Remember GI Joe and taking the figures and the vehicles and having fun battles with your friends? Well, what Munkyfun, Inc. has done with League of War: VR Arena has taken those battle memories from our childhood and allow it to grow with us in Virtual Reality and add some elements that were not possible.
League of War: VR Arena is an arcade strategy game that really has an easy and very simple task of the strategy of trying to destroy the enemy base ahead of you. When you first start the battle you are seeing your foe if you will. As the battle starts, you will hear some dialog to help with the focus on the battle. I really like how with each battle and hearing the dialogue it just wanted me to go in there and win. So points for motivation.
As the battle begins, you will see your base in front of you. Your job is simple, destroy the four enemy towers at the base while protecting yours. Easy right? Yes at the beginning, but as you move up, not only do the battle get more challenging, but so does the taunts. Yes, even the AI will make fun of you not in a bad way, but in a motivational fun way. And that I appreciate…the fun. You will use both Move controllers as they will be your hands as you pick up your soldiers and vehicles to help win your battles. Many times I felt like saying “Yo Joe”!
Around your base, you will see a ghost image of your soldiers and vehicles with a meter that needs to fill up completely, before you are able to use them. Once one is ready you can either pick it up and just place it in the area or aim it at a target. The thing is once you release any of your WMD (Weapons of Minor Destruction), you can not pick them up again. You must wait for those meters to individually fill up and nothing is sadder then sending out Joe to take out another Cobra…I mean soldier, only to have them get run over, a helicopter shooting them from above or if they are close enough to the enemy base for the towers to hit them.
You can hold down a trigger to make one unit go faster toward the target, but this causes the others to go more slowly. The strategy is what soldiers to use or when to unleash that tank at what time and all while the enemy is doing this on the very detailed VR battle table. If you destroy the four towers at the enemy base you win, but when that time limit reaches 0, it will then be decided on points.
As you progress, you will be able to unlock new vehicles to help you along the way. While playing the single campaign, you are facing commanders with eight stages per commander. With each new commander, the strategy changes and that means you should probably change yours as well. In multiplayer mode, you will be playing with someone local as they will be using the DualShock 4 controller and the social screen on the T.V. That’s where I wish there was an online mode to play against others. The ability to challenge your friends, tournaments, to talk with another player or even 2 vs 2 online modes. Maybe it can be added later. Having that added would have been glorious, but regardless it is still fun.
The sounds of the battles really stand out as well as the explosions that really pop. The landscapes are detailed and very well themed. My favorite has to be playing in the snow. Yes, you can play League of War: VR Arena without VR, but honestly, it thrives in VR. The battles are not too long and I appreciate the way each stage feels new and refreshing. I keep wanting to move forward and progress. I want to stop and thank the entire team for allowing me to experience those childhood memories again. Thank you Munkyfun, Inc…Thank you.
League of War: VR Arena is out now on PlayStation VR. A review copy was provided.
To learn more about Munkyfun, Inc., please visit their site, follow them on Twitter, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I need to go work on some new strategies.
Mr. PSVR, November 13, 2017, theplaystationbrahs.com
