Marvel’s Deadpool VR Review – A Stylish, Bloody Good Time With Flaws

Marvel's Deadpool VR Review

Deadpool VR from Marvel this is a meta-exclusive from the developer Twisted Pixel. The game follows the path of another meta-exclusive VR superhero game, Batman: Arkham Shadows. I was really excited to play the full game, having played the previous two Deadpool demos. Now that this is done, the strengths and weaknesses become apparent.

Twisted Pixel has an illustrious history in the virtual reality space with VR titles such as PC classic Meta VR – Wilson's Heart and secret spy thriller Meta VR – Defector. With two such highly acclaimed VR games, anticipation levels are high for what they can do with Deadpool. For the most part, Marvel's Deadpool VR should satisfy its fans.

In any Deadpool product, be it a movie or a game, it is vital to convey the character's tone. All you Deadpool fans can relax because Twisted Pixel has brought Deadpool merchandise. It starts with the initial screen where you calibrate the VR controls. A sleeping Deadpool appears on the screen with a bunch of plush tools on his belt. Once you calibrate, he turns around and stumbles off-screen, scratching his butt as he does so.

From the graphical style to the gameplay and voice acting, everything is AAA quality. This is a very impressive performance for a game running on a standalone headset. Graphically the game looks great. The comic book-style graphics are crisp, colorful, and perfectly reflect the character's origins. The environment differs in detail from one place to another. The Helicarrier contains a more enclosed space and has an industrial/technological appearance. Highlands are distinguished by their natural environments, be they caves or vast open areas. Gated areas focus on puzzle solving and platforming mechanics. All stages include large areas in which you participate in battles.

Fight and blood

What stands out is the combat and the blood. Once again, as in the Deadpool universe, the violence is over the top and rated R. This applies not only to any enemies you destroy, but also to Deadpool. Demos enjoy instant replays of your demise. One of the best examples is if you can't dodge a circular saw. You will see a video in which Deadpool's body parts are superimposed on each other. All reruns contain the expected snarky commentary from Deadpool. Children's hands also appear.

The damage to enemies depends on the chosen attack method. Your default arsenal includes the signature dual pistols and katanas. If you use them properly, they will also do the expected damage. However, you do have special moves, like in recent Doom games, where you can dismember and/or decapitate enemies. Each of these actions is filled with plenty of gore. Lots of blood.

The game's shortcomings become apparent in combat, especially in close combat. With your katanas, it's very easy to use a weave strategy and fight your way through battles. Once you understand this, you will find it very easy to overcome such situations, which will relieve stress significantly. The best use of katanas is to throw them and stun enemies. You can also compensate by focusing on ranged combat with all the different weapons available to use.

During the battle, special weapons will appear. This can be achieved either by the death of an enemy, or by opening weapon boxes, or special treasure chests. Goodies like throwing daggers, shotguns, and machine guns are available for a short time. The more attacks you can combine, the more bonuses will become available. The controls in the game are clear and responsive. Vital for chaining attacks. You can also get creative with your pistols and katanas, throwing them at enemies to stun them.

Marvel's Deadpool VR Extras

Certain weapons are limited to a certain stage and may include famous Marvel weapons. You can use Thor's Hammer or throw a kinetically charged deck of Gambit cards. Moments like these are satisfying and the amount of damage you can deal is satisfying.

After a fun on-rails shooter opening prologue, the action switches to the stolen Shield Helicarrier. This section includes the training area and introduces the game mechanics. The action then moves to the mountainous region where you can experience a chain of attacks to show you perks and bonuses. It also includes platforming mechanics. After introducing the game mechanics, the game reveals its true structure.

Deadpool becomes part of a YouTube-style streaming game show called Mojo Games after being taken off-world. Mojo wants you to bring back five Marvel bad guys to use in his deadly games. It aims to expand its social platform with the help of these famous members. You will also be able to expand your own audience. If you do this, you will receive Mojo Coins, which will allow you to buy new weapons, clothes, and abilities.

Five boss hunting missions make up the bulk of the gameplay. Taking part in Mojo's arena battles breaks up these missions. Mojo Arena battles are something special. You will play games such as Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, VIP Protection or Deathmatch. Due to Deadpool's twist, death matches are different from normal ones. In one of them, you use Headpool to run around the arena and feed him switches. Other death matches use different versions of Deadpool, such as Baby Deadpool and Lady Deadpool.

Deadpool's dilemma

With its unique approach, the game has no real ending. Instead, you can replay Mojo's battles with different versions of Deadpool. You may or may not find this satisfying. Each Deadpool will have access to locations that are closed to others.

The game's unique charm lies in its irreverent tone. This turns out to be both a blessing and a strength. Deadpool is never silent. Always. So, the main character, voiced by Neil Patrick Harris, constantly conducts dialogue. In VR, this can be a real tempo killer. You end up stopping and waiting five minutes. The dialogue pauses before continuing. There is one particularly egregious section where you have to go through about twenty minutes of dialogue.

To be fair, most of the dialogue is funny and witty and rarely repeats itself. The developers must have recorded a ton of dialogue. Some repetition inevitably occurs, regardless of the amount recorded. There are times when you would rather play than stand and listen.

Marvel's Deadpool VR is a beautiful game that has some issues with pacing and combat. You can float through combat as long as you keep moving. Frame rates are mostly stable, but during intense action scenes you may notice some frame stuttering and loss of detail. In the end, however, it's the pacing and combat that reduces the game's replay value.

If you approach the game with the right mindset, you can have a lot of fun. It's a shame that you have to make this decision rather than let the game make it for you.

***Meta code provided by the publisher***