Review: Arken Age
The details shared about Arken Age since its announcement have definitely piqued my interest in the game. Given the ambitious goals it set for itself, I tried to keep my expectations in check, as it seemed almost too good to be true. Now that I’ve had the chance to play Arken Age, was it able to accomplish all of its goals?
Release Date: January 16th 2025
Developer: VitruviusVR
Publisher: VitruviusVR
Price: US $39.99 / CA $€51.99 / 38.99 / £33.50
Reviewed On: DPVR E4 Black
* Access Provided For Review *
Find The Grand Arborist
You find yourself inhabiting an alien being referred to as the ‘Untethered One’, starting your journey in the Celestial Custodian’s Tower, located by the edge of the Bio-Chasm. The revered founder, known as the Grand Arborist, has stopped nurturing your world, and all attempts to reach out have gone unanswered. Your quest is to uncover the mystery surrounding the Grand Arborist’s vanishing, confront the usurper Hyperion and his army of corrupted warriors, and forge an alliance with the Nara alien race.
A Satisfying Mix
Arken Age presents a straightforward adventure experience, offering a nicely sized area for you to explore while unraveling the mystery of the Grand Arborist. The design mainly follows a direct route, with a few smaller side paths to discover. However, your adventure won’t always be a straight line; you’ll have to stray from the main route to tackle both main and side quests. To help with your exploration, each area you visit unlocks a teleport point. To activate these teleport points, you’ll need to clear the area by defeating enemies and gathering necessary items from that section of the map. This means that once you reach the nearest pod, you can easily teleport between areas, a feature you’ll find yourself relying on more as you advance through the game.
You might find yourself using the teleport feature more frequently because, despite its straightforward nature, it can be easy to lose track of where certain areas are. The map isn’t small enough to remember all the locations, especially since there’s no map available on your tablet. The only way to view the map is through the teleporter pods screen, and unfortunately, you can’t set objective markers. However, I have faith that the team at VitruviusVR will introduce this feature soon, which means you’ll eventually have a map on your tablet to assist you. If this had been available while I was playing for this review, I probably would have relied less on teleporting to get between objectives.
Arken Age dives deep into its gameplay, offering a variety of elements as you venture through the world and take on foes. One of the most impressive features is the VR combat system, which provides multiple ways to tackle the corrupted warriors you face. You begin your journey equipped with a basic energy sword, a pistol, and a rifle. While these weapons are simple at first, you have the opportunity to enhance them as you progress, allowing for a personalised playstyle. You can use your sword to deflect incoming shots and parry melee strikes, setting up for powerful counterattacks. Alternatively, you can engage enemies from a distance with your firearms while utilising cover strategically. For a more dynamic approach, why not combine both tactics? Parry your opponent’s strikes with your sword and unleash your guns when they’re momentarily stunned.
The physics-based mechanics of the weapons are truly remarkable, especially in how you can take down your opponents. For instance, if you crouch and sweep their legs with your sword, they’ll stumble, leaving them vulnerable for a precise strike to the chest. Additionally, they interact with various objects in the environment; if they collide with something like a tree stump, they’ll respond realistically. This means you can cleverly use the surroundings to gain the upper hand in battles.
The enemy AI is quite well-designed, though it has its imperfections. They respond to your actions by using long-range weapons and switching to melee combat when you get closer. They also utilise cover and attempt to flank you when facing multiple opponents. Initially, this can be challenging, but as you progress, you’ll become familiar with their attack and movement strategies. As you advance, the enemies will become tougher, introducing larger foes with more armor to break through. Additionally, there are boss battles, but they often feel less epic than expected, acting more like damage sponges rather than formidable challenges — except for the final boss, which stands out. It’s a bit disappointing, as it would have been great to have more intense encounters that make you feel like a true warrior when defeating them.
To enhance your weapons, you’ll discover various mods scattered across the world, or you can buy some from the shops you come across. Each weapon has its own set of mods; perhaps you’d like to transform your sword into an axe, increase the fire rate of your pistol, or modify your rifle to shoot beams. While these mods offer certain benefits, they may also come with trade-offs, so it’s essential to find a combination that fits your playstyle. With a vast array of mods available to explore and experiment with, you’ll never run out of ways to customize your gear.
The next aspects of the gameplay involve climbing, which is crucial for your exploration as you navigate to various locations in the world. To climb, you’ll utilise pickaxes that you embed into the roots of trees. Activating these picks is as simple as a flick of your wrist while holding the grab button, and the smoothness and precision of this action make it a delightful experience every time. Additionally, there will be moments when you’ll need to swim to discover items or find your way to your destination. You can achieve this by using your analog sticks or by mimicking swimming movements, which I believe is vital for enhancing immersion in Virtual Reality.
You will encounter various work benches and stations scattered throughout the world, in addition to the main shop. These stations involve hands-on activities, such as smelting junk into the game’s currency, transforming fruits from stems into health vials, or creating and customising your weapons with the mods. Each of these elements is thoughtfully designed to enhance your immersion in the game. Additionally, you can discover items like health vials, shields, and grenades to aid you in battles. Lastly, there are numerous collectibles hidden across each area of the map, including targets to shoot, audio logs, and a choice that involves either earning in-game currency or satisfying the Nara race.
A Beautifully Designed World
Discovering the realm of Arken Ages is truly enhanced by its breathtaking visuals, where the sheer size of certain structures can leave you speechless. The moment you exit the tutorial area, in the distance, a majestic spire rises dramatically into the sky, instantly providing a sense of scale. This feeling is complemented by stunning textures, excellent lighting effects, and the impressive sight of your character when you look down.
The visuals are beautifully paired with amazing audio, bringing each part of the world to life through environmental sounds. On top of that, you have the clamor of battle, the voices of the warriors, and memorable lines like calling you ‘Nara scum.’ The voice acting for these lines and the main characters is skillfully done, with varied tones that match the situation perfectly. To top it all off, there’s music that complements the experience, softly playing in the background. All these elements come together to fully immerse you in the game and its universe.
The only aspect that disrupts immersion is the simple black loading screens encountered when transitioning between different areas in the game. Although these screens are brief, it would enhance the experience to have some content displayed on them. For instance, showing the name of the area you’re entering, similar to what Behemoth does, could provide helpful context about your next location and help you determine if you’re heading in the right direction.
Comfort
The Verdict
2025 has kicked off wonderfully with Arken Age. The small team of just four developers at VitruviusVR has truly demonstrated the incredible potential of a compact group. Drawing from their past development and gaming experiences and passion for virtual reality, they’ve crafted something truly remarkable. While there are a few minor flaws, each gameplay element is thoughtfully designed, providing a smooth and polished experience from start to finish. The vibrant world invites exploration as you delve into the game’s narrative, keeping you fully engaged. However, it’s worth noting that this game may not be the best fit for newcomers to VR. Despite offering various comfort settings, the fast-paced and advanced movement mechanics can be challenging. To ensure players can revisit and discover anything they might have missed, the team has included a New Game + feature. So, if you loved the game, you can jump back in with your upgraded weapons and explore the stunning world once more.