Instead of manipulating traditional flippers, players wield large circular paddles to bounce balls through these dynamic spaces. It’s an ingenious reimagining that manages to both honor pinball’s timeless appeal while revolutionizing how we interact with it. The game presents four distinct environments—a Western town, haunted mansion, space station, and pirate ship—each functioning as its own unique playfield while maintaining the core principles that make pinball engaging.

Paddle to the Metal

Bounce Arcade wastes no time getting players into the action, with an efficient tutorial that demonstrates the fundamentals without overstaying its welcome. Each environment serves as a living pinball table, complete with objectives highlighted in yellow (turning green when activated) to guide players through the experience.

Where the game truly shines is in its creative integration of VR-specific interactions. Rather than simply hitting targets, players engage in environment-specific mini-games that break up the traditional pinball flow. The Western town erupts into shooting galleries where players must carefully target bandits while avoiding civilians. The space station challenges players to mine asteroidal resources while dodging hostile defensive systems. These moments aren’t mere distractions but rather clever expansions of pinball’s bonus round concept into full VR experiences.

The fundamental mechanics work flawlessly, with responsive controls that feel natural and intuitive from the first minute of play. Multi-ball sequences, target hits, and special events all trigger smoothly, creating a polished experience that successfully translates pinball’s core appeal into VR. Traditional pinball elements like bonus multipliers and target sequences are present but reimagined through the lens of each environment’s theme.

However, the game’s pacing often works against its creative ambitions. Ball physics feel notably sluggish, with gravity seemingly set too low, resulting in balls that float lazily toward the player rather than maintaining pinball’s characteristic frenetic energy. This leads to unusually long rounds—sometimes lasting 20 to 30 minutes—that feel more like endurance tests than tests of skill. The inability to adjust difficulty settings for individual tables further compounds this issue, with inconsistent difficulty ratings that don’t always match the actual challenge level.

Bounce and Shine

The game adopts a stylized visual approach that prioritizes clarity and character over photorealism. Each environment boasts its own distinct personality, from the warm tones of the Western frontier to the ethereal glow of the haunted mansion. While the graphics may not push the Quest’s hardware to its limits, the cohesive art direction, smooth particle effects, and fluid animations create an inviting and readable playing field that serves the gameplay well.

The visual design emphasizes readability without sacrificing atmosphere, ensuring players can track balls and objectives while remaining immersed in each environment’s unique theme. Special effects during multi-ball sequences and bonus rounds add satisfying visual feedback without overwhelming the player’s view.

Sounds of the Silver Ball

The fundamental pinball sound effects hit all the right notes, with satisfying impacts, chimes, and mechanical feedback that ground the experience in arcade authenticity. Each environment brings its own themed audio flourishes, from creaking floorboards in the haunted mansion to the metallic echoes of the space station. The sound design successfully reinforces the feeling of being inside a living pinball machine while maintaining clarity during hectic sequences.

The musical accompaniment provides distinct themes for each environment that, while competent, tend to fade into the background rather than enhance the experience. The tracks serve their purpose without being memorable, offering appropriate atmospheric support without drawing attention to themselves.

Rolling Returns

The game’s staying power largely depends on your appetite for high-score chasing and leaderboard competition. While the variety of mini-games and VR interactions provide initial entertainment, the game’s limited selection of just four tables and absence of progression systems or customization options constrain its long-term appeal. Without announced DLC plans, dedicated players may find themselves wanting more content after mastering the existing environments.

The game’s relatively low difficulty curve affects its longevity as well. During pre-release testing, it was possible to top global leaderboards without exceptional skill, suggesting that serious pinball enthusiasts might find the challenge lacking. The emphasis seems to be on extended play sessions rather than the quick, intense rounds traditional pinball fans might expect.

Bumper to Bumper

Technical performance remains consistently smooth, with responsive controls and stable framerates even during chaotic multi-ball sequences. However, the game’s core design choices present more significant hurdles. The slow ball physics and generous difficulty drain the urgency from the experience, while the inability to customize difficulty settings for individual tables limits player agency.

The difficulty ratings for each environment often feel arbitrary, with some “easy” tables presenting more challenge than those marked as difficult. This inconsistency, combined with the generally forgiving gameplay, means that success often comes down to patience rather than skill or quick reactions. These issues, combined with the modest content offering, hold Bounce Arcade back from achieving its full potential.

Final Tilt

Bounce Arcade represents an imaginative leap forward for VR pinball, successfully translating the genre’s fundamental appeal into an immersive new format. Its creative mini-games and polished mechanics demonstrate the unique possibilities of virtual reality gaming. The initial impression is genuinely impressive, with many players likely to be wowed by their first few sessions.

However, pacing issues, limited content, and restricted customization options prevent it from becoming a true classic. While it offers an entertaining diversion for casual players and VR enthusiasts, its longevity suffers without more substantial content or progression systems. The lack of challenge may particularly disappoint hardcore pinball fans looking for that classic arcade difficulty.

For now, Bounce Arcade serves as a phenomenal proof of concept that doesn’t quite stick the landing. With additional content, mechanical fine-tuning, and better difficulty balancing, it could evolve into something truly special. As it stands, it’s worth a look for its innovative approach to VR pinball, even if it may not hold your attention for extended play sessions.

You step into the shoes of Serdar, a doctor whose personal quest to help his ailing wife leads him through the dangerous underground world of the Metro. Without spoiling anything, I can say the narrative is one of the game’s strongest elements, featuring several compelling twists and turns as you uncover various truths along your journey. The writing really shines throughout, delivering both emotional depth and narrative complexity across the game’s 12 chapters. The story manages to feel both personal and consequential, maintaining the series’ trademark blend of human drama and post-apocalyptic survival.

Bullets, Beasts & No Workbenches

At its core, this is quintessentially Metro, though with some notable streamlining of mechanics. The gameplay loop alternates between narrative sequences, atmospheric exploration, and intense combat against various mutants. You’ll encounter everything from dog-sized creatures to more imposing threats, each demanding different tactical approaches. Your arsenal starts with a pistol and gradually expands to include a semi-automatic rifle and other weapons. While the selection isn’t extensive, the gunplay is exceptional, ranking among the best I’ve experienced on Quest alongside titles like The Light Brigade and Arizona Sunshine.

Unlike Metro Exodus, for example, there’s no crafting in Metro Awakening. You won’t be crafting grenades or Molotov cocktails, and weapon modification is extremely limited – the only weapons mod I found was a silencer for the pistol, which was automatically added once found. In that sense, Metro Awakening keeps it simple: no workbenches, no crafting systems. While some might miss these features from the mainline series, this streamlined approach works well in VR, keeping the focus on immediate action and survival rather than resource management.

