Quest 2 VR Review - 'The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners - Chapter 2: Retribution' - WorthPlaying.com

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is simply a uncommon breed successful the VR realm. Although its archetypal merchandise is nearing the 3rd anniversary, it inactive counts arsenic 1 of the champion VR titles connected immoderate level to date. I mightiness person adjacent considered it the champion VR crippled until Half Life: Alyx dethroned it a fewer months later. Things person been quiescent since 2020. The pandemic and the displacement to mobile devices similar the Quest 2 enactment a dent successful the proviso of ambitious VR releases. Interestingly, TWD: S&S - Chapter 2: Retribution besides falls unfortunate to these circumstances, with a timed Quest 2 exclusivity model and a scope that is much akin to an ambitious enlargement than a afloat sequel. While it's not pushing the envelope astir arsenic overmuch arsenic the archetypal introduction did, it's a thoroughly entertaining romp done the zombie-infested neighborhoods of New Orleans.

In fairness, Retribution doesn't assertion to beryllium a full-fledged sequel; it's different section successful the communicative of the Tourist, who was besides the protagonist successful the archetypal outing. In Chapter 1, we tried to find the Reserve, an aged service bunker stocked with supplies, and this 2nd section pits america against the Tower, 1 of the quality factions. The wide format stays the same, but the crippled adds much operation to the communicative and ngo design, specified arsenic antagonists being dilatory introduced and built up implicit time; it adjacent culminates successful a brag encounter. More allies and ngo objectives adhd to the communicative variety, adjacent though the transportation is the same. We fell successful an old, but expanded, basal connected the cemetery grounds and caput into municipality each time to scavenge for supplies, occasionally completing a ngo nonsubjective for an ally.

You tin adjacent import your archetypal prevention record if you attraction astir continuity. Given the continuity, it is powerfully recommended that you play the archetypal introduction earlier jumping into this one, particularly since the 2nd section has a amended communicative operation that builds connected the first. What I enjoyed is that immoderate decisions alteration the result of the story, and it's inactive imaginable to termination a quest-giver if you want. That said, the communicative is not a nail-biter, and isolated from stiff interactions with stiff NPCs, Retribution treads the aforesaid way arsenic the first. Thankfully, the moment-to-moment communicative transportation isn't a immense issue. We're present to encephalon a fewer zombies successful VR, aft all.

Once Retribution gets going, it's similar a homecoming. As the Tourist, we present person an expanded basal acceptable up successful the aforesaid cemetery, filled with useful ammunition, resources and weapons. While that seems astatine likelihood with the premise of a survival-horror game, Retribution melts distant that cushion of information and comfort. Each day, we caput retired to 1 of respective locations successful and astir New Orleans to scavenge supplies oregon beforehand the plot. It doesn't instrumentality agelong to recognize that galore locations are packed to the brim with enemies, quality and otherwise. That means 2 things: much action-packed confrontations and a changeless request for much resources to trade and refill the dwindling stockpile of goodies. The crippled has a fewer tricks to present immoderate novelty, but by and large, you'll bash the aforesaid things arsenic you did successful the archetypal entry, but that the disposable weaponry is greatly expanded to guarantee your survival.

It strikes a bully equilibrium betwixt visiting acquainted places from Chapter 1 and introducing caller locations that diagnostic much interiors and much verticality, which tin beryllium challenging erstwhile zombies commencement dropping on you alternatively of ambling toward you. The much impactful alteration is the instauration of nighttime missions. Previously, we could lone sojourn a azygous determination a day, and now, it tin beryllium up to 2 locations if you sojourn 1 astatine night.

Interestingly, this is wherever I recovered astir of my enjoyment. I didn't instantly gel with the accrued fig of enemies and resources during the daytime encounters, which made the acquisition consciousness much similar an enactment shooter than a stealthy endurance title. Night missions spell successful the absorption of a accepted stealth game, with added weapons and tools that alteration you to past astatine night. Flares tin beryllium thrown oregon shot, and zombies promptly flock to the airy source.

It's not a wholly caller acquisition due to the fact that the lights are out, but the reduced visibility and tools marque nighttime missions infinitely much tense to acquisition — particularly erstwhile things are too quiescent during your scavenger hunt. Your flashlight is equipped with an ultraviolet airy that reveals resources and hidden messages successful the environment. Night missions uncover caller resources that tin lone beryllium recovered astatine night, specified arsenic phosphorus and small bugs/critters that beforehand the 2 caller crafting tables, each featuring a fewer enticing upgrades, the astir notable of which is simply a chainsaw.

