Developed by CM Games and released on July 20th, 2020, Into the Radius VR is a VR action survival game heavily inspired by the Soviet novel Roadside Picnic and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. video game series. The player, an unnamed Explorer, is tasked by the shadowy UNPSC to explore and document an area of Eastern Europe known as the Pechorsk Radius, which was the site of an inexplainable disaster in 1987. Following the 'Pechorsk Event,' the previously-sleepy village was transformed into a grim, inhospitable landscape where shadowy creatures with a taste for blood and a proficiency for firearms wander amidst dangerous, reality-bending Anomalies. The Event, however, also brought about a series of otherworldly objects known as Artifacts, which can bestow powerful effects on their holders ranging from rapid healing to night vision. Seeking to research the Anomalies, monsters, and Artifacts of the Radius, the UNPSC contracts you, the player, to investigate the alien landscape.
For protection against Radius fauna, the UNPSC offers (at a price) a wide selection of mostly traditional Soviet firearms for the player to use and abuse. A decent selection of Western small arms is also available, however. Ammunition management, for example using special types for certain enemies (FMJ for unarmored enemies, Subsonic for stealth, AP for armored enemies, Overpressure for extra damage, ect.) and manually reloading magazines, play a large part in the game. The player is also capable of repairing their firearms, which grow dirty with continuous use, and modifying them to add attachment points for various extra parts, including lasers, red dots, suppressors, and grenade launchers.
The following weapons appear in the video game Into the Radius VR:
Weapons in Into the Radius VR can be obtained (in poor condition) through randomly-spawning weapon crates found in the Radius or purchased from a main store in Vanno, the player's home base. Money can be earned from completing missions or by selling unwanted items. To gain access to more powerful firearms, the player must increase their "Security Level" by completing main story missions and passing a training course; the player begins the game with a Security Level of 0 and may reach a maximum level of 5. Firearms, magazines, and some attachments degrade at an unrealistically high pace in Into the Radius VR, requiring the player to either spend money at the shop to have them repaired or utilize their own tools (a toothbrush, cleaning spray, a ramrod, and toilet paper) to manually clean them. Neglecting to clean equipment causes it to appear rusty and smudged and gives it an increased chance to jam, in the case of a firearm, or fail to feed, in the case of a magazine. The player can carry one handgun (in a holster attached to their hip) and one long gun (over their dominant shoulder) at a time and can carry up to four magazines, which are stored in pouches mounted to their tactical vest.
Handguns
Best used as a backup weapon or in close-quarters combat, handguns are an Explorer's best friend in Into the Radius VR. All handguns can be upgraded at the Vanno store to add an underbarrel rail, threaded suppressor mount (does not apply to the Desert Eagle and MP-412 REX), and red dot sight mount. Common ammunition types for handguns include:
Full metal jacket (FMJ) - standard
Armor-piercing (AP) - decreased damage, increased armor penetration, more expensive
Subsonic (SS) - significantly decreased damage, decreased armor penetration and noise, less expensive
Overpressure (+P) - significantly increased damage and armor penetration, much more expensive
Beretta 92FS
Considered by many to be the most useful pistol in Into the Radius VR, the Beretta 92FS (depicted with M9 markings and called the "M9 Beretta") is an Italian automatic pistol chambered in 9x19mm. Feeding from a 15-round magazine, tied with the TT-33 for the highest damage-per-shot of the non-magnum pistols, and capable of firing a wide array of powerful 9x19mm ammunition, the Beretta 92FS can be purchased from the Vanno store for $1500 starting at Security Level 2.
The heaviest and second-most powerful handgun in Into the Radius VR, the Desert Eagle Mark XIX is a magnum pistol designed and produced by Israeli Military Industries in collaboration with Magnum Research, Inc. Chambered in .357 Magnum and feeding from a 9-round magazine, the Desert Eagle can be obtained from the Vanno store for $5500 after reaching Security Level 4. It deals enough damage to kill almost any enemy in the game with a one bullet, but its expensive ammunition, low accuracy, and high recoil encourage precise, single shots. As an added bonus, the "Desert Eagle" comes pre-equipped with a ported barrel and two rail attachment points, one on top of the barrel and one underneath it. Available ammunition types include soft-point (incorrectly called FMJ in-game) and "Surplus," which deals less damage but is significantly less expensive.