Don’t Blink: The Art of Metro Terror

The game masterfully straddles the line between action-adventure and survival horror, and this is where it really shines. While it comes with an explicit arachnophobia warning, it never ventures too deep into pure horror territory – something I appreciate as someone who typically “nopes out” of VR horror games. Instead, it excels at building a persistent sense of tension and anxiety. You’ll experience moments of frantic panic in dark corridors, managing limited ammo while mutants scurry about, creating intense situations that feel challenging but manageable. The game keeps you perpetually uncomfortable without crossing into overwhelming territory, striking an impressive balance between tension and playability.

Tunnel Vision Never Looked So Good

Metro Awakening is visually impressive, with strong art direction and effective real-time lighting that contributes significantly to the atmosphere. The game consistently maintains its foreboding atmosphere through excellent environmental design. While much of the game takes place underground, each area feels distinct and purposeful, avoiding the potential monotony that could come with a subway-based setting. Some locations are intentionally revisited as part of the narrative – this isn’t lazy asset reuse but a deliberate story choice that adds to the overall experience.

The attention to detail is remarkable, especially in the interactive elements. You can physically check your remaining ammo by looking at your weapon’s chamber, and small touches like functional fans add to the world’s believability. While it’s not an immersive sim where you can interact with everything like in Half-Life: Alyx, the interactive elements that are present feel purposeful and well-implemented. Character animations are notably smooth with minimal jank – even while recording, which is particularly impressive for a Quest title. The environmental storytelling is subtle but effective, with each area telling its own story through careful visual design.

The Sound of Survival

The audio design stands as the game’s crowning achievement, creating a deeply immersive experience that elevates every other aspect of the game. The soundtrack expertly emphasizes emotional beats throughout the story, from moments of creeping dread to brief instances of hope and optimism. While it pays homage to classic Metro themes, it establishes its own unique identity that fits perfectly with the VR experience.

The sound design is exceptional, leveraging every trick in the horror game playbook to maintain tension. You’ll hear unsettling radio murmurs that you can’t quite make out, precise directional audio that keeps you on edge, and the nerve-wracking sounds of mutants moving through nearby tunnels. These audio elements work together to create a constant sense of unease that enhances every aspect of the gameplay. The voice acting is consistently strong throughout, adding authenticity to the experience and helping sell the emotional moments in the story. The way sound echoes through the tunnels, the mechanical clinking of your weapons, and the environmental ambiance all contribute to making the Metro feel like a living, breathing place.

Mind The Gap: Performance & Playtime

I encountered very few technical issues during my playthrough. There are some minor control quirks, like occasional overlap between mask and reload detection zones, and a few moments where gameplay systems don’t quite sync with narrative elements (like conversations continuing normally while running out of oxygen). However, I experienced no crashes or significant bugs throughout my entire playthrough, which is impressive for a VR title of this scope.

I completed the game in about six and a half hours on normal difficulty. While some players report longer playtimes of 10-14 hours, especially on hard difficulty or when pursuing a stealthy approach, my experience was focused and satisfying. There are collectible postcards to find, which unlock with a satisfying musical cue, but replayability is limited as you’d expect from a narrative-driven single-player game. While there’s no new game plus or challenge modes, Vertigo’s track record with post-launch support (as seen with Arizona Sunshine) suggests we might see additional content in the future.

Last Stop: Final Thoughts

Metro Awakening stands as a testament to how traditional gaming franchises can be thoughtfully adapted to virtual reality. While it doesn’t include all the systems and complexity of its non-VR counterparts, it succeeds by focusing on what works best in VR: immersive storytelling, tense combat, and atmospheric exploration. The combination of great gunplay, impressive visuals, outstanding audio design, and an engaging story kept me coming back for more – I found myself playing about an hour and a half each day until completion.

The game’s greatest achievement is perhaps how it maintains the series’ signature atmosphere while adapting it for a new medium. Every element, from the sound design to the visual presentation, works together to create a compelling and often unsettling journey through the Metro. While some might wish for more weapon variety or crafting options, the streamlined approach serves the VR format well.

It’s very easy to recommend Metro Awakening to all but those who might find themselves too unsettled by its tense atmosphere. It’s easily one of the best games I’ve yet played on Quest, and despite the somewhat brief run-time, it presents a dense and gripping experience from the first cinematic intro to the moment the final credits roll on screen.

This approach raises a crucial question: did Half-Life: Alyx boost Valve Index sales? Surprisingly, yes—it did. Following the announcement, Valve’s Index sales saw a significant jump, with 103,000 units sold in just over a month. A strong franchise can drive hardware adoption. So, is Batman: Arkham Shadow good? And can it sell Quest headsets?

Hopefully, this review will answer the first question. As for the second question? We’ll leave that up to you. Tell us what you think in the comments.

Thug-Life

Taking place early on in Batman’s career, Arkham Shadow is a sequel to a prequel. It takes place after Batman: Arkham Origins and fleshes out some of the early history of Bruce Wayne, featuring various characters known to fans of the lore, including Harvey Dent, Jim Gordon, Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, and several others.

As the game begins, you assume the character of ‘Matches Malone,’ a small-time Gotham City gangster that first appeared in Batman #242 during a character-defining run that was written by Dennis O’Neil, illustrated by the incredible Neal Adams, and penciled by Dick Giordano. To many long-time Batman readers, myself included, this was truly an iconic era. You don’t need to have known any of this to enjoy the game or appreciate the progression of the narrative, but it does demonstrate the intimacy that the writing team led by Narrative Director Brendan Murphy and Lead Writer Alex O. Smith have with the original source material.

Anyway, I digress. As Batman / Matches Malone, you set fire to the Bat signal above the Gotham police station, promptly get arrested, and then sent to Blackgate Prison, where much of the game takes place.

As anybody familiar with movie tropes, you know already how this will play out; you’ll get a flashback showing why you decided to take on the Matches identity and why you wanted to end up inside Blackgate.

Wham! Thud! Thwack!

If you’re a rare bird who’s never played any of the previous Batman Arkham games, let’s just say the games were mostly fantastic, relying on excellent writing, superb voice acting, and drawing on the strengths of Batman’s character to alternate between stealthy sequences where you took enemies out one by one while remaining undetected and all-out fights where you fought various opponents together using a combat system famous for its free-flowing nature that allowed you to string together varied attacks and build up incredibly satisfying combos. It was wildly innovative back then and has, arguably, never been bested in third-person gaming since. The games also showed off Batman’s origins as a detective, with a detective mode that lets you scan clues and figure out your next lead.

