Virtual Reality allows us to enter many doors to an escape. Some of those doors can lead to the great wide open for you to explore while some will allow you to be a hero you never thought you could be. Sometimes these doors may have many similarities that you feel like you have entered through that door before. But sometimes the place you thought you have experienced before, throws something a little new and with some different twist that makes it a very interesting ride. Does Developer Big Red Button Entertainment give shows us some twists and fun on this cyber wild west of a ride? Let’s find out with The Arcslinger for the PlayStation VR.
The Archslinger is a wave shooter set in a Cyber Western world. You are this unlikely hero that must step up (not going to spoil why you must do this) and help stop the ruthless Gold Smoke who wants all the power for himself. So let’s see, we have the unlikely hero…check. We have self-doubt who is not sure he can do this…check. We have waves of enemies…check. So you might be asking yourself what is different? Well, what is different is The Arcslinger which is a gun called Angelheart, you have a Cyber Western world setting, and you have the voice talents of Jessica DiCicco, Roger Craig Smith, Jason Spisak, and Nolan North. Interested yet? Well, make sure both Move controllers are fully charged and let’s continue.
But what is special about Angelheart is that you other than being an awesome gun, you can hold up to three special abilities called arcs that allow you to have something special to fire. These can range from fire to electricity and when charged and it does its damage really put a smile on my face. But once you use one of the arcs power, you do have to wait for it a short time to be able to use the same one again. Luckily, you have two other arcs you can use that are in one of your three slots to use while you are waiting. And to simply use an arc is moving the Move controller in the direction for that particular arc.
Let’s talk about sound, gunfire is loud and packs a punch and hearing all the voices between the characters you can tell everyone is having fun and listening to Jessica DiCicco and Nolan North talk to one another has this comfort and familiarity to it that is a real treat. On the graphics side of things, I love the art style that is used here. Everything blends in nicely and nothing is too overbearing that seemed out of place. I really like how detailed Angelheart looks and when she is on fire and seeing the fire that surrounds her is a nice touch.
If there is anything I would love to see added is more of the story. The Arcslinger is somewhat on the shorter side. When it ended, I wanted more of this Cyber Western world and more one-off perfectly timed comments between the lead character and Angelheart. But it doesn’t all end there, any arcs that you unlock, you can then replay with those arcs and strive for that platinum trophy. So hopefully additional content will be coming. The only other thing I would love to see added is Aim controller support. Yes, you have two weapons, but if you could have an even more powerful Angelheart as a single weapon, that would be pretty awesome.
Sometimes all we need is just a little fun to keep us going in life. Sometimes that fun is put to the side for things that may seem more important at the time only to realize later, it wasn’t. Wouldn’t things be a lot better if we took the time to have some fun, smile, and just enjoy the more simple things in life?
The Arcslinger is out now on PlayStation VR and is also available on the Oculus Rift/S, Oculus Go, and Gear VR on the Oculus Store, Steam, and on Daydream on the Google Play Store. A review code was provided.
To learn more about Big Red Button Entertainment, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I have more arcs to discover.
Mr. PSVR, April 11, 2019, theplaystationbrahs.com
