Hellsweeper VR Review

Gameplay

Graphics

Audio

Value

Summary: Hellsweeper VR is an intense, action packed deliriously violent romp that will push your reflexes to their limit.

3.5

Clean Sweep

Mixed Realms Hellsweeper VR is an intense combat-focused first-person action roguelike that is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach.

A sort of spiritual sequel to Mixed Realm’s previous VR title, Sairento, Hellsweeper sees players take on the role of an immortal warrior charged with holding back the forces of hell lest they spill out of the fiery realm and threaten the order of the universe.

As you battle through randomly generated and increasingly hellish environments, split over three acts with various random missions thrown in for good measure, you’ll come away feeling two things while playing Hellsweeper; the first is like a demi-god, the second is probably that you need a lie down after your run is finished.

Combat is varied and satisfying due in part to the sheer wealth of weapons and artifacts at your disposal to punish the forces of hell, with everything from pistols and swords to powerful elemental spells at your disposal. With four randomly assigned at the beginning of each run, your tactics and approach can vary wildly from one run to the next.

This is both a blessing and a curse since there are bound to be certain playstyles you are bound to prefer, and when you only just lost to one of the game’s end-level bosses with one box of tricks, then you essentially have to go back to square one is a bit irksome.

However, once you’ve bested a boss in proper roguelike fashion, you are rewarded with new skills and loot for your trouble and unlock tougher difficulty levels that reward you with more XP that, in turn, leads to even better loot, and so on. It’s a roguelike, you know the drill.

One thing that is a little irritating, though, is that all the unlocks are tied to a linear levelling system that gives you more XP if you play the game on higher difficulties. As a result, playing the game on easy becomes a grind, while anything that might make the game more manageable takes longer to obtain. Likewise, it also means that if you prefer a particular playstyle, you might go several levels without unlocking anything you like using.

Outside of the main game, there’s also a training mode where you can try out your new gear against different beasties and a challenge mode that sees you take on set groups of monsters with specific load-outs and limited resources along with the usual leaderboards to try and top.

There’s also a cross-platform multiplayer mode, which is a welcome but limited addition, as you can only play through a single act with a partner rather than a full three-act run. It’s fun, but I just wish you could do more as a second player adds to the carnage and smoothes out the difficulty a little.

The presentation is also top-notch. Each level is suitably foreboding and incorporates a level of verticality that compliments the intense action well. While the demon designs are varied and cool, ranging from undead samurai to tortured souls trapped in cages and corpulent demons with bellys lined with razor-sharp teeth.

Likewise, the soundtrack does a decent job of keeping up with the action, but it’s nothing to write home about.

It is worth noting that the fast and frantic combat, though exhilarating, relies heavily on smooth motion and has you chucking yourself around the environment in a manner that even VR veterans might find difficult to handle. I needed regular breaks as the intense action on screen proved to be overwhelming for my feeble brain at times.

Thankfully there is a robust suite of comfort options available including stuff like teleport movement and snap turning, you can even disable some of your characters more acrobatic moves that are more likely to give gamers without their VR legs motion sickness.

Final Thoughts

If you can stomach it, though, Hellsweeper VR is a decent roguelike with varied and fun combat that doesn’t outstay its welcome. Though those still finding their VR legs may find the frantic action difficult to stomach at times, those looking for their next VR power fantasy will have a hell of a time.

About the Author

Gareth Newnham

Hellsweeper VR Review