The biggest question regarding Arkham Shadow‘s gameplay was always going to be how faithfully it manages to translate that gaming experience to VR, and this is where you have to acknowledge the sheer acumen that developers Camoflaj (who did a great job with Iron Man VR) have demonstrated with Shadow’s design choices.

The first choice made here was to limit the scope of the game world in a way that makes sense. You can create a whole Gotham City on later generation consoles, but it would have been impossible to do so on a Meta Quest standalone headset without massive concessions in graphics, so instead, the game relies mainly on the limited world of Blackgate prison, and outside of that only features a few selected locations around Gotham City, and it weaves a story that works well within those confines, preventing you from feeling that the spatial limitations are contrived.

The other choice made here was to alter the free-flowing nature of the combat, leading to a mixture of free decisions regarding who you’ll strike next and when, and short prompted almost-QTE sequences that occur during combat sequences. So you’ll pick your enemy, punch-dash towards them, then be prompted to deliver a jab, uppercut, or hook, and sometimes a beat down with both hands or a punch after you’ve grabbed an opponent’s leg, etc.

Initially, I was disappointed that the combat didn’t replicate the free-flowing nature of the console games, which was excellent for ‘flow-state’ combat. However, after a few hours, I adjusted, stopped comparing it to the originals, and appreciated that—despite sacrificing some of the original feel—it provided an intense workout. It’s easy to take on small fights with only 3 or 4 enemies, but when you go through a big battle with 10 enemies or more, you’ll work up a good sweat! I checked my Move stats, and on longer sessions of 90 minutes or so, I was burning up around 500 calories playing this game.

Predator sequences, on the other hand, have carried over perfectly to VR and feel just like they did in the flat games, except, well – much better. You’re Batman, perched over your enemies, picking them off one by one with stealth takedowns until the last one is down. When you get good at these sequences, it feels, for lack of a better word, perfect.

The game replaces the Riddler Trophies of the previous games with Rat King statues that are often in difficult-to-reach areas, requiring some puzzle-solving to reach; these are all optional and provide some head-scratching relief from the action of the combat sequences.

As you progress through the game, your arsenal also evolves, with skill or progression trees for your combat skills, suit, gadgets, and predator skills. The game already starts with many of those already unlocked, but as you gain experience points, you can unlock more, like letting you use sonic Batarangs, various combat combos, quicker and stealthier takedowns, and more. Some of these are only available once you’ve received new gadgets, like the Bat Claw, the Shock Gloves, and others, all delivered by Alfred via the Bat Wing. This helps you feel more and more powerful as the game progresses, and by the end, you really do feel like a perfectly capable Dark Knight, ready to take on whatever Gotham’s criminals and twisted villains throw your way.

The game also offers what had become a staple in the console versions: combat and predator challenges. Although there are only three of each for now, we expect more of those to come from Camoflaj.

Batman: Arkham Shadow does what it should; it successfully brings the gameplay of the Arkham series to VR and does it with confidence and flair.

My Beautiful Batworld

Arkham Shadow nails the visual language of Batman, blending Gothic and Neo-Gothic architecture with a mood of urban decay. Its dark, gritty criminal underbelly and subtle steampunk elements make it one of the best-looking games on Meta Quest. It could be argued that other games like Red Matter 2 look better, but games like Red Matter 2 don’t have to balance their looks with bone-crushing action sequences featuring a dozen characters on screen at a time.

The game does a marvelous job with all the characters, including the NPC, most of whom are visually distinct. You won’t see the same characters copied and pasted ad infinitum here, and the main characters are incredibly detailed and remarkably well-animated.

Aside from the beauty of the locations and art direction, the actors’ motion and expressive facial captures are superb, highlighting their beautiful performances and lending emotional heft to the already excellent writing.

The game also features real-time shadows, conveniently placing a backlight behind you regularly to highlight your shadow with your cowl and bat ears, subtly and silently reminding you that behind that headset you’re wearing, you ARE Batman.

The only complaint is that the game’s framerate occasionally drops, especially before and after gate-opening sequences, which are likely there to mask load times. It’s a little distracting when it happens, but it never occurred to me during combat sequences where it would have been the most jarring. These hiccups happen even when the dynamic resolution setting is turned on in the game, but Camoflaj have told us that the game is still being optimized, and the first patch might even be out by the time you read this review.

I Hear You, Bats.

If anything, the audio in Shadow is even better than the graphics since, by its very nature, it’s unencumbered by performance limitations. The sound effects are solid throughout, and the soundtrack by Kazuma Jinnouchi blends the familiar dark, orchestral tones of previous Arkham games with fresh compositions that drive home the game’s drama. Jinnouchi maintains continuity with the series while introducing new elements that match the game’s unique mood.

The voice acting is also superb, with standout performances by Roger Craig Smith as Batman / Bruce Wayne, Troy Baker as Harvey Dent, and Mara Junot as Leslie Thompkins. Junot’s portrayal, in particular, conveys deep empathy for Bruce, truly drawing you into the narrative and the emotional connections between the characters and creating a world in which Batman is not a lone solitary figure but a man loved by the people who understand his traumas, his struggles, and the choices he makes.

Bat-Snags

Despite being a smooth experience overall, I encountered a few issues playing Arkham Shadow. Early on in the game, there was a rope tying a door shut, and I was supposed to cut it with a Batarang; this failed spectacularly despite my repeatedly trying; luckily, I found an alternate path, so it wasn’t a game-breaker. A few bugs like this showed up during my playthrough; a vent I couldn’t enter, a doorway that wouldn’t let me in even after it opened, etc. Infrequent as they were, such issues were usually resolved by simply reloading the last checkpoint or quitting the game and starting again.

The game also seems to trigger some communications with Alfred not by chronological sequence but by location, so I found that if a particular voice message from Alfred was triggered at some place, if you returned to that place again, the same recording was played; this was immersion breaking. I’m hoping Camoflaj will fix it.

I’ve also heard of some players who experienced a game crash where the game would just exit. This only happened to me once when my Quest mysteriously declared that it didn’t have enough memory to run ‘Manta.’

Bat Hours

If you’re wondering about length, the game’s campaign lasts about 10 hours, more or less, depending on how well you play it, how much of it you choose to complete, and what difficulty level you select. I played it on Hard. The combat and predator challenges could add significantly to that time if you enjoy those modes.

Bat Thoughts

Batman: Arkham Shadow is a remarkable achievement in standalone VR, featuring a compelling story, strong character development, stunning graphics, immersive combat, and captivating performances. It showcases how well the character translates across different media and highlights and builds upon the impressive world and mechanics created by Rocksteady way back in 2009. It also reflects the dedication, love, and respect that Camoflaj and Director Ryan Payton have shown for both the character and the earlier Arkham games and, in the process, proves that Batman’s world can thrive in VR, making Arkham Shadow a must-play for both VR fans and Batman enthusiasts alike.

