Reasons Why Doctor Who The Edge Of Reality Should Be On Your Christmas Wish  

Fans of the Doctor, both old and young, should get their hands on this easy to play option that will have you enjoying a new take on the Chaosverse of the Doctor. The best part is that it’s accessible regardless of your gaming platform – provided you have a PS5 or the Xbox One or X/S series controller.

Déjà Vu For Edge of Time Players

If you have already played Edge of Time by Maze Theory, which was released two years ago, then this game won’t be anything new or exciting. The Edge of Time was a virtual reality release of the 13th Doctors ongoing adventure in time and space. Players become a first-person addition to the Doctors team to fix the timestream which had (naturally) been thrown out of order. However, since it was a VR only release, many players were champing at the bit to get their hands on a copy they could play on their current gaming setup.

Fast forward to now, and Maze Theory have brought this beloved version to PS5 platforms and the latest two Xbox series’. The game, Edge of Reality is an expanded version of their original VR release and within it, players get to join current Doctor Who (voiced by Jodie Whittaker) as she tries to once again save the universe (*SPOILER* there’s a special appearance by the 10th Doctor Who is voiced by David Tennant too).

The Good

This game follows a classic Doctor Who storyline that includes a first-person perspective, which ensures you’ll definitely feel immersed in the environment as you battle old enemies of the Doctor while facing new challenges. The environment builds on the one shown in The Edge of Time, and expands on the original story’s premise. In fact, acts 2 and 3 are a fair bit more engaging than the entire first act, which was the entire The Edge of Time game.

The enemies encountered are the usual run of Daleks and Cybermen and the creepiest of the lot, the Weeping Angels. What’s made this game so intriguing is that it’s combined several popular genres to form the game.

From seek and find aspects when you first open the game (needing to find parts of a transmitter to get the Tardis to open while you’re in an alleyway), to needing to maintain cover to avoid Daleks, and even using precision moves to avoid being taken by Weeping Angels. This version of the game fleshes out many areas that were lacking in the original, such as lending a sense of dread and addressing the question of why the Daleks came to earth.

The best of the best is in the third act, it’s as rewarding as playing at a crypto currency casino. In this act you have to try and rescue the Doctor, alongside my personal favourite Time Lord incarnation – 10! His smooth voice appearing out the telly screen is an amazing surprise. You then get to save the current Doctor alongside him as you puzzle out who exactly it was tampering with reality to begin with.

The Mediocre

With the highlights listed above, there were also several rather mediocre parts of the game which didn’t translate quite as well in this new rendition of it for consoles. The weeping angels were downright terrifying in the VR version as if you moved, there they were (much like in the television show). In this version however, despite their creepiness factor, the ever-present sense of dread from The Edge of Time that accompanied them felt rather lacking – though you may not find this if you haven’t played the VR version.

The overall gameplay time of this game, like in the original, feels far too short compared to other games which take hours to complete. This game you could likely finish in one weekend sitting, which while being enjoyable, would be far better if it could have been drawn out a bit more.

Another translation issue is the dropping sound of the voices in certain parts of the gameplay as music drowns out the voices. The final issue some may find is how darn difficult it is to use any kind of pin-point accuracy for some of the puzzles that are employed – notably the elevator lights puzzle.

Final Thoughts

While overall this game is a great delivery of an epic storyline, there are many areas which could stand to have been given a bit more attention to detail in order to truly provide an equally immersive gameplay for those who have yet to dabble into the world of VR technology. With that said, the addition of a third act has ensured this game deserves a spot on your Christmas Wishlist if you’re any kind of Doctor Who fan. Keep an eye out for the easter-egg reference to The Girl In The Fireplace.