
Fans of Superhot VR have been waiting for eight years for another fix, and suddenly three titles have come along at once. In the space of two months, we have Vendetta Forever, Action Hero, and Cold VR. All of which look great, and each contain their own unique gimmick to justify your time.
We covered Vendetta Forever recently, which we absolutely adored, so now it’s time to check out the next one on our list: Action Hero. Coming from the excellent Fast Travel Games, this one should be a slam dunk; but with so much competition recently, can it prove its worth?
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I NEED A HERO
Anyone familiar with Superhot VR should know exactly what to expect when going into Action Hero. Each scene is a set-piece where you have to kill a set amount of enemies using the weapons at your disposal from a fixed location before being able to move onto the next. Time only moves when you do, so there’s ample time to think about what to do next before doing it. Shooting uses up varying amounts of time depending on the weapon (with machine guns using up the most), so you may also want to consider throwing a punch (or your gun) instead.
It’s a very strategic form of shooter, particularly as a single hit an the enemy will force you right back to the start of the scene to do it all again.
Whilst I try my best not to pit games off against each other, it’s hard to deny that Action Hero plays out it pretty much the same way as Superhot VR albeit with a Hollywood setting. Instead of being placed in empty white spaces with red dudes, instead you’re the lead in one of five different films. Sure, there may not be any real gameplay differences to make it stand out from its inspiration, but the setting certainly makes this game more visually interesting than its competitors – although that does come at a cost.
The problem is that in Superhot VR, the simplistic setting means that you’re never too concerned about seeing the same enemies again and again; however, with unique level theming it becomes far more noticeable. Sure, the main grunts do sport different outfits in each film, but why are we seeing the raptors from the adventure film or the drones from the heist film in later movies? I found that it really pulled me out of the experience at times, particularly in the final film which throws in everything altogether – and ends up feeling like the weakest film as a result.
It’s a shame because the different films themselves are otherwise really creative. Not only do they take their inspirations from many classic films, such as a temple complete with traps and rolling boulders ripped right from Indiana Jones, or a highway sequence reminiscent of The Matrix Reloaded, but they also do a great job at coming up with their own memorable moments too. You really can’t help but smile at the game every minute of the game, as everything feels just so polished and well thought out.
Taking about ninety minutes or so to beat, Action Hero also suffers from a pretty brief runtime; however, this is more than made up for by the addition of a harder post-game remix of the stages, as well as a weekly mash-up of different scenes where you compete against other players for the best score. It’s a nice simple way of getting you to jump back in until they (hopefully) add additional films in the future.
It’s also worth noting too that the game strives to be as accessible as possible to all VR players. Being rooted to the spot obviously helps to reduce motion sickness for those prone to it, but they also introduce plenty of options to tweak for those looking for a more relaxed experience. I appreciate that it’s not just a ‘god mode’, but rather a variety of options that will help give you a small edge should you need it. Action Hero really wants you to enjoy your time with it, and does it’s best to ensure that it’s a great time for both casual and hardcore gamers alike.
VERDICT
Despite a disappointing lack of enemy variety, Action Hero is an absolute blast to play. With some extraordinary set-pieces set across five different films, it’s a thrill-ride from start to finish. If you liked Superhot VR, then this game should be right up your alley.
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