What’re you waiting for? Do you really need a score?

Yet, as you dive deeper into its dark caverns and sprawling alien cities, the game reveals a duality: it’s a technical marvel at first glance but begins to stumble as you push toward its conclusion.

Exploring the Abyss

You step into the shoes of Ben Mitchell, a deep-space scavenger who, alongside his AI sidekick Jonathan, finds himself on an alien world after being sucked through a wormhole. The central hook of Into Black is simple: explore, gather resources, upgrade your equipment, fight alien creatures, and try to repair your ship to escape. But this isn’t just a solo experience; you can bring along up to three friends to take on the campaign in co-op, adding a social dynamic to the core gameplay.

The game also offers several different modes. The main campaign propels you through caverns, magma chambers, sunken cities, and more, with Jonathan providing some humor and light commentary throughout the journey. Outside of the campaign, you’ve got resource-gathering missions, perfect for players who want to grind without focusing on the story. There’s also a PvPvE mode, “Singularity,” where 12 players battle it out in an ever-shrinking map, hunting for resources while fighting both aliens and each other. On paper, this package is immensely appealing—offering variety, action, and a healthy dose of replayability.

Mining for Gameplay Gold

The first thing that stands out in Into Black is the fluidity of movement. The Binary Mill’s VR pedigree is on full display as you run, jump, and shoot your way through a vast and dangerous landscape. The mechanics feel polished—there’s no jitter or clunkiness in how you interact with the world. The controls are intuitive and smooth, making even the most mundane actions, like mining for resources, feel satisfying.

Shooting in Into Black is a real treat. You get an array of weapons—pistol, shotgun, SMG, and even a returning axe that gives off major God of War vibes. The game also doesn’t shy away from borrowing mechanics from other iconic games. You’ve got Gears of War’s quick reload system, Super Mario-esque mushroom bouncing, and some clever nods to other classics scattered throughout.

That said, the gameplay does start to show cracks. While the shooting feels good, the combat loop does wear thin after prolonged play. Boss fights, in particular, are disappointingly lackluster—these bullet-sponge encounters drag on and don’t offer much in the way of tactical depth. You’re left dodging projectiles and pumping rounds into alien statues that hardly animate. It’s a shame because the game’s combat has such potential, but these moments feel undercooked.

Cavernous Eye Candy

Graphically, Into Black is an absolute stunner. The stylized visuals work wonders in VR, especially when combined with the game’s fantastic lighting effects. One of the most memorable moments comes early on, when you fire a flare into a cavern and watch it illuminate the alien landscape in real time. It’s breathtaking. The game’s biomes are varied—magma chambers, ancient alien ruins, and underwater caverns all offer a sense of discovery that keeps things feeling fresh, at least for a while.

However, the longer you play, the more technical issues you encounter. There are bugs—literal and figurative—clipping through walls, getting stuck in the environment, or not reacting properly to the game’s physics. I’ve had moments where a teammate in co-op would suddenly start levitating, or plants would hover slightly above the ground, which chips away at the game’s initial immersion. These bugs are jarring, especially when you’re playing a game that feels so polished at the start.

Stand Up Jonathan

Audio in Into Black has its highs and lows. The standout here is Jonathan, your trusty AI companion. His witty banter and occasional comic relief do wonders to break up the sometimes bleak atmosphere of the game. Some players have even confused his voice for that of our very own Pete Austin from 6DOF Reviews! The weapon sound design is punchy and satisfying—guns sound like they have weight, and the feedback you get when firing is palpable.

But the game stumbles when it comes to music. The soundtrack is repetitive, especially during combat encounters where you’re fed the same adrenaline-pumping track over and over again. This repetitive score feels like a missed opportunity to enhance the emotional beats or dramatic moments in the game.

Bugged Out, Blacked Out

The deeper you get into Into Black, the more it feels like the game is held together by duct tape. Small issues accumulate: creatures glitch out, environmental elements don’t react as they should, and some aspects of the game design feel underdeveloped. The puzzles, for example, could have been a great way to break up the action, but they remain simplistic throughout the entire game. There’s no ramp in difficulty, and they often feel more like time fillers than real brain teasers.

Fabricating resources, a crucial aspect of upgrading your gear, becomes an absolute chore as well. The interface doesn’t allow for batch crafting, forcing you to sit through long animations for each individual item. It’s an incredibly tedious process that really grinds down the pace【31†source】.

Long Play, Short Patience

On the plus side, Into Black offers a lot of content. Between the main campaign, the co-op options, and the PvPvE mode, there’s plenty to keep you engaged for dozens of hours. But as mentioned, the longer you play, the more the game’s flaws start to reveal themselves. There’s a real sense that the scaffolding holding this experience together could use some more structural support.

Into the Light, but Not Quite

Into Black starts out like a dream—fantastic mechanics, gorgeous environments, and charming voice work. The experience is immersive and addictive, sucking you into its alien world with blistering confidence. However, the deeper you go, the more the game starts to feel like it’s losing its grip. Bugs, repetitive music, and lackluster boss fights prevent it from achieving greatness.

Still, all these issues, apart from maybe the dull boss battles, are fixable, and if The Binary Mill supports the game with patches, Into Black could easily rise to become a standout in the VR world. If you’re seeing this review after those updates, consider it an 8.5/10, but for now, it’s not quite there.

This isn’t just a carbon copy of the 1980s original. Instead, Airspace Defender updates the formula with modern design sensibilities, creating an experience that feels fresh and engaging, even for players unfamiliar with its arcade predecessor. While it doesn’t boast a particularly memorable title, the game’s smart execution makes it stand out.

From Trackballs to Finger Flicks

The core concept of Airspace Defender is deceptively simple yet immensely satisfying: defend a city, divided into eight sectors around a central base, from waves of incoming missiles, helicopters, and other threats. What makes this version unique is how it adapts the hemispherical play area to MR.

In mixed reality, the game feels perfectly at home. The protected hemisphere is visually self-contained, appearing like a giant snow globe resting in your physical space. This design allows the action to feel intimate and immediate, making excellent use of the passthrough technology on Meta Quest headsets. The sense of scale, combined with the tactile controls, immerses you in the task of protecting your city like never before.

Unlike the classic game’s trackball controls, Airspace Defender uses hand tracking with impressive precision. A simple pinch launches countermeasures, while finger clicks handle menu navigation and turret upgrades. The animations and sound effects lend a sense of tactility, making interactions feel satisfying even without physical feedback.

