A nostalgic trip down virtual reality lane.
Grab your guns and make the water safe again in a classic port from Bolverk Games (Genotype, Surviving Mars: Pioneer).
Dick Wilde – first released in 2017 for the original PlayStation VR (PSVR), among other headsets – has brought his unique brand of pest control to the Quest series of headsets for the first time. Launching Oct. 2, 2025, the game sees players use a wacky arsenal to take on waves of all sorts of dangerous creatures and bosses.
In this arcade shooter, it’s just you and your guns against all manner of beasts that don’t want you around. Travel across three different settings as you work to clean up lakes and lagoons, so residents are safe to live their lives.
Whether you want to blast gators in a swamp, sharks in the lagoon, or swordfish in the north, there are nine different levels to beat and thousands of critters that are coming at you – both by air and sea.
So, what made the team decide that now was the time to bring this shooter to the Quest?
“Dick Wilde is a game that deserved a port for modern un-tethered headsets. It is simply the best way to play the game, and we are happy to have it out there now,” noted a developer on the game.
If you’ve played the game before on any of the previous platforms, you’ll easily pick this simple shooter back up. Before you start your game, you’ll choose whether to play solo or co-op, the setting and level you want to tackle, and then pick one of seven weapons from the arsenal as you get set to head out. Now, while the game may be simple to understand, but the gameplay is anything but.
Dick Wilde is challenging for even the most veteran of virtual reality (VR) enthusiasts. An easy to understand but hard to master type game, you’ll need to use all your wits – and practice quite a bit – to survive and beat the boss.
The developer notes that the game is relatively the same compared to previous versions, however, some changes were made in terms of balancing.
“The game almost entirely the same. There are some balancing changes to the difficulty of some of the early levels. Additionally, the time that slime from enemies stick to your face has been reduced, and those projectiles can now be shot out of the air instead of forcing the player to physically dodge them.”
Of course, dodging is still a good plan to have as you’ll soon find yourself facing an onslaught of enemies all trying to get you – and even the “automatic firing” weapons are going to require you to think ahead and rely on quick reflexes.
As noted earlier the gameplay is fairly simple and straightforward. You shoot with the triggers on the back, and you can swap firing modes with the grip buttons on the controllers. At the end of each wave, you’ll be given the option of picking a powerup; these include health, rockets, mines and a turret. Choose wisely as picking the wrong item may end with your run ending early. Pick what will complement and assist you most as you progress through each level.
Beyond that your job is to get rid of everything in the area – and survive.
Graphically, the game looks good in headset. For a port of a game that is nearly nine-years-old, playing on a Quest has a crispness to the look of the world and the enemies attacking. If you play and compare between the PSVR version and the new one on Quest, there is certainly a noticeable look to the world around you; not to mention the freedom of playing untethered means you can dodge with a little more freedom – if that’s more to your playstyle.
Overall, the arcade experience that comes from playing Dick Wilde is like visiting a different and simpler time. Sure, the world wasn’t exactly the best back then, but it sure as hell was a lot better then than it was now. Who knows, perhaps you too can find yourself escaping into an early VR title like this and fondly remember simpler times as you blast away hordes of angry piranha.
The game is fun, and the challenge of honing your skills to keep progressing is not unlike the lightgun shooters of yore; you know, the ones you might have played poorly when you could still visit Chuck E. Cheese – and not be the adult weirdo whom security watches.
Of course, this game plays in VR and not on a screen.
If you’re looking for a fun and easy to pickup shooter to add to your VR catalogue, Dick Wilde is an inexpensive addition at only $13.99.
Dick Wilde, was reviewed on the Quest 3 after receiving access from the developer.
