MOTHERGUNSHIP: FORGE Review - Live, Die, And Repeat In VR

Review key provided by Terrible Posture Games

Quite possibly one of the most polished FPS titles on the Meta Quest 2 library at least, Terrible Posture Games’ latest release, MOTHERGUNSHIP: FORGE puts players right into the heart of the action in an addictive, hectic roguelike. With customization options a plenty and an arcade-like feel overall, FORGE is a title that any FPS or arcade fan should have on their VR headset.

Gameplay

FORGE does a great job of balancing simple gameplay mechanics with its fantastical and calculated forging elements. At its core, the combat is similar to those you’d find in an arcade; you stand in place as enemies either come at you directly for melee attacks or blast rockets and lasers at you from afar. And while you can’t move around the different corridors that encompass each level, you are able to dodge attacks by leaning left, right, and anywhere out of the way of attacks.

I found combat to be a great deal of fun as it can be a bombastic dance of moving between attacks against you all while timing perfect shots on your enemies. Enemy types help to keep you on your toes as there are a bunch of them. Some are static and shoot rockets at you but can, at times, be on spinning platforms that can make it hard to land a shot or there are the moving ones that do a great job of evading shots all the same. Then there are the bosses that offer their own unique ways of combat that help to shake things up every so often.

Though combat has its fair share of mechanics, the forging is what really puts everything into action. It’s worth noting that just like every other roguelike, every “run” that you set out on is going to reward you with different various parts that comprise the types of weapons you’re going to build. Grabbing parts can come in a number of ways; there are stores strewn throughout runs, specifically marked rooms that reward parts upon completion, or even beating bosses can knab you a new, stronger part.

Forging is boiled down to the use of various pieces such are barrels that have different bullet types, connectors that connect other pieces together, caps that offer various buffs, and so on. There are even upgrades that you can make to parts as well to increase their stats. This becomes a puzzle in a way as you can build onto both of your wrists, making yourself a super-robot of sorts. What’s really exciting about it is the fact that you can swap parts on the fly and even twist and turn them in real-time.

Very often, this title made me feel like Tony Stark as I’d twist a connector on one arm and attach a weapon enhancement to the other. This aspect alone made the whole experience feel like a dream come true. Moments like these in VR are what set it apart from the immersion of playing on a TV. You actually get to live these experiences as close to reality as possible and it makes you feel like a total badass.

Audio and Visual

This title does a great job of catching that arcade look whilst coming across as very high in quality, both in sound and graphics. Colors pop, bullets rip, and enemies coming towards you can jolt that fight or flight reflex quite often. It’s a great game to look at and the differently colored dungeons just enhance the experience even more as you go along.

Replayability

MOTHERGUNSHIP: FORGE offers a great deal of replay value in many ways. Whether it’s the combat itself, the endless possibilities of forging, or even the great incentives to both go as far into the game as possible or even dying make the game feel like there’s a lot of meat on its bones. Having some features given to me as a player for losing, such as additional health and or increased power is something that I love in a roguelike title and I’m glad that the devs included it.

What It Could Have Done Better

Though the static, stand-in-place idea is charming because it’s reminiscent of arcade shooters, I would’ve liked it a bit more to move around these cool-looking environments. The fact that this ability isn’t evident doesn’t hurt the game much overall but I also believe that there’s always room for improvement.

Verdict

MOTHERGUNSHIP: FORGE is one of my favorite VR experiences thus far, giving me a standout immersive experience that makes being Iron Man an almost real-life scenario. Through its exhilarating combat, forging, and roguelike premise, this isn’t a title that should be missed if you own a VR headset. And for its modest price of $19.99, it’s well worth the price of admission for the experience it gives players.