Firewall Ultra

Key art depicting numerous operatives players can use

***Firewall Ultra*** (also written as ***Firewall: Ultra***) is a 2023 online virtual reality first-person shooter developed by First Contact Entertainment and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5's PlayStation VR2 headset. It is the sequel to 2018's *Firewall Zero Hour*.

The setting of *Firewall Ultra* takes place five years after the first game, and will feature maps and locations that previously appeared in *Zero Hour*. Gameplay primarily centers around the "Contracts" player versus player mode, which has been expanded into three rounds per match and pits two teams against each other in respective roles of "Attackers" and "Defenders". The game also introduces a player versus enemy mode to the *Firewall* series.

Development on *Firewall Ultra* utilized First Contact's data and feedback over *Zero Hour*'s four year operation, including the inclusion of dedicated servers. Due to the PlayStation VR2's stronger hardware over its predecessor, First Contact was able to remake their character models and overhaul their maps with new areas. It is among the first titles to utilize Unreal Engine 5.

*Firewall Ultra* received mixed reviews, with general consensus citing the game as a disappointment. It was criticized for its progression system, lackluster interactivity and thin content on launch, though it received some praise for its visuals and improved mechanics over *Zero Hour*. It was the final game released by First Contact before its closure in December 2023, merely five months after the launch.

## Gameplay

Like its predecessor, *Firewall Ultra* is a virtual reality first-person shooter video game primarily focused on multiplayer.

## Development

*Firewall Ultra* was developed by American game developer First Contact Entertainment and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5's PlayStation VR2 headset. It was the second game that the two companies worked on together, following its predecessor, 2018's *Firewall Zero Hour*.

## Release

*Firewall Ultra* was announced on September 6, 2022 with a PlayStation Blog post and a reveal trailer. It launched on the PlayStation 5's PlayStation VR2 headset on August 24, 2023.

## Reception

*Firewall Ultra* received mixed reviews. On review aggregator site Metacritic, *Firewall Ultra* holds a score of 61/100 based on 22 scored reviews, classified as "generally mixed or average reviews".

UploadVR's Alan Wen designated *Firewall Ultra* as a "1.5" version of *Zero Hour* instead of an actual sequel, citing issues with the game's aiming system and decision choices that broke his immersion, although he praised the upgraded visuals. Push Square's Aaron Bayne described *Firewall Ultra* as "isn’t quite the evolution" of *Zero Hour* that it was marketed as, and compared it negatively to fellow PlayStation VR2 shooter *Pavlov VR*. PlayStation Universe's John-Paul Jones concurred with Bayne's opinion and similarly cited *Ultra* as an inferior alternative to the PlayStation VR2's other available shooters, though he expressed optimism that the game will improve through future updates and additions.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/developer-interviews/firewall-ultra-uses-unreal-engine-5-to-evolve-the-vr-shooter-franchise-on-playstationvr2
2. ↑ https://www.gematsu.com/2023/12/firewall-studio-first-contact-entertainment-to-shut-down
3. ↑ https://blog.playstation.com/2022/09/06/revealing-the-evolution-of-the-firewall-franchise-for-playstation-vr2/
4. ↑ https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2023/07/psvr2-exclusive-firewall-ultra-readies-up-on-24th-august
5. ↑ https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-5/firewall-ultra
6. ↑ https://www.uploadvr.com/firewall-ultra-review/
7. ↑ https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/psvr2/firewall-ultra
8. ↑ https://www.psu.com/reviews/firewall-ultra-review-psvr-2/