Archangel

Archangel fulfills the Pacific Rim mech fantasy we have yet to experience in a VR world. The fluid and engaging combat is a highlight, as is the solid tracking and intuitive controls. While there’s not a lot of replay value, it’s easily one of the most impressive ways to introduce someone to VR. If watching the trailer for Pacific Rim: Uprising makes your palms sweaty with excitement, you need Archangel in your life.

Archangel is a great game, but it's overall length and high price tag may put off many players. It's not hard to learn and super fun to blast everything in site like a futuristic Rambo, but I wish there was more to it than what is presented here. Side missions or maybe even some extra challenges would have helped out greatly. You can replay any mission you have completed, but that can only keep you busy for so long. Bottom line, I do highly recommend Archangel, as you will have a kick ass time. If it's length and price don't bother you, well, get it now and start blasting everything in site!

Enemies and locations are varied enough to keep things from getting stale, a selection of upgrades add a sense of progression and customisation, and though this isn’t a game that could work just as well without VR, it’s implemented well. Really, the gameplay is there to service the story, which is where Archangel shines brightest, and I’m just fine with that.

Archangel puts players into the cockpit of the only giant mech capable of resisting a global terrorist threat. It's a great way to spend an afternoon, although the higher price tag might turn off some players. If you want a finely crafted shooting gallery with a compelling story to match, climb aboard and prepare for battle.

Archangel is a game that shows a lot of promise from Skydance Interactive. There’s flaws with checkpoints and lip syncing, but the game’s presentation on the whole is great and none of that matters when you’re piloting the mech. You feel incredibly powerful as you easily brush aside smaller tanks and drones, while battling with larger enemies feel like a proper fight.

Another visually noteworthy PSVR game, Archangel blends immersive storytelling with a complex rail shooter to let players live out their mech fantasies. Very little replay value and a high launch price tag of $40 for a three to five hour game may drive away some, but Skydance Interactive has managed to capture the enveloping magic of virtual reality to tell a personal narrative while at the same time creating a strong VR rail shooter as the vehicle to tell it.

Archangel is a highly ambitious game despite the on-rails shooter genre to which it belongs. The mechanics of balancing weapons fire with energy shielding make for an engaging fighting system and its narrative tries to surpass expectation with creative choices, but it ultimately lacks the environmental detail and moments of awe that would have made its adventure a memorable one.