Running astir with a chainsaw and mowing down the undead feels incredibly awesome and adds different furniture of carnage to the fantabulous combat strategy successful Retribution. It's inactive a physics-based model, with the quality to drawback heads and lodge overly crisp objects successful them with large unit — oregon utilizing an ax to region them. It's not astir arsenic caller arsenic it was 3 years ago, but it inactive works large successful simulating the value of objects and their devastating enactment with moving bodies. Interactions were often constricted to the caput information of enemies, but the chainsaw easy dismantles thing that gets caught successful its crisp rotating chains. While substance is simply a concern, it's amusive to chopped your mode retired of a zombie horde.

Those aren't the lone additions, though. Uzis, gloves to bash successful heads, sawed-off shotguns, and a grenade launcher implicit your arsenal of death, and each is rather satisfying to use. If that's not enough, silencers and laser pointers are large insignificant additions that marque immoderate weapons much interesting. Retribution doesn't reinvent, but it expands upon the enjoyable gameplay and the scavenging and crafting loop successful truthful galore amusive ways that it's casual to suffer yourself successful it again. If Chapter 1 is thing to spell by, Chapter 2 volition apt spot much contented added implicit time.

Retribution is simply a large crippled and incredibly amusive to play successful VR, but you whitethorn beryllium fto down by the deficiency of effort to germinate the gameplay. There are much varied ways to acquisition the gameplay that Saints & Sinners established successful 2020, but it doesn't reinvent itself oregon the usage of VR, and that's fine. Retribution volition support you engaged for 15 hours oregon more, with immoderate hidden collectible blueprints, broadside missions, and different goodies oregon crafting. For a VR game, that is already connected the longer side, which is sorely needed and appreciated. The lone existent gripe I person is that the method instauration isn't that awesome connected the Quest 2.

Saints & Sinners already didn't look oregon tally extraordinarily good connected the Quest 2, but the 2nd section doesn't propulsion that bar. I encountered less framework drops than with the archetypal crippled connected the Quest 2, but Chapter 2 besides looks decidedly rougher successful presentation. Details are missing everywhere, quality models look laughably atrocious astatine times, and texture pop-in is simply a regularity. It inactive manages to immerse you with its gameplay, but the visuals ne'er instrumentality you into reasoning that you've been submerged successful an alternate reality. That is somewhat expected connected the Quest 2 — but we person seen much awesome caller examples, similar Red Matter 2 — it's not large since the PC and PSVR versions won't merchandise until February and March, respectively.

On the agleam side, it seems similar Skydance is supporting cross-buy, truthful if you ain the Quest 2 version, you tin assertion the Oculus PC mentation connected release. That said, I anticipation the acquisition is improved connected much almighty systems, since I've encountered a ton of bugs with glitching oregon floating items successful the situation and zombies that abruptly look oregon disappear. The second tin person a tangible interaction connected gameplay and immersion, and I'm not definite erstwhile oregon however this bug is triggered, since it happens astatine the astir random intervals. It is perfectly playable, but successful a substance of months, it'll beryllium the worst mentation of Retribution to play. If you cannot hold for the afloat PC merchandise oregon are constricted to a Quest 2, this whitethorn inactive beryllium a large mode to walk respective hours successful 1 of the champion VR games we've seen successful caller years.

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners - Chapter 2: Retribution is an workout successful restraint. It adds contented wherever it makes consciousness and expands the known look successful a fewer antithetic directions. It ne'er reinvents immoderate portion of what made the archetypal crippled truthful revolutionary, and it doesn't request to. By the clip you commencement swinging a chainsaw done a radical of zombies, you've astir apt forgotten astir the deficiency of innovation connected show and are appreciating Retribution for what it is: much of the aforesaid amusive successful 1 of the champion VR games to date. The lone existent downside is that the Quest 2's method limitations enactment a noticeable dent successful the presentation. If you person the means and patience, waiting for the afloat PC merchandise successful February would beryllium my recommendation. For everyone else, this is simply a good, if technically flawed, mentation of a large VR game.

Score: 8.5/10

More articles astir The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners - Chapter 2: Retribution