Here's a peek at the first few levels of Peaky Blinders: The King's Ransom on Quest 2

I’ve never actually seen the TV show before but from what little info I could gather, it seems like a bad idea to fuck with the Peaky Blinders. That’s exactly what I did in this episode of VR Corner (above) though and, to be honest with you, the consequenses are nowhere near as bad as the Shelby’s make them out to be. In fact, I had a pretty good time!

Earlier this week, I was granted access to a press demo of Peaky Blinders that allowed me to smoke my way through the first few levels of the game. And I do mean smoke in the literal sense because, as you’ll see in my video, you can spawn and smoke as many virtual cigarettes as you can fit into your lungs. Cough.

Just like with Maze Theory’s previous TV tie-in, Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom is a superfan’s dream come true. It gives you the ability to inhabit the world of your favourite TV show, interact with the cast, visit familiar locations and, most importantly, feel like you yourself are a part of the story.

This rigidity does come with a few downfalls as both the plot and gameplay here seems to stick to an extremely linear path that leads you by the hand at all times. This isn’t a TV show tie-in like The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners that gives you a known world and then lets you off the leash so you can make it your own. This is a carefully curated experience where you’ll only get to see and do exactly what the developers want you to.

Thankfully it does feel like Maze Theory has learned a lot from the reviews that came out after the release of The Edge of Time. The Doctor’s adventure was a lovely, Easter egg filled outing for fans sure, but the plodding action and minimalistic level design created a brief and highly forgettable experience for everyone else.