Eagle Flight has one of the most memorable opening sequences I’ve ever seen in a video game. The game began in total darkness until a few beams of light started to appear. Before I knew it, I was looking at a bright blue sky and there was a gigantic bird staring at me. Getting to see the first moments of a bird’s life was captivating, and it was made all the more impressive due to the immersion of virtual reality.
The impressive start was just beginning, though, as Eagle Flight is far from the avian equivalent of a one-trick pony. Things got even more amazing as I took flight for the very first time. Ubisoft has done an amazing job making sure that flying feels incredlbe, and this is all due to an excellent use of head tracking. Simply looking up or down would change my trajectory, and I was able to swoop down low or quickly rise to avoid one of Paris’ exquisite buildings. Naturally, I initially thought to turn that I would look left or right. While that does work, the game actually recommends that players tilt their head instead of actually turning it. This makes sharp turns easier to pull off, and helps reduce neck strain. It’s a genius design choice, and it’s a large reason why I was able to play hours of the game in a single sitting.
There is a bit of a learning curve, as tilting instead of turning isn’t exactly second-nature. It’s not hard to do, but since the game relies on split-second reactions, I often found myself turn...