Ironstrike VR certainly delivers a fun mediaeval combat experience as a four player co-op roguelike adventure on the Meta Quest. It’s about what groups can do as they face off against AI opponents in a simply rendered open world environment where the elements meet. While photo-realism isn’t the goal in the design of these realms, what’s presented so far hints at the possibilities should developer E McNeill want to re-skin this game in a dungeon crawl environment.
For now, it’s limited to some stunning dawn and dusk renders, and as for the swing and parry system, I feel more work is needed. One should be able to move the body instead of shaking a joystick to dodge blows. I found that standing still to smack down enemies is an issue. I should be able to move the body around, and on the Quest 2, some of it tracked. While the authentic combat experience isn’t always there, I love the concept, and was fighting my foes in waves. The number of opponents faced steadily grows as you progress through the game. At the time of writing, I’ve encountered as many as three at one time. There may be more, but I haven’t gotten there yet!
As I finish one group, the screen has pop-ups to offer me options on how to improve as a swordsman, archer, or mage. While I have yet to try slinging magic, perhaps more tweaking is required so that dodging is possible by moving the body instead of a joystick with the former two classes.
As a wizard, using a wand is not enough. Sure, it’s their preferred weapon, but what about the staff? Maybe it’s there for higher-level characters, and I just haven’t found it. So all I can offer is merely speculation, even after the few days I’ve been playing since this game’s launch. I’d love to use a stick to parry sword blows like Gandalf or deflect incoming magic missiles. I can’t yell Speculo all the time to dodge oncoming spells, and as for Expelliarmus–well, this product isn’t meant to be like A Very Harry Potter VR Game.
Where this game shines is in how well the multiplayer option works. Players can join random open games, or team up with their friends! The former is intimidating for those feeling less than sociable to say hi, but the latter, it’s a lot more comfortable since you know the people, and you can talk to one another to coordinate how to take down a single foe.
Now, if only there was a dragon to fight! Solo mode is good, but I got bored after reaching wave three of the same ol’ fighting routines. Ironstrike VR has the potential to really immerse players in a proper fantasy world had it been designed differently. At least players have the ability to earn coin as they progress for weapon and armour upgrades! And there’s more one can do with the currency.
Thankfully, the game gives options to increase the avatar’s hit points, improve various abilities or just buy stuff. It’s fun for an hour or two of play, but as for its longevity, only time will tell if Ironstrike VR will stay on the charts of most played games on the Meta Quest.
Pros
- Smooth animation.
- Option to use joystick to move in the virtual world or click and jump
- Great multiplayer game mode
Cons
- Limited options on places to hide
- Need a large room scale space to appreciate the scale
Ironstrike VR Trailer
Discover more from Otaku no Culture
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