The first 9x19mm firearm available in Into the Radius VR is a 4th generation Glock 17, which can be purchased from the Vanno store for $700 after reaching Security Level 1. As a high-capacity automatic pistol, it fulfills a similar role to the GSh-18 in-game, although the Glock 17 deals more damage per shot and has slightly more expensive ammunition.
The second of Into the Radius VR's two machine pistols, the Glock 18C (or "G18c" as it is known in-game) is the power of a submachine gun in the palm of the player's hand. Available for $3500 at Security Level 3 and up, this fully-automatic Glock deals moderate damage per shot and has an extremely high rate of fire. With a magazine of just 17 rounds, however, it is very easy to blow through all of one's ammunition in a fraction of a second when faced with a stressful situation.
Purchased from the Vanno store for $600 after reaching Security Level 1, the GSh-18 is a Russian automatic pistol available to the player in Into the Radius VR. Depicted incorrectly as firing 9x18mm Makarov, the GSh-18 is a substantial upgrade over the starting Makarov PM pistol because of the former's increased magazine size (18 vs. 8) and higher base damage (despite firing the same cartridge.) When using AP or +P ammunition, the GSh-18 remains a strong choice for players throughout most of the game due to its high capacity, high base damage, and acceptable armor-piercing performance.
The first weapon available to the player is the Makarov PM, a Soviet handgun with an 8-round magazine chambered in 9x18mm Makarov. The PM is available for $300 starting at Security Level 0. Featuring low damage, low magazine capacity, and low armor-piercing ability, the PM is serviceable only as an early-game sidearm and is best replaced by any other handgun available in Into the Radius. Its one saving grace is that its ammunition is cheap to purchase and plentiful in the Radius.
The most powerful handgun in Into the Radius VR, the MP-412 REX is a 6-shot, double-action, break-open Russian revolver chambered in .357 Magnum. The REX deals 50% more damage per shot compared to the already powerful Desert Eagle Mark XIX (despite firing the same ammunition), ensuring that anything unlucky enough to catch a round from this six-shooter won't get back up. This extreme power, however, is kept in check by the revolver's small capacity, high recoil, poor iron sights, and somewhat poor accuracy. The MP-412 REX can be purchased from the Vanno store for $6000 starting at Security Level 2 and cannot be suppressed.
The first fully-automatic pistol available in Into the Radius VR, the OTs-33 "Pernach" (known in-game as the OC-33) is a modern Russian machine pistol chambered in 9x18mm Makarov. Feeding from a 27-round magazine, the Pernach can be obtained from the Vanno store for $2200 after reaching Security Level 2. Capable of firing at 600 rpm, the Pernach offers extreme firepower in a small package at the cost of potential ammo wastage and high recoil. The pistol can also be fired semi-automatically.
An improvement over the starting PM, the Tokarev TT-33 is a Soviet WW2-era pistol firing 7.62x25mm Tokarev. Available from the Vanno store starting at Security Level 1 for $500, the TT-33 has high damage-per-shot and good anti-armor performance compared to other sidearms, especially those chambered in 9x18mm Makarov. The Tokarev's relatively small capacity of 8+1 rounds, however, limits its effectiveness in later parts of the game.
Submachine guns (or SMGs) are one of the types of primary weapon available in Into the Radius VR. They fire pistol cartridges at very high rates of fire, which, in a game focused around ammunition conservation and making accurate single shots at long range, results in submachine guns being a second or third choice for most situations. Unlike shotguns, most submachine guns can be suppressed, however, meaning that this weapon class still finds some utility when stealthy close-quarters firepower is required, such as within the confines of Pobeda Factory. Much like pistols, all submachine guns can be modified at the Vanno store to add rail attachment points for optical sights and a laser or flashlight and many come pre-equipped with a threaded barrel for attaching a pistol suppressor. Most submachine guns also have access to unique, mutually exclusive upgrades to either increase (+20%) or decrease (-20%) their base rate of fire, depending on if ammo conservation or increased firepower is desired.
Heckler & Koch MP5K "Reverse Stretch"
The Heckler & Koch MP5K featured in Into the Radius VR is a custom variant of the classic submachine gun known as a "reverse stretch," meaning that it is a hybrid of the MP5A5 and MP5K, allowing the gun to feature both the folding stock and trigger group of the former and the forend of the latter. Owing to its Navy three-round burst trigger group, this SMG can fire in semi-automatic, 3-round burst, or full-auto. It is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum and feeds from a 30-round magazine. It can be purchased for $3500 from the Vanno store after reaching Security Level 2 and is pre-fitted with a threaded barrel for a pistol suppressor.
