Action movie stardom awaits in Vendetta Forever from MeatSpace Interactive and nDreams on PSVR2!
Vendetta Forever from Meatspace Interactive and nDreams promises to turn you into the star of your own action movie, but is it oscar-worthy or a box office flop? Let’s find out.
First up thanks to the developer for providing me with a review key for the game but as always the opinions presented here are entirely my own.
Intro
Vendetta Forever is light on story but heavy in style. The developer makes no secret that they’ve left out the bloat and skipped to the good bits, and it’s certainly none the worse for it. As a result there’s no real story to talk about. Instead it places you straight into a variety of scenarios from a first person perspective and employs a unique mechanic whereby taking out a bad guy allows you to grab their weapon and in the process pull yourself towards the spot where they stood. Repeatedly doing this allows you to navigate from the beginning to the end of a level which is sometimes a straightforward A to B, and other times offers up multiple routes. It’s a simple premise but repeating this process and chaining together a whole sequence of moves feels awesome and really does make you feel like a regular John Wick.
It starts off simple but as you progress through the levels it almost becomes like a game of chess and you’ll find yourself having to play a bit more strategically to plot the best path to the exit. Make a wrong choice and you may find yourself stuck with no more bad guys to kill, effectively stranding you and meaning you’ll need to restart the level. To help with this you also have the options to move back and forwards through your previous points in the level which sometimes allows you to find a missed enemy or alternative route and in turn provides another chance at getting to the exit.
Gameplay
The game includes 60 levels with a great variety of scenarios and many recognisable nods to classic action movie set pieces and tropes. One minute you’ll find yourself in an alleyway, on a rooftop, making your way through a nightclub, standing off in the wild west or falling from a plane. It’s also kept fresh by interspersing different types of gameplay such as classic duels, mini boss fights and scenery interactions like zipwires, buttons and levers. Most levels are bite-sized or maxing out around the 2 minute mark, so nothing ever outstays its welcome. I always felt ready to try and improve my ranking or jump straight into another scenario after completing each one, and with minimal loading times there’s no let up in the action.
Weapons and mutators
There’s a wide variety of weapons including pistols, rifles, knives, shurikens, grenades and many more, with new ones introduced along the way as you progress through the scenarios. Depending on the scenario there’s also a range of environmental items that can be used as weapons, and I can confirm the pencil is just as mighty as the sword! In a push you can also throw your spent weapons at the enemies in a last ditch effort to take them out.
Similar to Pistol Whip there are a range of mutators available, unlocked by completing challenges, to further mix up the gameplay. Some of these put you at a disadvantage but give you higher scoring in return. Others are there to assist, such as giving you a certain amount of immunity to enemy shots, and with some of the more intense levels you may find these helpful for your first few runs while you’re familiarising yourself with the best routes.
As well as score chasing and time beating, in another nod to its movie roots there are also hidden VHS video cassettes to be found in each level and there’s a shooting range where you can practise using all the weapons against a variety of target types.
Graphics
Graphics take the kind of vibrant, comic-book style approach so are fairly simplified, but they manage to convey a surprising amount of detail and variety across the different environments. It also packs a steady framerate and decent resolution.
Audio
There’s a great soundtrack with some original, appropriately uptempo electronic numbers and some suitably punchy sound effects for the various weaponry.
Controls
Control-wise the game uses both Sense controllers and is easy to get to grips with thanks to a brief tutorial at the beginning of the game. I only experienced the occasional issue with grabbing or throwing, usually due to the intensity of the action or having a panic attack when realising you’ve just jumped into a room where you’re vastly outnumbered. There’s a good use of haptics in the controllers with specific feedback for the different weapons. Although it could be played seated I’d say this game is best played standing as although you’re moving from point to point and click turning you’ll also find yourself ducking and dodging bullets almost constantly. Comfort shouldn’t be a problem as it’s mostly stepped movement with head turning and click turning to look around.
The settings offer a wide range of gameplay and comfort options, including grip angles, turning styles and vignette strength, so you can tweak the game to your personal preferences.
Summary
Due to the non-linear and replayable nature of the game the amount of hours you get out of this could be limitless but it’s going to take you at least a couple of hours just to sample all the scenarios.
For the trophy hunters there are 59 trophies to collect including a Platinum for completing everything. Advance warning that some of those trophies are pretty challenging, like having to complete all levels on insane difficulty, so good luck with that!
I really enjoyed Vendetta Forever and can see myself returning to it regularly to try and beat all the scenarios and improve my times. The core mechanic is implemented well and the game absolutely succeeds in providing a streamlined, action movie power fantasy. It’s equally good for short bursts and extended play sessions and at just under £20 on the PS Store this offers great value for money, so if you’re tempted to get your Wick-on then don’t hesitate to give this one a spin.
