elite: Dangerous. Its VR mode is sublime for those who love Space and it can be played for a much longer time.
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