Star Wars has been a big part of my life since I was a kid. I’ve owned every version of the movies across all formats, played all the games, and immersed myself in Galaxy’s Edge. My wall is adorned with Star Wars art and merchandise. That isn’t to say, however, that I’m not critical of their offerings—particularly in the video game world, where they range from fun to forgettable. The franchise’s latest release is its most unique yet. This time, we’re donning our VR headsets for Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset.
Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset may be a mouthful of a title, but it accurately describes what you get when you turn the game on. At its simplest, it’s a tabletop racing game in mixed reality. Look deeper, though, and you’ll find yourself immersed in a story, getting your virtual hands dirty while exploring a creative mode sure to make any Star Wars fan a little giddy.
In Adventure Mode — the game’s narrative mode — you play as Volo Bolus, an up-and-coming podracer trying to make his mark in the sport. He’s supported by Sornah, the mother of Volo’s recently deceased best friend (yes, this racing game goes there), who acts as a mother figure to your character. You’ll also meet a sizable cast of supporting characters, including the especially dangerous Dug, Sebulba himself. As you play through the storyline, you’re drawn into the criminal underworld and forced to confront how far you’ll go for the spotlight.
Adventure Mode stands out for its strong vocal performances. Keen listeners will recognize the voice of Greg Proops (Whose Line Is It Anyway, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace), who voiced one of the announcer heads, Fode, in the Boonta Eve Podrace, though he plays a different character here. Saturday Night Live alum and lifelong Star Wars fan Bobby Moynihan also appears, voicing Grakkus, a Hutt who oversees the championship podrace.
You’ll also pick up missions throughout the game that push the story forward. Completing missions advances the narrative and earns rewards you can use in Playset mode. From what I’ve experienced so far, these missions can feel a bit tedious — understandable, since I’m still in the early stages, learning the controls and getting introduced to the story — but they could prove a sticking point for players eager to dive straight into the action.
The good news for players who want the narrative experience of Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset, but don’t want it to get in the way of enjoying the racing, is that the Adventure Mode story takes only about 1.5 to two hours to complete. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll enjoy a short burst of Star Wars lore while still spending plenty of time in the cockpit of your podracer.
“Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset may be a mouthful of a title, but it accurately describes what you get when you turn the game on.”
The game unfolds mainly on a holotable that exists within your real-world surroundings. You can place it anywhere in your room and adjust its size to your liking, then control the game from there, no matter which mode you’re in. The attention to detail is impressive, allowing players to easily customize their experience. It’s simple to grab, stretch and move objects to best fit your space, creating the setup that works for you.
In Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset, the controls are kept intuitive. You can walk around your surroundings in full VR scenes or teleport around the room with your controllers, letting you stay seated and avoid bumping into furniture. Playing on the tabletop is even simpler, with control sticks handling navigation and on-screen prompts showing which buttons to press to interact with your environment.
Racing controls in Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset are also simple, with your sticks steering the podracer, the trigger as the throttle and simple boost and gadget controls available on either controller. I was worried that the controls might be more motion-dependent, which could complicate the gameplay a bit, but they’re very manageable from the start.
As you race, either in Adventure Mode or Arcade Mode (The mode where you select your podracer, pilot and track and can rank in global standings), you collect tokens along the track to collect power ups and points, use boosts to shoot yourself past your opponents (at the expense of control, so use them wisely) and activate gadgets, unique to each podracer you use, to gain a special in-race advantage. Your podracer is not invincible, though. Keep an eye on your health and pick up boosts on the track, or knock yourself out of the race quickly.
The tracks offer plenty of variety, featuring alternate paths, big jumps and moments that can put you in precarious positions — such as slogging over water at slower speeds or accidentally racing up a mountainside and launching into the air. The maps are forgiving when it comes to keeping you moving forward, but that leniency comes at the cost of damage to your podracer. Learning the timing of boosts and gadgets, and gaining a feel for each track, will make races easier as you progress.
Playset Mode is where you can truly let your nerd flag fly. As you play, you’ll collect virtual toys to decorate your real-world space. I’m a bit of a collector in my day-to-day life, and my wife leans toward minimalism — to the point that when I have too many things around, the word “stuff” starts to carry a bit of venom in conversation. This mode is the best of both worlds: I can collect my “stuff” and place it all over the house, and I’m the only one who can see it.
“At $19.99 US, Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset delivers a short but satisfying story with strong replay value.”
From what I’ve seen, you can collect up to 192 decorations, action figures and other items to place on your shelves, walls or floors. Some familiar favourites make an appearance, including C-3PO, R2-D2, Darth Vader and his lightsaber. In Playset Mode, I can create the ultimate Star Wars fanatic’s paradise without driving anyone in my house crazy with clutter. Honestly, this should be a standard of living for families as mixed reality becomes a bigger part of everyday life.
Something Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset does particularly well is manage the experience for players who are prone to motion sickness in VR. Multiple comfort settings are available, limiting movement in fully immersive environments and providing tips on how to reduce symptoms as you set up your holotable. The racing experience on the holotable is also thoughtfully designed with this in mind. As much as I’d love to sit behind the controls of a podracer in full VR, the experience might just scramble my brain.
Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset costs $19.99 US on the Meta Quest 3 and 3S. The price feels right: the game offers a short but satisfying narrative, while replayability in the Arcade and Playset modes gives it lasting value. It’s a game that isn’t over the top at a price that isn’t over the top — and that makes it easy to recommend.
