Certain genres have thrived in the virtual reality space, withmusic/rhythm gamesproving to be especially impressive with VR hardware. WhileBeat Sabermay be the most popular music/rhythm VR game on the market,Pistol Whipfrom Cloudhead Games is one of the best.
Pistol Whipis a music/rhythm game, but it doesn’t force players to do everything on the beat like other titles in the genre. Instead, the game encourages players to go with the beat of the song while being pulled down a hallway, shooting enemies, smacking them with the butt of their gun, and avoiding incoming obstacles. Players have the freedom to playPistol Whiphowever they want, but timing actions with the beat will typically rewardPS4 trophiesas well as an easier time completing the levels.
Pistol Whipplays like an on-rails shooter, with enemies popping up and players having to quickly take them out. But unlike most other on-rails shooters where players have to take hits if they don’t kill enemies fast enough,Pistol Whipgives them the opportunity to dodge projectiles. This adds a serious physical element to the game, especially on the higher difficulty settings. It essentially turnsPistol Whipinto an exercise game on top of being a music/rhythm game and an on-rails shooter, so the game lends itself well to a variety of different tastes.
Unfortunately, the physicality ofPistol Whipis somewhat held back by the PlayStation VR setup. Compared to the Oculus Rift S orOculus Quest, the PlayStation VR is a bit cumbersome. Players have to take into account a collection of wires as well as the positioning of the PlayStation Camera, which can makePistol Whip’s more challenging and fast-paced levels more frustrating than they are in other versions of the game.
That being said, the PlayStation VR version ofPistol Whipis still worthwhile for those who don’t have an Oculus headset handy. And in fact, the PlayStation VR version actually trumps the Oculus Quest version visually, with sharper, less blurry, and generally more impressive graphics.
But even with the PlayStation VR limitations in mind,Pistol Whipstill does a good job of replicatingJohn Wick-style action, especially when players use the modifier to turn on dual-wielding. Besides dual-wielding,Pistol Whiphas a variety of other modifications that players can turn on to suit their needs, as well as many ways to customize their guns in the game. These options combined with multiple difficulty levels and songs allows players to fine-tune thePistol Whipexperience to their liking.
ThePlayStation VR versionhas all the latestPistol Whipsongs, including the new Religion track, so it is more fully-featured than the other versions were at launch, but is still a very short game. Some fans may be turned off by how quickly they can get through all of thePistol Whipsongs, but like other games in the genre, there is significant replay value in mastering the game mechanics, earning high scores, and competing with friends. It also functions great as a party game, as well as a go-to for when showing off VR technology to someone that hasn’t experienced it before.
LikeBeat Saber, part ofPistol Whip’s appeal is how easy it is to pick up and play, even for those that don’t have a lot of VR experience. There is a tutorial available, but even without it, players should be able to select a song and just start blasting away with minimal effort.Pistol Whiplets players jump into the action immediately, and accommodates players of all different skill levels. Those that just want a casual music/rhythm game that lets them shoot a bunch of bad guys like they’re in an action movie will find it here, and those that want a challenging experience that pushes their skills to the limit can also find it withPistol Whip.
Looking ahead,Pistol Whipwill be expanding its content significantly. August will see the addition of the free Heartbreaker update, set to feature more upbeat, poppy music compared to the harder stuff that’s in the base game. It’s unclear if this free update will be available for PlayStation VR at the same time as it is on PC and Oculus Quest, but it should be coming to PS4 at some point in the future regardless.
And as announced at theUpload VR Showcase,Pistol Whipis getting an even bigger expansion later this year called The Concierge. Exact details on The Concierge aren’t available at this time, but it sounds like it will be a sort of story mode or something similar for the game. Needless to say, this will expandPistol Whip’s replay value significantly, so PlayStation VR fans may want to wait until that expansion drops later this year before picking the game up.
Regardless, the base game ofPistol Whipis great, and so it’s no surprise that it has won various VR Game of the Year awards already. There are some definite drawbacks to playing it on PlayStation VR when compared to other systems, but at the end of the day, it’s still a high-quality music/rhythm game experience and one of the better VR titles available. It will make a solid addition to anyone’s PlayStation VR library for sure.
Pistol Whipis available now for Oculus Quest, PlayStation VR, and various PC VR headsets. Game Rant was provided with a PlayStation VR code for this review.
