Firewall Ultra

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Firewall Ultra
DeveloperFirst Contact Entertainment
PublisherSony Interactive Entertainment
EngineUnreal Engine 5
PlatformPlayStation 5
ReleaseAugust 24, 2023
GenreFirst-person shooter
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Firewall Ultra is a 2023 first-person shooter developed by First Contact Entertainment and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. A sequel to Firewall: Zero Hour (2018), it was released on August 24, 2023 for the PlayStation VR2 virtual reality device.

Gameplay

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Firewall Ultra is a VR first-person shooter developed for PlayStation VR2. It utilizes the PSVR2's eye-tracking technology to provide aim assist and allows players to temporarily blind opponents using a flashlight or flashbang grenades.[1]

The main multiplayer mode, Contracts, is a 4v4 objective-based mode in which one team defends a access point while the attacking team attempts to capture it. The game also includes a cooperative PvE mode called Exfil, where up to four players must work together to hold three control points while fending off increasingly difficult waves of enemies controlled by artificial intelligence.[2] Between missions, players can customize their playable characters (named Contractors), each of whom has their own unique perks and abilities.[3]

Development

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The game was revealed in September 2022.[4] It was among one of the earliest virtual reality games to use Unreal Engine 5.[5] The game was released on August 24, 2023. Players who pre-ordered the game received a unique weapon, while those who purchased the Digital Deluxe Edition can access additional cosmetic items as well as early unlock of several playable characters.[6]

Developer First Contact Entertainment was shut down in December 2023. In an official statement, the studio cited "the lack of support for VR within the industry" as the primary reason, adding that the team were unable to "justify the expense needed going forward" as a AAA VR game developer.[7]

Reception

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The game received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[8]

Gabriel Moss from IGN felt that the game "simultaneously feels like two steps forward and two steps backward", praising its gunplay and its emphasis on teamwork and tactics, while criticizing its nauseating controls and lack of content. He summarized his review by saying that Firewall Ultra was "a decent competitive multiplayer shooter that just happens to be in VR, but its awkward controls are a shot in the foot rather than the shot in the arm that the PlayStation VR2 desperately needed".[9] Aaron Bayne from Push Square wrote that the game was a "an infrequently fun yet persistently disappointing first-party title that really forgets what makes VR so special in the first place". While he praised the game's visual and lighting systems, he criticized its lack of physical interactivity and motion controls for breaking players' immersion, ultimately describing the game as "a VR game made for people that don’t play VR".[10]

References

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  1. ^ McCaffrey, Ryan (April 14, 2023). "Firewall Ultra Brings Frantic PvP FPS Action to PSVR 2...Without Making Me Nauseous". IGN. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  2. ^ Jagneaux, David (July 19, 2023). "New Firewall Ultra PvP gameplay revealed, launches August 24". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  3. ^ Wells, Cory (August 31, 2025). "Review: Firewall Ultra". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  4. ^ Croft, Liam (September 6, 2022). "Firewall Ultra Is a Huge PSVR2 Sequel to Zero Hour". Push Square. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  5. ^ Tailby, Stephen (February 27, 2025). "Firewall Ultra Is One of the First PSVR2 Games Made with Unreal Engine 5". Push Square. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  6. ^ Romano, Sal (July 19, 2023). "Firewall Ultra launches August 24". Gematsu. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  7. ^ Phillips, Victoria (January 2, 2024). "Studio behind PlayStation Firewall games shuts down due to "lack of support" for VR within industry". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Firewall Ultra PlayStation 5 Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Moss, Gabriel (September 14, 2023). "Firewall Ultra Review". IGN. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Bayne, Aaron (August 29, 2025). "Firewall Ultra Review (PS5 / PSVR2)". Push Square. Retrieved November 30, 2025.