This VR game made me an Action Hero at Gamescom and it was awesome
The VR game Action Hero puts you in five different action movies. I've already played two of them, and I'm absolutely thrilled!
With Action Hero, developer studio Fast Travel Games presents a VR shooter that puts you in the role of the protagonist of five different action movies. Similar to Superhot VR, time only passes when you move. This is in contrast to Cold VR, where time only moves forward as long as you keep moving. I had the pleasure of playing two of the Action Hero movies at Gamescom and was absolutely blown away.
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Indiana Jones sends his regards
Each movie in Action Hero is divided into four acts, each consisting of five unique scenes. In addition to the adventure movie and the heist mission, both of which I was able to play, you can also expect a kung fu movie, a treasure hunt and other exciting genres in the full game.
The action movie is reminiscent of blockbusters like Indiana Jones, from the staging to the graphic style. As in Superhot VR, I can pause while I move to look around at my leisure. I can plan my next move and then face the current scene.
In front of me are some soldiers with guns. My plan is to disarm one of them and finish off his colleagues. I don't succeed the first time, but after a few tries I get used to the movements and the flow of the scene.
From dinosaurs to drones: Pure variety
From now on, everything goes almost by itself. In the following scenes of the act, I encounter different numbers of enemies and have to defeat them with pistols, shotguns, or wrenches. If I run out of ammunition, I can always use my fists.
Later in the movie, I also have to defeat some dinosaurs in addition to a chase on a moving train. This makes the whole movie feel refreshing from act to act. The gameplay changes regularly, so there are always new dangers. The crowning finale is a small boss fight, which I only tried once in my demo because I wanted to try out the second mission as well.
Here, a dinosaur attacks me and I only have my fists to defend myself. | Image: Fast Travel Games
Mission Impossible in VR
The second mission is a heist, and my task is clear: I have to break into a heavily guarded facility and steal the object of my desire. Along the way, I encounter all kinds of drones as well as human opponents. The human enemies are particularly tough. However, I can take out several drones at once if they fly too close together and then explode in rows with a single hit.
Just before I reach my destination, I pass through a corridor full of laser traps. I don't have to worry about shooting back, but it's not easy to avoid the different trap patterns in the short time available. But after about three attempts, I finally managed this one.
Golden Colt for motivation
By the way, every time I fail, I am reset to the beginning of a scene or even the entire act, similar to Superhot VR. This can be a bit frustrating, but the joy of finally mastering an act is all the greater. For repeated failures, Action Hero mercifully rewards me with a golden revolver with infinite ammunition.
With this new weapon, I literally overrun my opponents. As long as I don't get too comfortable with the infinite ammo and take things too easy, I can take on a large number of enemies.
The various movies all shine with well-staged action. | Image: Fast Travel Games
My first impressions of Action Hero
I really liked the variety in Action Hero. The actions within a movie never felt monotonous. I had to fight humans, dinosaurs, robots or an oversized mutant that could only be stopped by a headshot.
The atmosphere and sound design are perfectly suited to the genre of the movies and give the whole game its own charm. As for the controls, there is nothing to complain about; every weapon I grabbed landed perfectly in my hands. My shots usually hit their target — and when they didn't, it was more due to my ineptitude.
All in all, Action Hero gets almost everything right and looks to be a worthy title for fans of Superhot VR. I'm already looking forward to getting a closer look at the other three movies when they come out.
Action Hero is scheduled for release in 2024 for Meta Quest 3, Quest 2, and Quest Pro. For more information, check out this article.
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