In Death: Unchained is a rogue-like archery game developed exclusively for the Oculus Quest. The game recently received an update that takes advantage of the advanced features of the newer Oculus Quest 2 headset with better graphical performance. With procedurally generated levels and tough opponents, you’ll keep dying to save the afterlife.
First things first: Death: Unchained is brutally punished. It will take you a while to get the hang of it. There’s a decent tutorial out there, but this safe environment can’t possibly prepare you for the stresses and strains of the real game world. You only have a life and death meant starting over from scratch. There are a few save points in each level and you will keep any upgrades you might have earned, but be warned you will get killed a lot.
There are three different levels: Purgatory, Paradise Lost and Abyss. Each level has its own style, enemies and boss fight. Your reward for completing each level? You can do them again, only that it becomes more difficult. This increasing difficulty seems endless and your brain is likely to give up before the game.
There are many options in terms of controls. There is a sit and stand setting, but if you have no choice but to sit, I would recommend the standing option as it offers more immersion. Movement is either teleported, you shoot an arrow that you want to zip up to, or there is an option for free roaming. I prefer free roaming for the most part as it made me feel more in control, but I wish you could move a little quicker while free roaming.
Firing your bow requires making the required arm movements and the game is really fun. Since the Quest 2 doesn’t have any external sensors, you’ll have to play around quite a bit to make sure your aiming technique is consistent. I experimented with pulling the tendon back as far as possible to the side of my head and found that the Quest 2 sometimes lost track of the controller. It’s not groundbreaking, but you do have to fiddle a little to get things flowing naturally. You can also unlock a crossbow as you progress, which is fired like a weapon, which will fix the above issues.
Image Credit: Superbright
Visually, the game looks good, if not a bit repetitive. I found it very easy to get lost, especially after returning to a saved game the day after, but it doesn’t take long to get back on track.
Finally, a word of warning. Since the Quest 2 does not contain any cables, you will most likely move around a lot while playing. You can hit arrows out of the air with your shield, crouch behind barriers, and I would also physically dodge to avoid an incoming fire. Make sure your protection zone is set up correctly so you don’t fall over your own sofa like me!
Overall, In Death: Unchained is one of the better games I’ve played on the Oculus Quest 2 so far. I love the fact that it’s hard and punitive and I just want to try one more time before I hang my bow for the day. An attempt inevitably ends at ten or so.
In Death: Unchained was verified with a digital code provided by the publisher.
Publisher: Super bright Developer: Superbright Release Date: July 23, 2020 Reviewed on: Oculus Quest 2
Comments are closed.