Star Wars: Beyond Victory may be a short experience, but it's one of the most charming and human Star Wars stories told in VR
Star Wars: Beyond the Veil of Victory is one of those rare VR experiences where you can feel the passion and care seeping through every line of dialogue, every character gesture, and every lovingly placed piece of holographic junk scattered around your virtual garage. This is not some forced “here's a lightsaber, now swing it around and feel like a Jedi” experience. No, this is something smaller, more intimate, and oddly enough, a lot more human. And I really liked it for that.
At the heart of this story is Volo Bolus, a down-on-his-luck podracer trying to keep his garage alive and maybe, just maybe, make it back into the big leagues. But, like any proper Star Wars story, it's not that simple. Debt, shady deals, criminal gangs, and of course, podracing all collide in a tight 90-minute narrative that never overstays its welcome. It's not sprawling, it's not epic, but it absolutely works.
The cast is small but mighty. Sornah, your closest ally, basically a mother figure, is brilliantly written and performed. The chemistry between her and Volo feels grounded and believable, something that's not easy to achieve. You hear them argue, support each other, and it just works. A huge part of that comes down to the excellent voice acting and some of the best facial animations I've seen in any VR title. ILM clearly flexed their storytelling and tech muscles here, giving these characters not just depth, but soul.
What makes Beyond Victory unique is how it blends Mixed Reality and Virtual Reality, almost in equal parts. You'll spend half of the game placing a floating interactive table in your physical room, watching diorama-like scenes unfold as Volo and others move about. This MR mode acts as a sort of command and control hub, you interact with objects, move the story forward, and observe character conversations as if they're playing out in a miniature theater in front of you.
Then, for key story moments, the game shifts into full VR. Suddenly you're standing in your garage, fiddling with wires, repairing your podracer, or sitting across a table during a heist planning session. These VR segments feel more immersive and personal, especially when you're face-to-face with characters. Both of these modes, MR and VR, work great, but the more time I spent with it, the more I started wondering: why mix both modes?
The MR diorama scenes are fun to look at and add a certain novelty, but there's nothing in them that couldn't have been done in VR. In fact, many of the MR moments would have benefitted from being in full VR, where you could walk around the environments, peer behind corners, and really feel present. On the flip side, keeping the whole experience in MR might have leaned into the toybox charm the game aims for. But as it stands, the constant switching between modes starts to feel more like a gimmick than a necessity.
This mixed execution really starts to show during the podracing sequences, which, let's be honest, should have been the most thrilling part of the game. Sadly, they fall flat. In MR, you control a tiny podracer zipping around tracks, collecting boost pads and health pickups while trying to stay in first place. Sounds cool, right? In practice, not so much. The camera is too zoomed out, the draw distance is short, and the racer moves too fast for you to feel in control. It ends up feeling chaotic and, frankly, a little undercooked. I crashed more times than I care to admit, not out of challenge, but out of frustration. It's the weakest link in an otherwise strong package.
Outside of the story, the game offers two additional modes. The first is Arcade Mode, where you can replay four podracing tracks using different racers. Unfortunately, there's not much to it. Despite the variety of characters, the gameplay stays exactly the same, and the novelty wears off quickly. After a couple of races, I had seen everything it had to offer.
Then there's the Playset Mode, and this is where Beyond Victory taps into pure fan service in the best possible way. Imagine having your own virtual toybox of Star Wars figurines, vehicles, and props, and being able to place them all around your room. That's what Playset offers. You can grab and pose the characters, set up little scenes, and basically become a digital diorama artist. It's delightful, especially if you grew up with Star Wars toys. This is the kind of mode that Star Wars superfans will lose hours in, recreating battles or imagining new ones. It's playful, creative, and a great use of MR.
Visually, the game looks great on the Quest 3. Character models are detailed and expressive, the environments are dense with Star Wars flair, and the lighting effects during the MR segments are top notch. The garage, in particular, feels alive, cluttered with tools, trophies, and all sorts of bits and dodads that tell their own story. ILM knows how to make a space feel lived-in, and it shows.
Audio design is also worth mentioning. The soundtrack hits those familiar Star Wars beats without overdoing it, and the sound effects, from the hum of your podracer to the chatter in the background, help sell the immersion. And again, the voice acting elevates the whole experience. It never feels phoned in.
All that said, this isn't a perfect game. Beyond the underwhelming podracing gameplay and the somewhat confusing split between MR and VR, there's also the issue of longevity. With a 90-minute story, a basic arcade mode, and the toybox, your mileage may vary. If you're in it for a deep gameplay loop or competitive racing mechanics, this won't scratch that itch. But if you want a short, heartfelt story set in a galaxy far, far away, without the usual Skywalker baggage, then this is well worth your time.
It's clear that Star Wars: Beyond Victory was made by a team that loves the universe. More importantly, they understand that Star Wars doesn't need to be all about Jedi, Sith, and galaxy-ending stakes. Sometimes, it's about people (well aliens, but you get what I'm saying). Struggling people. Dreamers. Misfits. Racers. People who have nothing but a junked-up podracer, a friend or two, and a shot at something more. And in that, this game absolutely nails the spirit of Star Wars.
Star Wars: Beyond Victory may be a short experience, but it's one of the most charming and human Star Wars stories told in VR. While the mixed reality gimmick doesn't always land and the podracing leaves much to be desired, the emotional core of the game shines through. It's proof that with the right team, the Star Wars universe can feel fresh, intimate, and deeply personal, even without a single lightsaber. If you're a Star Wars fan with a Meta Quest 3 or 3S, play it for the story and stay for the toybox. Thanks for reading!
The game was reviewed on a Quest 3S via a promo copy provided by the developer. Star Wars: Beyond Victory is available exclusively on Meta Quest.