The first (and by far the most crude) submachine gun available in the store is the MP Jelen, an obnoxiously short Croatian PPSh-41-based submachine gun from the early 1990's. Known in-game simply as the "PPSh," this super-short SMG can be purchased from the Vanno store for $1850 after reaching Security Level 1. Firing 7.62x25mm Tokarev and utilizing the same 35 and 71-round magazines as the full-length PPSh-41 available later in the game, the MP Jelen is questionably effective at best and serves only as a cheap, accessible option for a player who wants to use an SMG during the early-game at any cost. It may be upgraded to attach an optical sight mount and underbarrel rail.
One of the earliest submachine guns available to the player, the PP-91 Kedr is a Russian select-fire submachine gun chambered in 9x18mm Makarov. The weapon's stock can be folded or unfolded, but this has no effect on recoil in-game and is purely an aesthetic choice. The PP-91 can be purchased from the Vanno store after reaching Security Level 2 for $2000 and it can use 20 or 30 round magazines. The PP-91 Kedr comes with a threaded barrel to attach a pistol suppressor, if so desired.
The most powerful 9x19mm firearm the player may obtain, the PP-2000 is a strange-looking modern Russian submachine gun with a folding stock. The PP-2000, which costs $3000 and can be purchased starting at Security Level 2, feeds from a 20-round magazine and comes equipped with a suppressor adaptor and top rail attachment point. The PP-2000 can be fired in semi-automatic or full-auto, but an upgrade can be purchased that (somehow) swaps the full-auto firemode for a three-round burst.
Heavy, powerful, and capable of firing at an incredible 1000 rpm, the PPSh-41, known as the "PPSh Full" in-game (as it is the "full" version of the much shorter MP Jelen), is a Soviet WW2-era submachine gun chambered in 7.62x25mm Tokarev. Both 35-round stick magazines and 71-round drum magazines are available for the PPSh-41, but drum magazines cannot be purchased from the main store and must be found as loot in the Radius. The PPSh-41 can be purchased from the Vanno store for $3000 after reaching Security Level 2 and can be upgraded to add an optical sight mount and underbarrel rail.
Shotguns in Into the Radius VR generally offer very high single-shot firepower at the expense of low magazine size and a cumbersome reloading process. Players have a choice between two ammunition types: buckshot (red shell), which fires a spread of X pellets that rip through unarmored enemies and short to mid-range, and slugs (blue shell), which fire a single, accurate projectile that is better against armored enemies and at longer ranges. The choke of each shotgun can be adjusted at the Vanno store to drastically increase or decrease the spread of buckshot and, as with other firearms, shotguns may be modified to add rail mounts for optical sights and underbarrel attachments.
A Baikal IZh-27 can be purchased from the Vanno store for $1500 after reaching Security Level 1. This Soviet over-under double-barreled shotgun is powerful and accurate, especially in the early-game before armored enemies become commonplace, but the IZh-27 is limited to just two shots before it must be reloaded and kicks heavily. The left side of the shotgun's foregrip is fitted with a side saddle that can hold up to 6 spare 12 gauge rounds for quick reloading. Its length and weight will also inevitably burden the user during close-quarters combat and when traversing Into the Radius VR's large, open maps. The IZh-27 may be upgraded to add an optical sight mount and an underbarrel rail for attachments.
Available for just $500 and lacking a security level requirement, a version of the IZh-27 with sawed-off barrels and stock is also available. Black electrical tape is wound around what remains of the shotgun's stock. Compared to the full-length version, the IZh-27 Sawed-Off is slightly less accurate and much louder. It features the same upgrade options as its parent and one is given to the player for free after they complete the first mission.
Serving as an upgrade to the double-barreled IZh-27, a Baikal IZh-81 may be purchased for $3000 after reaching Security Level 2. The IZh-81 can hold up 4+1 rounds in its magazine tube, but this may be extended to 8+1 after purchasing an upgrade at the Vanno store. An optical sight mount and two rail attachment points (one underneath the barrel and one on the side of it) can also be added via the game's upgrade system.