Between rounds, you face strategic choices: invest resources in upgrading your turrets with rockets, lasers, or mini-guns, or rebuild destroyed city sectors. Each decision shapes your strategy for the next wave, adding a layer of depth to the otherwise fast-paced action.

However, while the gameplay core is solid, the title leaves something to be desired. While Missile Command VR might have been a natural fit, copyright restrictions rule it out. A more evocative name, like Sky Shield or Defend the Dome, could better reflect the game’s retro-modern charm.

The Zen of Frenzy

If you’re looking for a game that gets your adrenaline pumping, Airspace Defender delivers. Its pacing is perfectly tuned for short, intense play sessions, with each wave escalating in challenge. By the fourth or fifth round, chaos reigns, and you’ll find yourself frantically pinching at an onslaught of missiles. The steep difficulty curve feels fair, rewarding quick reflexes and sound decision-making without overwhelming the player.

The game offers two modes: a VR-only option and a mixed reality mode. The MR experience is the standout, projecting the game into your living space and adding a unique tactile feel to the action. The VR mode, while functional, suffers from the lack of environmental context. With no skybox or backdrop to frame the action, the black void can feel a bit sterile compared to the immersive MR setup.

Arcade Aesthetics in Living Color

Visually, Airspace Defender sticks to a retro-inspired neon aesthetic that evokes the charm of classic arcade games while embracing the polish of modern visuals. Explosions are vibrant and satisfying, and the minimalist art style keeps the action clean and easy to follow.

The MR mode, in particular, benefits from the interplay of colorful effects against your real-world surroundings, creating a dynamic and engaging battlefield. While the VR mode is serviceable, the absence of backdrops or skyboxes feels like a missed opportunity. A starry night or planetary skydome could have elevated the experience significantly, adding a sense of place to the chaos.

Synthesized Sonic Siege

Audio plays a significant role in Airspace Defender, and the design doesn’t disappoint. Explosions are crisp and impactful, and each turret type has its own distinct sound signature, from the zap of lasers to the whoosh of missiles. These effects not only enhance the gameplay but also provide crucial audio cues during frantic moments.

The 80s-inspired electronic rock soundtrack ties the experience together, evoking the nostalgic energy of classic arcade titles. While it may not be groundbreaking, it complements the action perfectly and adds to the game’s retro-modern atmosphere.

Small Skies, Big Fun

For all its strengths, Airspace Defender does have its limitations. With only two city maps—one for normal difficulty and one for hard—the game could benefit from more environments to keep things fresh. Leaderboard competition adds some replayability, but the addition of new maps or dynamic challenges would do wonders for its longevity.

Looking to the future, a co-op multiplayer mode could inject new life into the game, offering players the chance to defend their cities together. For now, the game’s short sessions and leaderboard rivalries provide enough motivation to keep coming back.

At $12, the game is reasonably priced, offering excellent value for its polish and engaging mechanics.

The Final Countdown

Airspace Defender is a tightly designed arcade experience that makes excellent use of VR and MR technology. Its intuitive controls, fast-paced gameplay, and vibrant aesthetic make it a worthy addition to any Meta Quest library.

While it could use a few more maps and a skybox for VR mode, the game excels where it counts: delivering accessible, chaotic fun that’s easy to pick up and hard to put down. Whether you’re chasing leaderboard glory or simply enjoying the retro-modern charm, Airspace Defender is a blast from the past worth revisiting.

This dynamic of anticipation and dread, combined with the stark contrast between the agent’s cautious exploration and the alien’s predatory stillness, brings an unsettling atmosphere to the game. It feels reminiscent of certain asymmetrical multiplayer VR experiences like Panoptic, where two sides use different strategies and abilities. Here, though, the tension is cranked up a notch because you never know exactly when danger will strike.

Mannequin Mayhem

Mannequin‘s gameplay offers more depth than it might first appear. What starts as a straightforward hide-and-seek game quickly develops into a mind game where both teams need to rely on strategy and communication. As an alien, one of the most enjoyable elements is setting traps. For example, one alien could purposely get caught moving, luring agents into the open where others are waiting in ambush. The aliens have a short dash ability, so the moment they get close to an agent, it’s usually game over.

For agents, though, it’s not so simple. Their detection equipment can help spot moving aliens, but they have to be careful with their shots—accidentally shooting a real frozen human means their gun jams, leaving them vulnerable to attack. This constant balancing act keeps the stakes high. I found this part of the gameplay particularly satisfying, especially with how easy it is to slip up as an agent if you’re overconfident.

What really makes Mannequin stand out is the emphasis on teamwork. Even after you’re “killed” and turned into a ghost, you can continue helping your team by scouting out aliens or agents and communicating their locations. This keeps the experience engaging even after death, similar to how Echo VR kept stunned players involved with team coordination even when they were out of action. The revive mechanic also adds another layer of strategy, with the potential for thrilling comebacks if your teammates are quick on their feet.

Frozen in Time

Visually, Mannequin does an excellent job at crafting an eerie atmosphere. The stylistic graphics complement the gameplay well, with its frozen humans scattered in mid-movement, as if life just paused around you. This is enhanced by little details like objects suspended in the air as though frozen in time, reminding me a bit of the surreal environments in Into the Radius, where floating objects give an otherworldly feel.

The color palette strikes a balance between vibrant and unsettling, creating environments that feel frozen in more ways than one. That said, the levels can start to feel somewhat repetitive. While the frozen environments are distinct, they don’t vary much between rounds, and the art style, while effective, could benefit from more diverse settings. Hopefully, future updates bring more variety to the maps, which would help keep things fresh for players long-term.

Listen Closely, or Else

If the graphics set the mood, the audio in Mannequin makes it essential to your survival. Spatial and locational audio play a huge role, especially if you’re playing as an alien. Your ears are your best defense, letting you track the movements of agents by listening for their footsteps or the beeping of their detection equipment. There’s a strong sense of tension as you’re frozen in place, relying on sound alone to plan your next move.

On the flip side, agents need to pay close attention to these same auditory cues, using them to pinpoint mannequin movements. The audio design is exceptional here, elevating the suspense and making every game feel like a high-stakes dance of patience and precision. In this regard, it shares a bit of DNA with stealth games like Phantom: Covert Ops, where audio is critical to both tension and gameplay. The way sound influences your decisions adds to the immersive quality of the game, making it as much about listening as it is about looking.

Live by the Community, Die by the Community

Like many multiplayer VR games, Mannequin’s longevity will largely depend on its community. The game has all the tools to be successful—a fun and accessible concept, depth for strategy lovers, and enough tension to keep things interesting. However, whether it thrives or falters will come down to the player base.

