Preta: Vendetta Rising review

Reviewed on: PS VR

Many games have been produced with a first-person perspective for VR; after all, in this perspective the immersion is incredible. However, it has become increasingly common to explore VR in other ways, including third-person perspective, and some successful experiences have increasingly encouraged developers to take VR to other shores.

That is the case of Preta: Vendetta Rising, developed by Korean studio Illion Interactive and published by YJM Games, inspired by similar games in the genre that, because of the popularity of Blizzard’s game, came to be known as Diablo-likes, with a unique appeal for VR that is the game’s length, which according to the developers is approximately 50 hours, placing it among a few valuable games such as Skyrim VR. After all, it is known that VR experiences last, on average, from one to 10 hours, rarely going beyond that.

The problem is when the game does not sustain itself and has a long length while being very repetitive, so the player does not always feel motivated to advance in the campaign. And it is right here, in its length, that the game falters, because it feels dragged out and is not very motivating for the player.

The game’s name deserves an explanation, since it has nothing Portuguese about it as one might think; “preta”, according to the developers, is a word in Sanskrit, an ancient language spoken in India, and refers to supernatural creatures that, due to great suffering before death, became flesh-eaters. Three heroes can be chosen to exterminate these monsters that threaten the magical world of Akirion. The game’s story is not very complex, but it draws the player’s attention to the context, earning a story score of 7.0.

As for the controls, the game uses the DualShock 4 and follows the hack’n slash line: as you eliminate the Preta, you fill a rage bar which, when full, lets the player unleash their “wrath”, a super power, making the character stronger for a period. The game lets the player switch the game camera, including a first-person camera, and puts a good variety of enemies at the player’s disposal, earning a gameplay score of 7.0.

Some factors deserve to be pointed out: the game demands unjustified repetition of quests from the player in order to get materials to craft the equipment needed to progress. This repetition is where the game loses its charm, since it forces the player into repetition without offering any incentive for it, which greatly harms the experience.

The environments are well built, although they become repetitive, and the sounds and the characters’ voice acting work well, presenting the player with a competent game in both the visual and sound aspects, earning a technical score of 7.5.

In the end, the impression is that the game offers good gameplay, in a standout experience in the VR universe, with a gameplay and play style little explored for virtual reality, offering a very interesting alternative, faltering on the repetition of tasks within the game, known as “farming”. At an interesting price, it is a game I would recommend to hack’n slash fans, especially because this type of experience is quite limited, with few options in VR.

Final score: 7.2