We really enjoyed a foray into the Warhammer 40K world in VR back in 2017 with The Horus Heresy. So when we saw the trailer for Battle Sister we could not wait to step into the world again. We have now had a chance to take on the heresy again, but what did we think?
Story
You are placed into the shoes of Ophelia, who is travelling across planets and barges, killing any Chaos Space Marines that stand in your way. What is your goal? To reunite with your sister, who you presumed to be dead, from the battle that is the opening of the game. The story does enough to entertain players who are not akin to Warhammer 40K universe, but, it is obviously going to cater to more of the fans.
Gameplay
As mentioned you are going to travelling across planets and barges in and killing any enemy in your way, with that in mind that is all the gameplay is made up of. All you will be doing is killing enemies with an array of guns or melee weapons, which can be paired in which every way you want.
This will see you just taking on waves of enemies, and where the gun-play and melee combat is solid, it just does nothing special you wont get in other games. However, again fans of Warhammer 40K universe will certainly feel the buzz of holding bolters, Lazcannons and power swords and getting to use them. In general though your gameplay experience will be a run of the mill shooter.
Outside of the guns and melee it offers three ‘Acts of Faith’, which will allow you to push enemies and objects, have a temporary shield or slow-time. All these magical abilities are charged by killing enemies. This adds some extra options in combat, but when you are dual-wielding some weapons, these can be easily ignored and not required.
Presentation
Visually, the game is very solid showcase for what the Quest 2 can offer in the VR space. Offering some detailed environments, even in some of the more bigger open areas in the levels. Although, some of the more distanced areas can start to look very bland visual wise. But, one stand out in the visuals is the detailing put into the weapons, making them look really authentic for the fans. Another issue we found with the visual side is some of the glitches, with seeing bullet holes just randomly floating in the air on quite a few occasions – which can take a little bit away from the immersion.
Audio wise you are going to get some great environmental audio to keep you immersed in Warhammer world. The same can be said about the sound of the weapons and the solid voice acting for the main characters in the game. Again, the audio does come with some issues, with the repeated cries from the Chaos Space Marines, and sometimes it seemed like the 3D audio was off for where the gun fire and war-cries were coming from.
Comfort/Controls
Battle Sisters does come with an array of comfort options, but seems it was made for smooth locomotion given it’s fast pacing. Although, you can teleport and also set up a vignette strength that suits you, if you find the free locomotion uncomfortable.
The controls are straight forward, and easy to learn and get used to. With the game offering multiple reload options allowing the player to bring the guns to their waist (great when duel-wielding) or the manual reloading system.
Longevity
Where you might find online that the game will last around eight-hours, we found we were through the game with three to four-hours. We found with the campaign mode, it is not likely something many will revisit. However, there is plans for a co-op mode coming in 2021, so maybe this could save the game for some… but, only time will tell.
reviewed using meta quest 2
For the purposes of transparency, this review was created using a review code provided by the company or their respective PR company. The use of a press code does not affect my judgement of the product.
Review Overview
Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister does what it needs to do to feel like a solid VR game, but doesn’t really push any boundaries in its VR design. With a solid single player campaign and duel-wielding that feels enjoyable never mind your choice of weapons. However, it does get let down by not offering anything new to what virtual reality games have been offering for years, with its straightforward design. Although, it can be enjoyed by people who are not invested in the Warhammer universe, it will certainly offer much more to those who are.