During my time playing, I noticed a mix of younger players and casual gamers, which isn’t surprising given the straightforward mechanics. The game doesn’t demand the kind of dedication you’d expect from more hardcore VR experiences like Population: One or Onward. It’s the kind of game you can jump into for a few rounds and still feel like you’ve had a good time. But without a solid community to keep the lobbies full and the matches engaging, it could be tough for Mannequin to sustain long-term appeal.

Memory Lane

For all the positives, Mannequin does have one major flaw that threatens to undermine its long-term replayability: the frozen NPCs aren’t randomized between rounds. Once you’ve memorized where the real frozen humans are, playing as an agent becomes significantly easier. If you have a good visual memory (like I do), you’ll quickly start recognizing which figures are NPCs, making it much harder for aliens to blend in.

This is something I pointed out during playtesting, and I was surprised to see it hadn’t been addressed in the latest update. Randomizing the placement of NPCs seems like a no-brainer for a game like this, where unpredictability is key to maintaining suspense. Until this is fixed, the game risks losing its edge for more observant players, and that could turn away some of its more dedicated audience.

A Mannequin with Potential

Mannequin is a unique and suspenseful multiplayer experience that brings a fresh concept to the Quest’s lineup. The game offers moments of high tension and strategic depth, with its simple yet effective mechanics. The graphics, while not groundbreaking, create a memorable atmosphere, and the audio design is top-notch, integral to the core gameplay.

That said, its future success depends on two key factors: the community and continued updates. If the player base stays active and the developers address some of the current issues—particularly the non-randomized NPCs—Mannequin could become a go-to casual multiplayer experience. For now, it’s an entertaining game with a lot of potential, and with a free trial available, there’s little reason not to give it a shot. Whether you’re a kid looking for some fun or an adult who enjoys casual, strategic gaming, Mannequin has something for everyone.

Note: I’d happily give it a 7.5 if they add NPC randomization! So if you’re reading this at some point in the future when that’s been done, then it’s a 7.5!

As the game begins, you’re tasked with becoming a vampire slayer, put into a castle that houses 9 vampires, and told that many before you have failed. You’re guided by a mysterious mentor, who tells you about the history of the vampires you’re trying to dust as they slumber and teaches you how to get past their defenses. A pry bar, clippers, and a hook made from a finger bone are among the many tools within reach, but a stake through the heart is the only way to end it.

The game relies on a spooky atmosphere and requires a good deal of patience as any sound you make risks waking up the vampire whose defenses you’re trying to get past. Tension builds as you cautiously lift bars, remove nails, and clip wires to find the vampire’s heart. Your silence and precision are key as you avoid awakening the beasts who will drain your life instantly.

COFFIN UP THE MECHANICS

As the game begins, you’re given a short but effective tutorial level. After that, the pattern is fairly consistent: solve a 3-dimensional puzzle that shows you the shapes you’ll have to make to penetrate the final defensive layer of each vampire, teleport to the vampire’s coffin, and then slowly unlock the coffin and make your way, as stealthily as possible, past their defenses.

The defenses do pile on, starting with bars that need to be slowly and carefully removed, to nails that must slowly be pried loose, to wires pulsing with electricity that you need to cut, to little voodoo watchers that’ll awaken every now and then and sound an alert if they sense any movement.

It all fosters a careful exercise in patience and slow, purposeful movement, all while in a slightly spooky atmosphere that VR veterans will find entertaining but the less adept might feel terrifying.

If you’re worried about jump scares, well, they’re tempered. In fact, Pete and I have slightly different views on the scares. I don’t consider the jump scares true jump scares since they occur only when you fail, so I consider them a death screen, and because they’re predictable (you can always tell when you’ve messed up), I don’t find them particularly scary and they don’t startle me. I love Pete, but he has the fortitude of a little baby and still thinks they’re jump scares. Clearly, your horror mileage may vary.

Overall, the game is slick and well-made, a testament to Schell Games, and honestly, after their work on the I Expect You to Die series, we expected no less than a classy execution. See what I did there?

FANG-TASTIC VISUALS

Graphically speaking, Schell Games are as sharp as they’ve always been. The castle environments are cool, well-stylized, and look great. The game’s visual presentation effectively captures the eerie, gothic atmosphere of a vampire’s lair, with dimly lit corridors, ancient stone walls, and ominous coffins.

The attention to detail in the various tools and traps you encounter adds to the immersion, making each interaction feel tactile and real. While the overall aesthetic leans more towards a cartoonish, Transylvania-inspired style rather than photorealism, it works well for the game’s tone and gameplay. Nice and spooky, in a fun, approachable way.

SOUNDS LIKE A SCREAM

The sound is equally great, with the voice acting by your mentor being quite sinister and superb, and the ambient audio of the castle environments lending everything a creepy atmosphere. You can hear spiders crawling, you can hear the occasional bat fly by, startling you a little, you can feel echoing footsteps in the distance making you look around in concern while you’re trying to slowly, carefully pry a nail loose while worrying that another nail is sympathetically coming out of the coffin with it, and might drop to the floor and wake up a damn bloodsucker.

BLOODY NITPICKS

There’s not much to complain about with Silent Slayer, but you know us better than that. We’re the nitpicking reviewers, so here it goes. The game might feel a little short; there are less than a dozen vampires to kill, and once you get past the first five, the rest just build on the first, without really adding any more game mechanics. On the other hand, it’s priced at $19.99, so you can’t really complain about the longevity you get. Still – it would have been great to keep adding on more mechanics as the game reached its conclusion rather than just piling on mechanics that have already been introduced.

The 3D puzzles are also somewhat useless. I mean, some are more challenging than others to assemble, but the conceit that solving them reveals the shapes you need to cast to defeat the vampires is rendered useless by the fact that you’re guided through the shapes by arrows that show up before the kill, so the actual utility of the puzzles is nullified.

Another issue is that once you’ve gotten used to the fact that you only get caught if you fail twice in a row, the game becomes a bit too easy. As long as you’re patient, it’s hard to fail.

But again, like I said, I’m nitpicking. At the end of the day, this is a unique game, with great graphics, great audio, an interesting conceit, and cool mechanics. It’s well-priced and knows not to wear out its welcome.

FANGS FOR THE MEMORIES

Silent Slayer: Vault of the Vampire is a solid new title from Schell Games. While not as deep as their I Expect You to Die installments, it’s fun and offers a nicely spooky and tactile VR experience well-suited to both VR veterans and VR newbies since the player doesn’t really move around the environment and there’s no cause for motion sickness. It’s Operation in VR, and that’s not a bad thing at all, so long as you know what you’re getting into.

