Tiger Blade may be the most action-packed way to start your VR gaming year

VR isn’t in the best place at present, and studios like First Contact Entertainment have closed due to a lack of support in the industry. If you’re looking for something to pull you back into the VR world, Tiger Blade might be the most action-packed way to do it.

Released on December 20 last year, it was developed by Ikimasho Games. It has beautiful, colorful visuals and a hip soundtrack that’ll have you bobbing your head. It’s not the main draw, but its overall presentation is worth appreciating.

The main excitement comes from the gameplay which has you slicing foes, speeding on motorbikes, and deflecting bullets with your blade. This isn’t the type of game that’ll have you running and ducking for cover. Instead, it features an atypical approach to gameplay that raises excitement without feeling like just another combat-based VR game.

The way of the blade in VR

In Tiger Blade, you aren’t sprinting to safety. Instead, with every foe you kill in your path, you shift forward to the next section of the map featuring enemies. Some are armed with blades and it’s your job to parry their attacks and slice them to pieces. Other enemies have guns, and you can flick away bullets with your sword before pulling out your own gun and laying waste to your opponents.

These aren’t the only exciting parts. There are additional moments, such as motorcycle combat encounters, that ensure your heart stays racing throughout the game. Though I’ve yet to get to the end credits just yet, Tiger Blade is the only title that’s motivated me to throw on my headset this year thus far.

It presents an enticing gameplay premise that’s pulled off with a ninja meets cyberpunk aesthetic that’s hard to not fall in love with. It may not be the most graphically intense title, nor it is without flaws, but the experience is an adrenaline-raising one that seldom fails to make you feel like an awesome action-movie hero.

There aren’t many VR games that catch my attention these days. Most of it is quite gimmicky, and while many interesting ideas have been presented, few titles manage to deliver a product that doesn’t feel janky or a step down from its flatscreen counterparts. There are a few exceptions – like Not for Broadcast and the Resident Evil VR modes – that buck this trend, and Tiger Blade is a smaller title that manages to do the same.

Tiger Blade is available on PS VR2.