Singular Perception’s upcoming co-op action roguelike is a lot to take in at first. But once you get your bearings, you are left with a promising foundation that the game’s developers will surely build off of in the coming weeks and months.
I’ve played my fair share of roguelikes in VR, both solo and in co-op. Sol Protocol is the first one I’ve played that emphasizes co-op play to such an extent that if you have no interest in multiplayer, Sol Protocol will offer virtually nothing for you.
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Note: UploadVR received an email from developer Singular Perception saying Sol Protocol has been delayed from September 17 to September 19. That date is reflected in this article.
What is it?: A co-op action roguelike set in space, where players contend with gravity-bending movement while gathering resources and upgrades for their ship and fending off enemies.
Platforms: Quest 3/3S (Previewed on Quest 3), Steam
Release Date: September 19, 2026 (Early Access, Quest); October (Early Access, Steam)
Developer: Singular Perception
Price: $11.99
This isn’t a fault or a demerit to the game. If anything, it’s a strength. The majority of your playtime will be centered around your ship. The cockpit features three seats: one for the captain, one for the pilot, and one for the gunner. The captain allocates the ship’s available energy for the various sub-systems: shields, the engine, the warp drive, and the weapons.
As of right now, the gameplay loop is incredibly simple. Check the star map for sectors with promising points of interest, then allocate enough energy to your warp drive and align your ship before activating the warp. Once in a new galaxy, search for resources and structures while watching out for enemies. Resources include repair materials for the ship, additional weapons or supplementary ship systems – such as extra shields – or even energy cells that can be installed in the ship’s hold to increase the maximum available energy.
Your goal is simply to slowly strengthen your ship and proceed to more perilous regions. Ship combat requires your entire team working in tandem, with the pilot avoiding attacks while the gunner tracks and fires at enemies with a head-tracking visor.
Once it comes time to gather resources, this is where the game’s primary movement mechanics come into play. In zero gravity, you strafe without changing elevations with the left analog stick, and use boosters to adjust your elevations with the right stick. The left Quest controller’s face buttons allow you to adjust your rotation forward and back, while clicking in either the left or right analog stick allows you to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise.
There’s only so much you can do with a game that focuses on zero gravity, but by default Sol Protocol includes optional vignetting to help mask changes in orientation and to help make movement less jarring for those not yet used to VR. The game also includes smooth and snap turning options for the camera.
Entering a structure, you may find some randomly generated movement puzzles that incorporate zero gravity movement quite heavily. This naturally makes sense, since you’re out in the expanse of space. Here you’ll enter structures and salvage valuables from wrecked crafts or satellites. During this extravehicular ambulation, you’ll have to watch your oxygen and health levels, verified with a peek at your left wrist.
All in all, I enjoyed my time with the Early Access build of the game, even if what the game currently offers is a bit sparse in terms of scope. Performance also left a lot to be desired on Quest 3, as I noticed some gnarly frame drops and some obvious reprojection artifacts. The game looks good, but not exactly impressive enough to overlook those dips, so hopefully things will get ironed out over the coming months.
For now, Sol Protocol is a promising co-op title we’ll be sure to keep our eyes on. Sol Protocol releases September 19 on Quest with a Steam version planned for October.
