Virtually endless fun
Many have been quick to write off VR as another gimmick in the same vein as motion controls or voice commands, but as time has passed and the technology has improved, gamers now have access to experiences that may not look like much on the outside but once you pop on the headset you are transported into the worlds that up until recently you could only experience from a distance. In this instalment of “VR Games Any VR Owner Should Have” we’ll be looking at two of the bloodiest titles available for the platform, Gorn, and Blade and Sorcery these games focus on brutalizing your fellow man because as the great Obi-Wan Kenobi once said…
Since time immemorial humans have had the urge to wreak havoc on their fellow man through violence whether it’s because they provoked you or the voices in your head told you to do it, no need to deny it we’re all human. For people who want to go to town on a fellow human being without fear of legal repercussions or terrifying your friends and family, the following games will more than sate your bloodlust. I really hope Jack Thompson isn’t reading this…
Blade & Sorcery
Right now out of all the VR games out there Blade & Sorcery is my most played. With regards to the amount of content in the base game, there’s not much there at the moment with 3 arenas to fight in and character customization only extending to facial features and skin tone so you’d be fair in assuming that this game would be worth skipping but trust me when I say the mechanics of this game are brilliant and the mods that have been made for Blade & Sorcery are some of the most fun to play around with.
Released in early access back in December 2018, Blade & Sorcery is a cut above other melee combat VR games due to the physics in play. Each weapon is an individual object that collides with everything such as the ground, other weapons and most importantly other people. I won’t call Blade & Sorcery hyper-realistic by any means but to date, it’s the most realistic melee combat game I’ve played and there’s no better experience than being surrounded on all sides by barbarians poised to end you with a well-placed blow but you’re just too quick blocking left and right severing arms and legs only to see the last survivor running away, you throw your blade to stop them in their tracks only to realize throwing things in VR sucks so you just run up to them and pummel them to death with your bare hands. True bliss.
Where Blade & Sorcery truly shines is with its mods. The modding support for this game makes it easy for everyone to enjoy and some of these mods are games in their own right. I’ve included a list of mods below that I personally use and I recommend you use them too. All of the aforementioned mods can be found on Nexus mods.
Sharp_AI: This mod simply improves the AI in the game, making them more reactive and all-around smarter.
The Outer Rim: This mod is the big one, a total conversion mod for Blade & Sorcery that brings everything Star Wars into the game. That includes Lightsabers, Blasters, Star Wars themed maps and helmets for that extra bit of flair but let’s be honest here you were hooked from the word “Lightsabers.” The Lightsabers are all functional with the ability to extend and retract the blade with the press of a button, you can even use a tool found in the weapon book to swap out the Kyber Crystal to change the colour of any lightsaber. This mod is perfect for anyone looking for a true Lightsaber combat experience that we’ve yet to see in the world of games yet, Vader Immortal came close but it wasn’t visceral enough. Important: At time of writing the Outer Rim mod has been removed from Nexus mods this can be due to copyright issues or Nexus Mods’ terms and conditions, the link to download this mod will take you to a google drive where you can download the files, I have personally virus scanned the link and the files and I can verify that they are safe but be sure to virus scan yourself when you download just to be safe. Be sure to thank Redditor Konarikukko for sharing these files.
Easier Dismemberment: Pretty self-explanatory really, it makes it easier to chop off limbs and heads which goes really well with the Outer Rim mod.
Medieval MegaPack: This mod brings 90 unique and realistic weapons into the game raging from longswords to spears. This mod brings a bit of extra variety to the game as the base game doesn’t have that many weapons. In addition to the player being able to use these weapons if you have the Sharp_AI mod installed the AI can also spawn with these weapons too.
Death Pit Gauntlet: The last one I’ll mention for now otherwise this article will never end, Death Pit brings to the game another map complete with boss fights and escalating waves with more challenge. There is an additional mod for this called Death Pit Gauntlet – The Outer Rim Waves which adds more waves into the Death Pit that focus around the Outer Rim mod.
Those are only a select few of the mods available for Blade & Sorcery and trust me when I say there are many more worth trying, as always before you mod a game make sure to keep a backup just in case you mess something up but all concerns aside just go hog wild. If you are interested in any of the mods mentioned above there are links to each mod in their overviews.
Gorn
If you’re in a rush and want the quick version, Gorn is a VR fighting game in the same vein as Blade & Sorcery but it errs on the more ridiculous side with its physics. The art style is more cartoonish in look but don’t let that fool you, while Blade & Sorcery is violent because of how real it feels Gorn is violent because you can grab a guy and rip his head off with your bare hands and beat his friend to death with it. If that didn’t get your attention I don’t know what will.
The physics of Gorn are less focused on realism and more focused on making you feel like a roided-up God. You can rip people apart with your bare hands you can punch people into the stratosphere and the weapons hit harder than a freight train loaded up wind up boxing gloves, it’s gory, it’s insane and it’s bloody good fun. Don’t believe me, watch the below footage and tell me this isn’t something you want in life.
If you would like a better look at Gorn, feel free to check out this video by Upisnotjump which outlines what Gorn is like: GORN VR Is An Absolute Nightmare – This Is Why. Don’t let the title fool you, it’s great.
Similar to Blade & Sorcery, Gorn is also in early access but I will admit that Gorn is the more polished of the two, with constant updates adding more stuff to the game but if you’re impatient and want to get some more content quickly there’s always modding, I personally have not modded Gorn as I don’t trust any mods outside of Nexus mods but if you’re willing to do a quick google you can find plenty online.
A little warning, Gorn is by far the most dangerous game I’ve played in VR. Because your blows are so powerful and you’ll get sucked into the world really easily, that you will forget that you’re actually in a small room and punch your wall with full force and let me tell you it’s not a nice feeling. Dangers aside if you have a VR headset and £15.99 lying around, buy it.
Both Gorn and Blade & Sorcery are only available for PC at this time but Gorn is slated for a PSVR release in the future. You can find both games on steam by clicking the links and other supporting storefronts.
