Sairento VR Review | One of the Few Shining Gems of VR

Finally, a VR Action Game that gets it right!

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ONE Store Beta Now Available

Let me begin this review by saying that I personally think that, while VR is a cool concept, it’s not something that has actually given us a lot of memorable gaming experiences. I have seen the potential of VR through the lens of Resident Evil 7, which I believe is still THE BEST example of “VR-action-done-right”. It placed you firmly inside the world of RE and got that delicate balance of really adding another layer of immersion to the game and not being amazingly nausea-inducing.

For other cases though, it’s usually the typical mediocre VR experience – either you have VR poorly tacked on to an existing game like Skyrim VR (which personally made me feel nauseous almost immediately after getting the chance to move my character), or you get something that’s railed where you just move your head around or you get something that’s feels very clunky. This is where Sairento VR pleasantly surprised me as it delivered a surprisingly good VR experience. Let’s review!

 

Your Cyber-Ninja Dreams Fulfilled

The cyber-ninja trope is one that is quite beloved by a good number of gamers. It’s why Genji from Overwatch, Raiden from Metal Gear Solid, Zero from MegaMan (sort of), and others like them have such a strong appeal. In Sairento VR, YOU can be that cyber-ninja! And this game makes full use of VR as it makes sure that you really feel every bit as awesome as the best cyber-ninjas! YUP, NO RAILED EXPERIENCES. No, you’re not standing in place. You have free movement across the maps and practically full freedom on how to dispose of your enemies.

Before I get ahead of myself, let’s discuss basics. So yes. This game (we reviewed the PSVR version) requires the PSVR and the PS Move Controllers to play so you’d probably assume that controls might take a bit of getting used to… and you’d be right. BUT I will say, after a short bit, it will start to come naturally. From air jumps to flips to slow-mo kills, ALL THAT will start to come naturally and you’ll just enjoy as you become an even better ninja as you go through the game’s room-by-room killboxes.

You have 4 weapon slots basically – 2 holstered on both sides of your hips and 2 at your back. And yes, there’s a certain level of happiness that you get by drawing a sword from your back and drawing a pistol from your belt holster. It’s just fills my geek heart with so much joy! Now, it terms of how many weapons are available? THERE ARE A LOT. Plus, it has a bit of that Diablo / Borderlands vibe where various weapon drops will have their own stats. Each will also have upgrade slots making the weapon experience in this game REALLY customizable.

 

The Path of the Ninja… Is Pretty Sick

More than the weapons though, you have SKILLS that you get as you level up. Sure you start as your standard character (who is still amazing, don’t get me wrong) BUT, as you play, you can soon dictate how YOU want your playstyle to be. There are your usual upgrades like more life, more ammo, etc. BUT the interesting ones are the ones that give you even MORE moves and options as you play. You can learn additional jumps, blade beam projectiles, ground slams, and more!

There will be various ways to play and many styles to experiment. The options that Sairento VR gives you by way of weapons, skills, and environment makes all this possible. And to further accommodate this, you also have a TON of settings you can tweak to maximize the fun and to smoothen out your gameplay.

Play how you want is definitely a thing as there are various aspects of the game you can explore / exploit like Stealth Kills, Sniping, Headshots, Quick Kills, etc. Sairento VR gave me so many ways to play that it was always exciting to see how rewarding other approaches would be.

 

Some Misses But A LOT of Hits

Is Sairento VR perfect? No. The story is lackluster with voice overs that were kinda bland. The graphics? Pretty dated that you’d think you were playing on a previous gen console. BUT you’re not gonna play Sairento VR for the story / campaign (it’s super short… like 2-3 hours if you were wondering). And graphics will be pretty forgivable BECAUSE this game has such a FUN-TASTIC kind of gameplay that you didn’t think ever existed in VR.

The levels are replayable for more EXP (which lets you learn more skills) and, honestly, your reward / payoff for putting hours into this game is simply just the gameplay itself. Sairento VR definitely strikes gold by giving us a VR game that just really really works.

One big negative though is that the PSVR version of this game seems to missing some PVP and PVE modes that the PC version has.

 

Final Verdict – 8/10

Pros:

  • Full non-railed movement in VR
  • Fun action-filled gameplay that gives you so much freedom
  • Sick slow-mo / headshot kills
  • Nice customization options in terms of weapons, weapon upgrades, and skills

Cons:

  • Graphics are a bit dated
  • Story isn’t noteworthy
  • The PSVR version doesn’t have all modes that the PC version has

FINALLY, a VR title that pushes the potential of VR Technology! Sairento VR really gets out there and just brings a fun title that VR owners can just straight up enjoy. People have long thought that VR is just really for horror and simulation titles but Sairento VR gets a big W for the VR Action Genre.