Previews

Rezzed 2016: We try Gang Beasts VR edition, is it any good?

Beast mode

Rezzed 2016: We try Gang Beasts VR edition, is it any good?
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| Gang Beasts VR

Gang Beasts already has a reputation for being a solid party game.

You can’t go to a games event anywhere in the country without it being set-up somewhere, the flailing brawlers trying to stuff each other into grinders, off of vans and into the path of trains.

When I heard that Coatsink were showing off a VR version at EGX Rezzed, I was determined to have a go. Coatsink have form with VR, creating Esper and Esper 2, games that are fairly well regarded in Virtual Reality.

The VR edition is going to be bundled in with the main game, published by Double Fine, so you can use a HMD to play the game instead.

Sadly, having played it, it feels like the support feels superfluous.

The viewpoint is the same as Gang Beast’s standard camera, looking down on the action. You have the free ability to look around, but you’ll want to concentrate on the frantic flailing to avoid being killed off.

The only real benefit is it seems you can look to the left and right to look for environmental hazards, but this means you lose the games usual warnings and have to keep glancing sidewards, which is a step backwards in my eyes.

The idea of touch controls instead of the controllers I used here was exciting, despite the danger to yourself and others if you try and play local multiplayer, but I have found myself questioning what it actually adds.

Obviously Gang Beasts VR isn’t finished yet so it’s too early to say what else they could add, but right now it feels really disappointing. A virtual reality experience that exists because VR is on trend right now, rather than it being a good fit for the medium.

Jake Tucker
Jake Tucker
Jake's love of games was kindled by his PlayStation. Games like Metal Gear Solid and Streets of Rage ignited a passion that has lasted nearly 20 years. When he's not writing about games, he's fruitlessly trying to explain Dota 2 to anyone that will listen.