REVIEW: Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate (PS VR2)

Mighty Eyes has taken a bold step by completely remaking their 2022 debut title Wanderer for modern VR hardware. Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate, now available on PS VR2, isn’t simply a visual polish or port—it’s a full-scale rebuild. With upgraded physics, reworked visuals and a redesigned experience, it’s clear the studio set out to modernise a much-loved title for a new generation of virtual reality.

The result is a time-travelling adventure packed with striking moments, rich environments, and some clever puzzles—but also hampered by underdeveloped combat, minor bugs, and some uneven pacing.

Story

At the heart of Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate is a compelling science-fiction narrative, one that invites players to explore the consequences of tampering with history. You play as Asher Neumann, an ordinary man thrown into an extraordinary situation after discovering a mysterious watch hidden in his late grandfather’s attic. This isn’t just a trinket—it’s a portal to different moments in human history.

Guided by your talking watch companion, Samuel, you travel across time to key turning points in civilisation. From ancient civilisations to future dystopias, each era is distinct and often shrouded in mystery. You’re tasked with uncovering the truth behind your grandfather’s intentions and setting right the events that could tip humanity into collapse.

The story begins slowly and may not immediately grip players in its opening act, but stick with it for a bit and it soon begins to take shape. The unpredictability of where (and when) you’ll end up next is one of the game’s greatest narrative strengths.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate is a mix of immersive puzzle-solving and exploratory time-hopping, bolstered by physics-based interactions that feel impressive thanks to the PS VR2’s hardware. Puzzles are the star here. Whether you’re decoding ancient mechanisms or jury-rigging machinery in a World War-era lab, the satisfaction of piecing things together in VR is genuinely rewarding.

Your watch-companion Samuel adds both utility and personality, offering hints and acting as an all-in-one inventory, UI, and time travel interface. The newly introduced Echo Diviner also allows you to locate lost items, helping reduce the usual VR item-hunt frustrations.

Unfortunately, combat is where the game stumbles (no pun intended). While the addition of enemy encounters and melee weapons is new to this version, the implementation feels rudimentary. Melee weapons lack weight and feedback, and it’s often unclear whether your hits are doing any real damage—especially against armoured enemies.

AI behaviour is inconsistent, sometimes glitching or simply standing idle, stripping these moments of any tension or challenge. Climbing, rope-swinging and other traversal mechanics are present but occasionally unreliable, with inconsistent hand-tracking leading to frustration in more intricate platforming sections.

The game also suffers from several bugs and even some game-breaking glitches at launch, which undercuts the polish of its rebuilt world. Sound design is similarly inconsistent, with disorienting audio direction making footsteps sound like they’re behind you and NPC dialogue occasionally hard to hear.

Visuals

On the visual front, Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate is a showcase of what modern VR hardware can do. The PS VR2’s OLED HDR panels shine here, delivering crisp, vibrant environments that genuinely feel like physical places. Each historical setting is crafted with care, offering players the ability to pick up, examine, and interact with nearly every object in their surroundings.

This level of interaction adds to the immersion but also has a downside: the game often gives no indication of which items are essential and which are just set dressing. This can lead to confusion during puzzles, as players might spend too long experimenting with irrelevant objects. A bit more signposting or clarity could have gone a long way in reducing this kind of trial-and-error.

Still, it’s hard not to be impressed by how cohesive and tactile the world feels. The environmental detail, from war-torn trenches to futuristic laboratories, makes Wanderer one of the better-looking PS VR2 titles to date.

Conclusion

Mighty Eyes deserves credit for doing more than just porting Wanderer to modern VR platforms—they’ve reimagined it with ambition, improving its visuals and expanding its systems to suit the current generation. Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate is a genuinely inventive experience that thrives on clever puzzles, strong world-building, and an intriguing time-travel narrative.

However, it’s also a reminder that ambition doesn’t always translate to flawless execution. Combat feels tacked on and undercooked, and technical hiccups detract from what is otherwise an immersive adventure. Despite these issues, Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate still stands as a strong VR experience, especially for puzzle fans and those eager to explore historical moments through a fresh, interactive lens.

In short, it’s a flawed but fascinating time-travel adventure that showcases the power of the PS VR2 while highlighting the importance of polish and refinement. If you’re willing to weather some rough edges, there’s a compelling journey waiting to be experienced.

Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate Pricing & Availability

Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate is available now for PS VR2 and Quest 3/3S/2 & Quest Pro , starting at €45.99 on Quest.

PlayStation and Steam owners of Wanderer (released in January 2022) will have the opportunity to purchase Wanderer TFOF for a limited time 20% off upgrade discount on their respective platforms.  Its arrival on Steam VR and the Pico Store is also still TBC but is expected to be soon.