Metal Hellsinger VR review

The prospect of playing Metal Hellsinger VR got me giddy when it was announced, and finally stepping back into hell while slaying demons to a superb metal soundtrack has been a blast for the most part. While some technical issues stopped me from enjoying it to its fullest, there’s still plenty to love about the virtual reality version of a solid Doom-inspired FPS. With a range of enemies to kill and plenty of songs that will scratch the brain of fans of different sub-genres under the metal umbrella, it’s definitely worth seeing how it’s made the jump to virtual reality.

The basic premise sees you running through the different levels of hell taking out demons with a range of weapons like swords and shotguns, killing them to the beat of a song. Every attack needs to land on the beat as the more in sync you are, the more damage you do. Not only that, you’ll hear more of the song, with each instrument layering until the vocals kick in. Listening to Alissa White-Gluz or Serj Tankian come in as you’re slaughtering the worst that hell has to offer is more than satisfying, turning you into a badass while enjoying such a solid soundtrack.

The visuals in Metal Hellsinger VR seem to have taken a hit, as textures aren’t as crisp as they are in the original version. It’s not a gamechanger, but it is noticeable and perhaps even a tad expected, even on Meta Quest 3. Another problem I had was the hit indicators never feeling as impactful as they could, so while you’re rushing to kill everything on screen it’s not always clear if you’re nailing the beat or not until you hear the music pick up. My final gripe is the reloading options for weapons in VR requiring a different action to do. It’s cool the developers want to try something new in VR, but I’d rather just press a button to do it.

These moans aside, the gameplay remains otherwise unchanged. The various challenges and difficulty variations push you to your limits, and Metal Hellsinger VR is responsive to your actions. You feel as though you’re stood toe-to-toe with these abominations in the depths of hell, and the immersion remains constant throughout. Pair that with the voice acting of gaming greats like Jennifer Hale and you’ll be gripped to the story throughout. It’s not the best and it can be a little corny, but once you just accept it for what it is, you’ll never fail to smile as this pure action-orientated title gives you everything you need to have a great time.

If you’ve already played Metal Hellsinger, you might not be too inclined to try it out in VR. As someone who adores metal and the FPS genre, there’s still plenty to enjoy playing it this way. It does have a few issues with the transition of gameplay from the original release to virtual reality, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying yourself.

It is intense and exciting, with some incredible songs to listen to as you slaughter the wealth of demons you encounter. Despite a few technical issues, Metal Hellsinger VR is an exciting way to experience the original game, with one of the best soundtracks ever.