Entering my Deadpool VR hands-on experience, I hadn’t quite known what lay ahead. Looking back now, it seems a bit foolish not to have anticipated a thrilling start. The demo initiates by placing you in command of Deadpool’s detached head, which is situated some distance from the rest of his body. Following a fierce attack on the scientist conducting experiments on you, your body and head are subsequently reconnected, marking the point where the game featuring Neil Patrick Harris truly takes off.
In Deadpool VR, it’s not shocking that the gameplay revolves heavily around gunfights. However, what truly sets it apart is its smooth, uninterrupted gameplay, which avoids being bogged down by common shooter mechanics. Our swearing-friendly protagonist isn’t fussed about realism or intricacies; you can discard the weapons in your hand spontaneously, only to grab a new pair from your waist effortlessly.
In much the same way, your reliable katanas can be drawn from your back and are incredibly useful for warding off enemy attacks. It doesn’t take long before you acquire an endless cache of grenades, and by the end of my play session, I managed to unlock a novel grappling gun. This tool allows you to swiftly navigate both combat and traversal zones, provided there’s a grapple point in close proximity.
It’s great that Deadpool VR’s battles foster creativity and don’t demand players to meticulously manage ammo and health to an excessive extent. Players can effortlessly swap or pick up weapons, which motivates them to explore different weapon options. The shotgun, for instance, is excellent at dispatching most minions, but it’s also amusing to wield a sniper rifle without aiming down sights or using scopes and simply blast enemies by shooting from the hip, literally speaking.
As Matt Schmitz, animation director at Twisted Pixel, I’m excited to share that we’ve crafted a combat system that lets you, the player, call the shots. You’re not just limited to using our array of weapons in the traditional sense; you can get creative like Deadpool! For instance, grab an enemy with the grapple gun, pull them close, and then slice ’em in half with your sword. That’s right, you can dismember enemies! Or maybe you fancy punching a foe square in the kisser with a grenade? We’ve ensured that our arsenal of weapons offers you the freedom to play the game in a style that suits you best.
Having a multitude of strategies available to the player, they have ample room to decide how to approach each fight scenario. In a bold decision (my virtual reality legs are still shaky), I opted for maximum action by utilizing all Deadpool VR’s features: wall-running, leaping from balconies, and headlong dives into enemies. Remarkably, even with snap turning and left thumbstick control, I didn’t experience any sickness during my trial run. A significant part of this can be attributed to the game’s steady frame rate, but a large portion of the credit should go to Twisted Pixel, who have spent numerous years developing VR games.
In essence, Phil Therien, Twisted Pixel’s lead designer, shared that with this being our fifth VR game, we’ve managed to use all our accumulated expertise to create a wide range of comfort settings. These include features like vignetting and smooth snap turns, giving players control over turn angles and the intensity of vignetting. Essentially, you can pick and choose what makes you comfortable, whether it’s a preset or a personalized setup. The aim is to make everyone feel at ease while playing the game, leveraging the experience from five VR games. So far, the feedback has been positive – those who take the time to adjust their settings seem very comfortable with the gameplay.
Regardless of whether you’re an experienced Virtual Reality user or just starting out, keep an eye out for the release of Deadpool VR on Meta Quest 3 and 3S, which is expected later in the year.
Read More
2025-06-10 00:40