Undead Citadel is an undead hack-and-slash sport first launched on PC VR in 2023, and it is now accessible on Quest. Learn on for our full assessment.
The sport is technically story-driven, although the narrative yields little by way of character growth or precise plot. You embody Sir Anvil Capheus, a foul-mouthed mercenary who finds himself for no obvious purpose stranded within the wilderness cursing the gods. Stumbling upon an outdated citadel, it quickly turns into clear that every one is just not properly; buildings have fallen to spoil and the city is inhabited by the undead!
What’s it?: An arcade-style medieval hack-and-slash journey that pits gamers towards a military of the undead.
Platforms: Quest, PC VR, Pico (assessment carried out on Quest 3)
Launch Date: Out now
Developer: Darkish Curry
Worth: $19.99
From right here, the sport proceeds to embark upon a roughly five-hour marketing campaign of arcade violence, spattered intermittently with low-rent spatial puzzles, some lackluster looting, and a good bit of dangerous language. There may be additionally a Horde mode consisting of three maps that provide lasting replay worth as soon as the story mode is lifeless and buried.
The protagonist goes from being a self-serving, vulgar mercenary who cares solely about his personal quick must an altruistic hero risking life and limb to thwart an unknown menace with out even the slightest exposition. Itβs somewhat jarring to appreciate so early on how skinny the storytelling is, however it’s hardly essential. Undead Citadel is an motion sport in spite of everything, so maybe it is higher that it simply focuses on the motion.
Solely a Flesh Wound
Undead Citadel has discovered a distinct segment throughout the melee-based gore-porn market. Providing physics-based fight with over 80 unlockable medieval weapons, developer Darkish Curry has pitted itself boldly towards VR stalwarts equivalent to Blade & Sorcery: Nomad and Swordsman VR. Regardless of some elementary similarities, Undead Citadel takes a faster-paced, extra arcade-style method to the fight which does properly to distinguish the sport from the competitors.
The physics system used is just not as deep as that utilized in Nomad nevertheless it capabilities properly, delivering intense, over-the-top carnage. There may be some physics-based jank current with the odd skeleton getting caught in your sword, however for probably the most half, the system runs properly sufficient. Apart from any time you’re required to hold a barrel – which occurs extra usually than youβd suppose – or open a padlock, that are unnecessarily arduous and finicky affairs.
Precise swordplay is pretty mild. Every enemy has a variety of assaults that may be difficult to anticipate due to some intelligent animations. These are principally single assaults telegraphed by some grand, twirling motion versus being flurries of strikes that require precision parrying. In consequence, one of the best protection is commonly a powerful offense. Blindly pushing the assault will see success most of the time.
In comparison with the extra nuanced swordplay on supply in Swordsman VR and the extra elaborate physics engine of Nomad, Undead Citadel feels way more like an arcade hack & slash journey than a fight simulator. That isn’t essentially a foul factor although, because the easier, faster-paced fight on supply right here is extra accessible and, in some ways, extra enjoyable.
Come Again, I will Chunk Your Legs Off
Undead Citadel gives a very good vary of weapons for gamers to experiment with, scattering uncommon, hidden gadgets all through the marketing campaign. Every undead nasty you face drops their weapons when felled and gamers are free to choose up no matter they’ll carry. You will additionally discover a first rate selection between one and two-handed weapons alongside ranged choices like bows and magical power-ups administered through consumable potions. Β
The sense of weight utilized to two-handed weapons is sweet; heavier weapons canβt be raised with a single hand however do great harm when swung with each. You additionally want to change between blunt and bladed weapons relying on the opponent kind you face. Skeletons and armored foes are extra simply dispatched with skull-shattering blows from blunt weapons, whereas fleshier baddies will be simply run by means of with a sword.
It is an awesome premise for fight, implying a must fluctuate your weapons and elegance on the fly. Nevertheless, the implementation is barely missing. A sword thrust, which seems to journey straight by means of the fleshless physique of a skeleton will nonetheless take the enemy down, which detracts from this tactical factor that would have given the fight somewhat extra depth.
Tis Solely a Scratch
Sadly, Undead Citadel hides some critical design flaws that hamper the general expertise. There are a couple of fundamental mechanics that you’d anticipate in a fast-paced fight sport which are sorely lacking, with the flexibility to leap or dash being foremost amongst these. Few issues break the immersive fantasy of being a mighty warrior greater than the whole lack of ability to step over a log.
Sprinting might be the extra egregious omission nonetheless and its absence was tough to take care of. Sections of the marketing campaign require important backtracking to resolve puzzles or discover loot, and being compelled to stroll the sport on the tempo of somebody out for a pleasing afternoon stroll was past irritating. This additionally made navigating fight really feel somewhat one-dimensional; there isn’t any sprint or comparable mechanic whereby you may shortly reposition your self in battle.
Moreover, climbing exists in solely two or three particular sections. Bricks and beams jut in formations that simply scream “climb me”, but the one factor you may truly climb is a really specific set of glowing yellow vines. It’s oddly immersion breaking to haul your self up a stone wall by some flimsy vegetation while you’re compelled to disregard the solid-looking handholds that encompass you.
Undead Citadel is mild on consolation choices. Past supporting seated and standing gameplay, the sport requires a tolerance for synthetic stick-based locomotion and there are not any movement vignettes, so you will want some resilience to VR movement illness to proceed. Snap turning is the one actual concession, whereas the sleek turning digicam has totally different velocity settings.
If Appears Might Kill
The PC VR model of Undead Citadel is an effective wanting sport, so the Quest iteration has a excessive bar to stay as much as. On this case, Undead Citadel would not a lot clip the bar because it does stroll proper beneath it.
Even from the calibration menu, issues have an oddly low-res high quality to them. The textures all through the sport really feel muddy, though the extra open and brightly lit areas fare significantly higher than their gloomier counterparts. When in comparison with Nomad and Swordsman although, Undead Citadel would not fare too badly.
Along with murky low-res textures, gadgets pop out and in of existence in an extremely distracting method. Rubble will seem as an vague mass after which pop into focus as you method. Somewhat than simply an overlay of texture, generally the form of the entire object will change utterly. It is jarring, ugly and one of many worst examples of texture popping that I’ve skilled on Quest.
The audio design is first rate however hardly triumphant. Weapons clang and conflict with affordable drive and heads make a satisfying crunch whereas collapsing below a blow, but the sounds lack a sure weight and resonance to make them shine.
Spatial audio is dependable, indicating the place attackers are coming from properly. It is truly glorious within the catacombs stage; the splashing sounds of approaching enemies echo down corridors convincingly. This straightforward audio part contributes quite a bit in the direction of making that sequence top-of-the-line components of the entire sport.
That stated, the voice appearing is overdone and the undulating rating that underpins the motion is totally forgettable. Very like different features of the sport, a couple of inconsistent components distract from what may in any other case be nice.
Undead Citadel Evaluation – Last Verdict
Undead Citadel is an motion sport redeemed solely by its fight. Darkish Curry’s sport includes a raft of graphical points on Quest, a story that gives little in the best way of plot or development, and a marketing campaign mired by repetition. There’s nonetheless some nice moments and good enjoyable available, and that’ll be sufficient for some. When you’re after a extra arcade-style tackle physics-based melee, this will likely have sufficient to maintain you .
UploadVR makes use of a 5-Star ranking system for our sport critiques β you may learn a breakdown of every star ranking in our assessment pointers.
