Thursday, 15 August, 2024 UTC
Summary
Vendetta Forever is a rapid-fire VR action game that pays tribute to classic action cinema, and a demo is available now on Quest.
Developed by Meat Space Interactive and published by nDreams, Vendetta Forever is a frenetic puzzle-shooter that uses a new 'LO-KILL-MOTION' mechanic. You move by killing enemies, seizing their weapons, and navigating "maze-like" arenas. Vendetta Forever features 60 levels with online leaderboards tracking high scores, over 50 challenges, more than 50 weapons, 18 modifiers, and various collectibles.
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Vendetta Forever marks the second recent reveal from nDreams, who previously announced FRENZIES for Quest and PSVR 2 last month. Inspired by Quake and Unreal Tournament, it's described as a "neon-drenched" PvP shooter for up to 12 players, offering a "chaotic" blend of traditional and unconventional solo and team-based game modes.
We went hands-on with the Vendetta Forever demo before today's announcement - nDreams informed UploadVR that the demo won't be available on PSVR 2, and it presents a practice range and five stages with three difficulty options. A very brief tutorial demonstrates the control scheme's simplicity well and while smooth camera turning is an option, Vendetta Forever's fast-paced gameplay feels better suited to snap turning.
Harder difficulties offer an enjoyable challenge in exchange for a better score multiplier, throwing in faster enemies, reduced aim assist, and less HP. Similar to Pistol Whip or Beat Saber, Vendetta Forever uses a "modifier" system and it's a welcome addition that lets you tailor difficulty even further. For example, Iron Heart makes you immune to most damage but heavily reduces your score multiplier, whereas removing aim assist ups it by x1.5.
These bite-sized stages are structurally reminiscent of Superhot VR, and the action feels equally compelling. For example, Five Card Setup can be beaten in mere seconds as you try shooting everyone at a Wild West-themed Poker game, a tougher challenge than you may expect, while Neon Vengeance requires eliminating a VIP target and heading for the exit. Unsurprisingly, there are no checkpoints on longer missions, so failure means restarting everything.
There are a few commonalities between these stages. Grabbing weapons to teleport is a clever idea that forces you to more carefully consider enemy placement, and weapons aren't limited to guns. One level hilariously starts by killing someone with a sharp pencil, and another enemy drops throwing knives - which I initially found awkward to use since you need to hold the trigger. Not every weapon can be teleported to, and the ones highlighted by a green circle are magnetically grabbable.
I'm reassured by how polished these demo stages already feel. There's great scene variety and the fast-paced action is very moreish. Perhaps I was encouraged by seeing familiar journalists and content creators on the leaderboards before launch, but the engaging gameplay has seen me repeatedly try beating my scores. I find myself wanting to do better and there's great replayability here.
It's an impressive introduction and I'm excited to jump into the full release. Vendetta Forever feels like a fitting tribute to these classic action films while doing something uniquely suited to VR, delivering stylishly satisfying action. Meat Space Interactive and nDreams are onto a winning idea and I highly recommend checking it out.
Vendetta Forever reaches the Meta Quest platform and PlayStation VR2 in October 2024. Pre-ordering on Quest will provide an exclusive bonus level.