Bulletstorm VR review

Bulletstorm was a one of those games that took me by surprise when it released in 2011. It’s story may have been generic and predictable, but shooting through a bunch of freaks and whipping the hell out of them with your Energy Leash was always a good time. Jumping back in with the Full Clip Edition six years later proved it could still hold up, but having a release in VR over twelve years later seems right out of left field. Still, the prospect of becoming Grayson Hunt in virtual reality was a sure-fire way to get me to revisit the game one more time.

The problem is, as nice of an idea it might have been in the production stages, Bulletstorm VR is a bit of a mess. The presentation is all over the place when it comes to the cutscenes; the enemy AI is lazy and repetitive; combat feels far too easy and like the AI, becomes rinse and repeat with a few additional skills; and listening to the dialogue and watching the story unfold in 2024 feels so outdated and cringeworthy that there are few redeeming qualities that’ll make anyone want to play it.

Textures haven’t been improved, and there’s a grainy quality that doesn’t warm you to it. There doesn’t seem to have been any work put into improving the visuals and it breaks the immersion somewhat. Furthermore, the cutscenes that play out in-between gameplay are the very same ones from 2011 that appear on what looks like an in-game cinema screen as you sit there and watch them. They can be skipped, but even doing so breaks up the flow of its gameplay.

Bulletstorm VR does have some redeeming qualities in the early stages of combat, as it does well with the realism in reloading and using your weapons. Unfortunately, fighting off enemies is littered with issues that takes all the fun out of it. There’s no visible impact with the bullets and you never feel like you’re connecting with each shot you fire. Blood will ooze out their bodies and heads might pop off, but it always feels either forced or unnecessary. It’s no better when it comes to the enemy AI, either.

They’ll run at you with no regard for their life or cower behind cover. There’s no intelligence in how they approach a gunfight and it becomes frustrating when they’re in your face without any sense of danger. I’d prefer some kind of strategy when shooting at enemies and not just a senseless spray of bullets into the ether. While the electric whip can be fun to use, it’s also overpowered with a ridiculous reach to it. You’ll use it to clear obstacles but more so to launch it at scumbags then pull them towards you.

It slows them down and gives you ample time to either shoot them or boot them in the face by pulling down on the right stick. It’s good at first, and you do get some enjoyment mixing up the whip and your guns to deal damage, but it’s repetitive and unbalanced. The extra levels where you play as Trishka Novak don’t add a lot to Bulletstorm VR, other than another way to kill enemies with ease thanks to your energy swords. It’s all just disappointing, especially for someone who loved the original.

If you played Bulletstorm when it came out all those years ago and want to replay it, stick to the Full Clip Edition. If you want to try something in VR that makes use of the technology, this isn’t the one for you. From poor AI to repetitive and easy combat, the gamey elements of Bulletstorm VR aren’t anything to get excited about, and while it’s one of those titles that’s fun to start with, the cracks begin to show after an hour or so.