Custom PC - UK (2020-02)

PistolWhipis a rhythmgameandfirst-person

shooterhybrid.Thedeveloperclaimsit was

inspiredby‘actionmovieslikeJohnWick

andEquilibrium’,althoughwereckonit’s

morelikelyinspiredbytwoofthebest,most

successfulVRgamescurrentlyavailable

• therhythmicblock-slicingofBeatSaber
  andslow-moshooterSUPERHOTVR.
  That’snottobesmirchtheworkby
  CloudheadGames.Pistolwhipis a decent
  blendoftwoofourfavouriteVRexperiences.
  Eachstageseesyouautomaticallymoving
  forwardsthrougha looselysketched3D
  environment,whilesilhouettedenemies
  appearfrombothsidesandattemptto
  adda largedoseofleadintoyourdiet.
  Wieldinga pistolineachhand,yourgoal
  is simplytoshootyouropponentsasthey
  appear,whileavoiding theirbulletsby
  dodgingleftandrightintheheadset.

Liketheaforementioned games, Pistol

Whipisn’tjustabout getting to the end of a

level– it’salsoabout doing it in style. Each

stageis closelychoreographed with the

songthatplaysover it so, to a certain extent,

you’reabletoanticipate when enemies may

appear.Youalsoget extra points for shooting

preciselyonthebeat, encouraging you to

realiseyourpotential as an action hero and

moveinaccordance to the song’s rhythm.

Froma visualand tactile sense, Pistol

Whipimpresses.Bullets both given and

receivedhavea real sense of impact to

them,whichmakes the gunplay thrilling

andthedesiretoavoid being shot palpable.

Thegame’skaleidoscopic visual style also

looksfantastic,although it can make intense

sequencesquiteconfusing, and highlights

howSUPERHOT’sclean, colour-coded

visualsarepractical as well as stylistic.

PistolWhipalsoboasts a couple of neat

smallermechanics. There are several

typesofenemiesthat require different

numbersofshotsto take down, meaning

youneedtothinkquickly about how

toapproachtheeverchanging combat

scenarios.Meanwhile, the off-screen

dangerindicatoris useful for keeping track

oftheactionina VR headset’s limited field

of view, and hopefully will becomes a

standard in combat-focused VR games.

Aside from being a little too visually busy,

Pistol Whip’s main issue is a dearth of content.

There are only ten songs, and there’s no

level editor for the community to create their

own action vignettes. Also, because the

game involves constant forward movement,

people who easily suffer from motion

sickness should approach with caution.

Ultimately, Pistol Whip’s individual

components are too simplistic to stand

up to either Beat Saber or SUPERHOT

Nonetheless, the combination gives Pistol

Whip enough of its own novelty, and it’s an

entertainingenoughdistractionwhileit lasts.

REALITY

CHECK

GAMES / VIRTUAL REALITY

Rick Lane tries out

some rhythm-based

combat, and gets

excited about the new

Medal of Honor, in our

monthly VR roundup

PISTOLWHIP/£19.49 incVAT

REVIEW

DEVELOPER Cloudhead Games / PUBLISHER Cloudhead Games

OVERALLSCORE

71 %

VERDICT

Successfully merges

the rhythm action

of Beat Saber with

the slick shooting of

SUPERHOT, although it

also lacks the finesse

of both those games.

PISTOL

+^ Fun concept

+^ Stylish

+^ Satisfying action

BLUNDERBUSS

-^ Not enough songs
-^ Visuals can
become confusing