Focus your chi and be one with the pulse of the dragon, my friend. Also, remember to hook up every night. You’re not just a ninja … you’re a ninja cyborg.
Sairento VR is a bullet time hack and slash shooter where you play the role of a ninja assassin who can slow down time as you jump from structure to structure. Prepare your sword and weapon. We burn bad guys and calories (shudder).
Those familiar with virtual reality are now used to first-person shooters and sword games. While there are tons of games on the Steam market that “defend” your territory, Sairento mixes weapon and sword play with the cool mechanics of slow motion bullet time.
For those unfamiliar with VR, Sairento has a lot going for a first-time gamer. Killing a room full of highly skilled cyborg guards isn’t easy, and I’ve died more times than is acceptable to a seasoned VR gamer.
Using Sairento as VR training can be challenging. You die a lot, a lot of the game is slow motion teleporting, and when you are using a gun it is almost impossible to get your heart rate up. Even so, there are a few tricks to turn Sairento VR into a mild VR workout full of adrenaline. For a quick overview, here is a trailer:
The VR Health Institute did not investigate Sairento VR, but their website claims that the sword master burns between 4 and 6 calories per minute and the raw data burns between 2 and 4. My goal is to be more swordmasters and less raw data. Based on this comparison, I should burn 60 to 180 calories during my 30 minute test. This is probably the biggest area I’ve ever seen, and I’m going to try and invent some tricks to keep my heart rate high. I’ve used my Fitbit Charge 2 to track my progress.
I want to make it clear that Sairento VR is an INTENSIVE game. This rating is based on physical intensity and not game intensity. I kept my heart rate higher than expected, but much of it was mainly due to the adrenaline of the situation and brief bursts of extreme movement. To turn it into training, I did the unthinkable. I put my gun away. That’s right, I was just using my sword, which meant I was alternating between hovering in the air to catch my breath and swinging my controller as fast as I could. Of the similar games I’ve played, this was the most unique for fitness. There is something to sprint that strikes for 3 seconds, rests for 3-5 seconds, and then does it again. Towards the end of the training, I felt like I had successfully completed my efforts.
Pro tip: Jump behind the guards and beat them up ASAP.
Here are the results of my 30 minute workout:
- Calories Burned: 129
- Average heart rate: 105
- Maximum heart rate: 121
While this isn’t a major blow in the VR practice area like Thrill of the Fight, it wasn’t a waste of time either. I felt like a ninja for 30 minutes while burning some of my breakfast. It would be ridiculous to compare the experience and calories of a ninja shooter to a gamepad. That was a lot of fun and kept my adrenaline going the whole time.
Due to the quick movements followed by rest, my arms got a little tired towards the end. I don’t recommend wrist weights as wildly swinging a sword can damage the joints. I prefer The Fastest Fist, Thrill of the Fight, or Skyrim VR with a brawler build for VR arm training, but that was fun and unique.
Towards the end, I started trying something different. When I landed to attack a security guard, I crouched down and swung against her legs. This wasn’t very effective from a game standpoint, but from a training standpoint it added a lot of exercise in my opinion. It also felt cool as I shot back into the air from my crouch.
In and of itself, despite being a ninja, there isn’t much core and balance. However, the addition of the squats from the leg area and the quick swing of the sword added some core elements. I could see myself adding some points with this style of play. As always when swinging a sword, slap your hips and squeeze your abs for the best core results.
Sairento VR is a fun game. Period. The half hour passed quickly and really puts you in the moment of a live or die scenario.
Whenever I want to be a ninja, this will be my goto game. Although the mechanics are repetitive, the gameplay is exciting. If you take off through the air in slow motion and land behind your enemy while cutting their legs off, they’ll never get old.
I don’t think Sairento VR is a standalone VR training. It could be cooling off to a full VR workout or just a casual fitness experience. If you want to stay in shape with Sairento, you need to add some other games. With that said, playing the game is enough to be a great game. With VR, you get the added benefit of not only playing a game, but also burning some calories and exercising your arms, core and legs at the same time.
This is a standing game for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. I didn’t feel any nausea during the 30 minute session.
The developers mentioned in late 2017 that they wanted to add daily challenges and leaderboards. While this is a great addition, this is a single player game and aside from leaderboards or when your friends come over and be ninjas together, it’s best to stay that way. It’s a great game for what it is, and if it’s ever played entirely in multiplayer, we may never leave VR.
Game Review Badge from VR Fitness Insider
The good
Sairento VR is an exciting, adrenaline filled hack and slash with some basic VR fitness building blocks. With the unique style of quick hitting followed by calm and repetition, I think there is room for this at the end of every VR workout.
The bad
To criticize this game would be ridiculous. There are more intense games out there from a fitness standpoint, but if you want to escape a bit into a world where you can fly through the air and tear down a room full of cyborgs, then I suggest giving it a try.
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