Woof, Woof, Mankind

Humanity has you controlling a dog, a Shiba Inu to be precise, as you shepherd human beings across its levels and lead them to the..well, to the light. Take the vaguely religious and intellectual conceits away; what you seemingly have, at least initially, is a game with much in common with Lemmings or Kartoffl. As a result of this ‘guide the idiots’ to their destination gameplay, Humanity reduces the agency of its throngs of humans to that of potatoes that barely have control of their limbic system. But let’s not get insulted on behalf of the human race; any god that may exist knows we’re scarcely worth the carbon it takes to hold us together.

When I said throngs, by the way, I wasn’t exaggerating. If there’s one thing Humanity impresses you with right away, it’s the sheer number of humans it can casually fling on screen simultaneously. Masses of humans emerge, and they keep coming, hundreds of them, sometimes thousands. The game appears to be able to push them out in limitless quantities. I remember first playing this game on PSVR2 when it came out and thinking it took the power of a PS5 to throw around this many animated bodies. When I heard it was coming to Quest, I had my doubts about whether this turbas flagrantes could be accomplished on Quest. Well, guess what? The teams Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Yugo Nakamura led have somehow done the job. Humanity, meet Quest. Quest, meet masses of human sheep led by a Shiba Inu.

Essentially, each level is a challenge to solve, and there are plenty of levels broken down into chapters. Some exposition between the chapters reveals the grand narrative that serves as a backdrop to all this puzzle-solving.

Your Shiba Inu has an evolving and sometimes diminishing set of powers; you can order them to turn, you can order them to jump or jump high, you can place markers that make them light as feathers, etc. Each level is a three-dimensional grid, and you can mark squares with those commands, making humans follow them whenever they reach those squares. It’s well-designed and quite elegant. Most levels also contain some larger-than-life golden humans called Goldys. These serve the function of stars, in the sense that if you can collect all the Goldys in a level, you can consider it well and truly finished, and in the sense that you need a certain amount of Goldys to unlock the final level of each chapter.

As you progress past the midway point of the game, the stakes increase, but I won’t say much about that since it would constitute a spoiler within the game’s narrative. Let’s just say that Humanity does a fantastic job of constantly evolving the gameplay to the point of breaking genre and almost making its way halfway to another genre as the game progresses. But hey, spoilers…

Spatial Computing

The overall design of Humanity gives it a lot of its appeal. The menus are elegant, the art direction is uniformly excellent, and the controls are quite intuitive, with one button switching between commands and the other placing command markers. The right grip button allows you to fast-forward through time, and the game doesn’t try to needlessly punish you. If you mess up or want to try again, perhaps to catch more Goldys, the game lets you restart a level with all your command markers intact.

Humanity also rewards you with frequent unlocks. Most of these come in the form of skins that you can unlock for the characters; one that’ll dress your humans in 70s-style clothing, one that’ll make them blocky, one that’ll make them spherical, another will make them shiny, etc. The other unlocks are more statistical, showing detailed stats on your performance history throughout the game. None of these impact the gameplay, but they add to the experience and give some sense of accomplishment.

Another thing that needs to be mentioned is that Humanity has a good deal of longevity built into it; the game features a level creator, allowing players to design their own puzzles.

To Err is Human

Humanity has a distinctive style, which I enjoy, but some might consider it relatively bare and even drab. The people are colorful, but the levels are primarily grey, and some players might tire of that. If there’s anything about its overall presentation that I didn’t enjoy, it’s the soundtrack. There are a few different tracks, and once you get past a certain level, you can switch between them, but they’re all the same sort of minimalist electronica. I understand that the music in the game is supposed to be ambient and unobtrusive, but it didn’t really do it for me.

The biggest issue with Humanity might be that it doesn’t justify its existence in VR at all. When it first came out on PS5, it was playable in pancake and VR modes. So, some people may prefer to play it flat. Having said that, if you don’t have a console or simply like the immersive nature of VR, then that’s not an issue.

To Forgive, Divine

Humanity is a cryptic puzzler with a lot of atmosphere, a great set of evolving mechanics, and a wealth of levels and challenges. It has a distinctive style that minimalists will like but might seem drab to others, and its execution on Quest is excellent so long as you’re okay with a graphical downgrade from the PS5 or PSVR2 version. It straddles a fine line between being challenging and rewarding, and if you’re a fan of puzzle games, it will keep you hooked until you get to the other side of the light. The game has been nominated and won more awards than you can shake a significantly large stick at, and I can’t say it’s undeserved.

Dive in and enjoy.

Concept 8
Gameplay 8.5
Graphics 7.5
Audio 6.5
Longevity 8

Overall 8

Bedazzled

Project Demigod offers players a superhero simulation experience, allowing for physics-driven combat within a virtual environment. With a selection of 10 powers that can be mixed and matched, the game presents over 40 possible power combinations. These abilities range from super strength and energy bolts to elemental controls like fire and water.

Key features being introduced with the full launch include a Hero Events System for battling enemies in specific scenarios, integrated mod support for a wide range of user-created avatars, and optimized performance enhancements. The developers have also outlined a content roadmap that promises the introduction of new enemy types post-launch.

The game’s transition from the App Lab on Quest to the full Meta Quest store will see it removed from App Lab on January 25, becoming temporarily unavailable for purchase until its official release. Those who have previously purchased the game on App Lab will retain access without needing to repurchase. The Steam Early Access version will continue to be available until the launch date.

For more details on Project Demigod and its features, interested parties are directed to the game’s official website and recent trailer.

What are your expectations for Project Demigod as it moves out of early access? Share your thoughts on the upcoming full release.

Asgard’s Wrath was considered such a VR milestone that barely 6 months after its release, Sanzaru Games was acquired by Facebook to operate under Oculus Studios. Since then, they have been hard at work on Asgard’s Wrath 2. But how do you impress people with a sequel for an outstanding PCVR title when you’re also tasked with making it a standalone title running on what we all know are glorified mobile chips?

It’s not an easy challenge, especially when you also take into account just how demanding, how fickle, and, frankly, how entitled some gamers (including ourselves) can sometimes be.

Of course, we’ll compare it to the first Asgard’s Wrath, even if we know that’s unfair. Of course, we’ll want it to be better, even though we know it doesn’t stand a chance graphically, especially when it also has to run on a Quest 2, and regardless of the resolution and frame rate bump that it just got on Quest 3.

So how is it? Is it any good? If you’re a Quest 3 owner, it doesn’t matter, does it? You got it for free anyway! But the real question is for Quest 2 owners – is this a game you should pay $60 for?

