As much as some people want VR to succeed, there are some games that don’t add much to the platform. This is something I’ve said about Moss, with the same holding true for Gungrave VR. This isn’t to say either of these games are bad, I actually enjoyed both of them, just that they could’ve worked without a $200+ accessory.
The demo for Gungrave VR featured a level in first and another in third person. Similar to Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, the first person level is a rail shooter. Enemies come from various directions, with the goal being to kill them before taking damage, either by shooting or melee, and preventing your guns from overheating. It sounds easier than it is, though don’t take that to mean it’s terribly difficult either.
With minimal experience I was able to beat the first person level with minimal damage and a decent score. By knowing when to shoot and when to melee, it was actually a breeze. What stood out was the controls were pretty good, something that isn’t always true for a VR title, with the only issue being I was caught off-guard a couple times. At the end there was a spider person boss that was easy, provided you did enough damage to push them back. As much fun as watching this monster attack you in VR was, the demo didn’t provide a lot of challenge.
As for the third person stage, it strangely relied on a lot of the same concepts. Look for where enemies appear, rush them and try to take them out as creatively as possible. After some issues with kill order, I quickly realized robotic enemies were more dangerous and needed to be taken out first. Once I got this down the level was a breeze.
After a fair number of waves a boss holding a giant shield appeared. By simply using my special gun attack I was able to break through his shield, deal significant damage and beat him without breaking a sweat. I’m not 100 percent sure what my final score for this mode was, though I believe it was SS, giving you an idea how accessible or at least easy the demo was.
Odds are the final release will offer greater challenges and flashier gameplay, something that might be a problem for some, at least based off what I saw in the demo. Outside of that, I wouldn’t say Gungrave VR is the best use of VR, though it did offer a lot of mindless fun.
