You’ve got to admire the dedication of flatscreen to VR modders. Despite receiving little to no financial incentive, these talented individuals continue to keep PC VR thriving by creating impressive VR conversions of popular games. One such example is the upcoming VR mod for the beloved zombie survival game, 7 Days to Die, by modding duo Necro and Kaaliba. Although there isn’t a Patreon page yet, one is in the works. I was fortunate enough to try out an early preview build of their mod for this week’s VR Corner, and you can watch my experience in the video player above (or on YouTube).
If you’re unfamiliar with 7 Days to Die, it’s a hardcore survival game with a twist of undead mayhem. Being almost a decade old, 7 Days to Die has earned its status as a genre classic, known for its unforgiving gameplay that intensifies the longer you manage to survive.
The complexity of the mod’s controls somewhat mirrors the hardcore nature of the gameplay. While they may take some time to master, they are fully functional. However, this may pose a challenge for newcomers to the game or those new to VR who are still navigating their way around the controllers. Speaking from personal experience, once you become familiar with their intricacies, you’ll appreciate their implementation.
Given its age, the visuals in 7 Days to Die may not meet contemporary standards. Nevertheless, in VR, they still hold up well. Apart from occasional pop-ins with distant trees and objects, the default settings didn’t strain my powerful gaming PC (Intel i9, RTX 3080 Ti) significantly. As shown in the video, the mod consistently ran at a smooth framerate, with occasional performance hiccups in zombie-infested areas that didn’t detract from the overall experience.
Despite the initial frustrations I encountered while grasping the controls, I found this mod to be highly enjoyable. I grew tired of survival games that heavily emphasize resource gathering and crafting long ago. However, in VR, the experience feels fresh and immersive, creating an addictiveness to the gameplay that makes you fully engage with the virtual world. I’m already eager to dive back in and test my survival skills now that I’ve mastered the basic mechanics.
Necro and Kaaliba plan to release the 7D2D VR mod free of charge in the coming weeks. To keep up with its development progress and receive updates on its release, you can follow the Flatscreen to VR Modding Discord.