Well, that’s what we’re here to find out, innit?

Divine RPG Action

Asgard’s Wrath 2 is great, it’s fun, it’s pretty, and it’s big. Really big. You know how Douglas Adams waxed lyrical about the size of the universe in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Well, okay. It’s not THAT big, but for anybody who’s been lamenting the bite-sized meals of most standalone VR titles, Asgard’s Wrath 2 feels huge. This fact slowly dawns on you as you play the first two hours and realize you’ve essentially just been introduced to the game. It hits you again once you’ve played for a few hours and finally get your first animal follower and start to realize you’ve barely scratched the surface of the 60+ hours of gaming it has to offer. It smacks you in the face when after all that, you realize that you’ve barely even spent much time in the whole rogue-like sub-game that Sanzaru just decided to throw in because why the hell not, and that could have been, for most developers, a standalone game in its own right. It’s just there, and Pete, for one, loves it, and who am I to argue with Pete?

So if it’s value you’re looking for, as a Quest 3 owner, it’s Christmas and Meta is a big fat Santa cramming your headset with gameplay, and if you’re a Quest 2 owner, you can’t compete with Asgard’s Wrath 2‘s bang for the buck. You can try, but you’ll fail.

Gameplay-wise, as if you didn’t know this already, AW2 is an action RPG with a divine twist. In the aftermath of AW, you’re now a god of sorts, and you get to inhabit earthly heroes as you go about the business of finding and defeating the Norse trickster God Loki, who, er..tricked you. The game dispenses with the Norse environments, probably a good move after AW1, God of War, and God of War Ragnarök, AC Valhalla, and the inevitable Norse fatigue, and places itself firmly in Egypt, and features an appropriately Egyptian pantheon; Sekhmet, Set, Isis, Horus, and all that.

You traverse the great sand sea, you explore ancient Egyptian temples, you fight reptilians right out of David Icke’s catalog of demonic misfits, you solve puzzles by altering your perspective from mortal to godly, and you power up your human heroes as well as your animal followers.

The combat in Asgard’s Wrath 2 feels good and is mostly melee-based. You can parry attacks, leaving your enemies open for a well-placed hit, and it’s pretty satisfying to cleave your enemies in half and watch them fall apart like you’re a ninja TikToker slicing fruits. You also get to throw your weapons at enemies and then retrieve them telekinetically, this ability is also used to solve some light switch-hitting puzzles, it all works well, and between the sound design and the haptics, it feels good.

Once in a while, you’ll come across a large area with a god station, or a divine altar, or whatever it’s called, and this will allow you to shift between your giant divine size, allowing you to manipulate large objects, and the possession of your mortal hero. This is where most of the puzzle elements come into play, relying on switching between the two forms and taking advantage of each. These start off simple, introducing you to the basic concepts and then progressively get more difficult, evoking some head-scratching. They’re fun and provide a good break from the combat which can, at times, start feeling repetitive.

This is always a concern with a long game time, that no matter how good the mechanics are, anything will start feeling repetitive after a few hours. To its credit, Asgard’s Wrath keeps things interesting, introducing new mechanics every now and then, new followers with new powers, and featuring a story that although not quite gripping, is nonetheless interesting and populated with identifiably unique characters.

Ra’s Radiant Realms

In terms of presentation, it’s hard to fault the game. Asgard’s Wrath 2‘s polished to a sleek shine. The game’s UI is clean, good-looking, and more importantly, always snappy. The recap that you can watch before you start the game proper, is incredibly well done, with your character flying through a giant animated 3D diorama that’s as informative as it is awesome to experience. The game’s graphics, despite some necessarily low-resolution textures are impressive overall, with fantastic art direction and detailed geometry in some of the environments. With its last update, the graphics are crisper on Q3, running at a higher resolution, and the frame rate is also a little bit higher than that on Q2, going from 72 to 90Hz.

Graphics on standalone are always a game of compromises, get it good on Q3, don’t make Q2 suck. Make it look good but keep the loading times down and keep the file size from hogging all the memory. You really can’t win. What you can do is make something that’s as good as it can be without breaking anything, and on that level, Asgard’s Wrath 2 succeeds with great graphics, expansive environments, and brisk loading times. Of course, there are compromises made, but my personal opinion is that Sanzaru have found a superb balance and done a great job.

Anubis’s Acoustic Delights

Audio-wise, the game pulls no punches. Great soundtrack, good voice acting, and impeccable sound design. There’s really not much to criticize here. The audio in the game makes everything feel solid and greatly enhances the overall feeling of presence and immersion.

Seth’s Setbacks

This is now the bit where I usually bring up any issues I’ve got with a title, but to be perfectly honest, there’s next to nothing to criticize with Asgard’s Wrath 2, other than the fact that it doesn’t fulfill some unreasonable fantasies that some might have expected from it. Yes, it doesn’t look as good as the first game, but it can’t. Yes, it didn’t release with Q3 enhancements, but we’ve already got an update that goes some way towards that. The one glaring weakness might be the general lack of standard enemy variety, the profusion of the reptilians, etc, but I’m not even halfway through the game at this point, so I don’t know if that’s an ongoing concern. In all cases, the game offers plenty of variety otherwise, with several playable characters, followers, puzzles, skill trees, and hours upon hours upon hours of gameplay.

In fact, it’s fair to say that unless you hate action RPGs or can’t get over the graphical downgrade from PCVR quality graphics, you’ll have a fantastic time with Asgard’s Wrath 2. If you got it for free with your Quest 3, then it definitely helps validate the headset’s purchase, and if you’re on Quest 2, it’s a great purchase that’ll show you just how much that headset can still achieve, despite its age. Asgard’s Wrath 2 is an absolute triumph for Sanzaru Games, and it shows that Meta knew exactly what it was doing when it acquired the studio. Do we all secretly hope they also release a cross-buy PCVR version so we can experience it that way as well, I’d be lying if I said no, but it was built to sell standalone headsets, and on that level, it absolutely delivers the goods.

Ma’at’s Measure

Asgard’s Wrath 2 is standalone VR at its best, making a great release season even better, easily joining the ranks of great releases such as Assassin’s Creed: Nexus and Arizona Sunshine 2. If you’ve got a Quest 2 or 3, there’s no better time to enjoy it, and if you haven’t bought a headset yet, those three titles should have you seriously considering a purchase.

With great graphics, fantastic combat, intelligent and varied puzzles, interesting mechanics, and an unrivaled scope, Asgard’s Wrath 2 is an unmissable VR experience and a fantastic sequel that’s impressive in all the ways that count. Well done, Sanzaru!