Virtual reality hardware has seen significant advancements in recent years. While hardware giants do their best to deliver powerful tech to consumers, developers are pushing the tech to its limits. The PSVR was an interesting and cumbersome peripheral, held back by several limitations, one being its insane number of chords. In 2021, Arashi: Castles of Sin was released, but I fear that it was so close to the end of that console’s life that many didn’t have the chance to play this Tenshu-like VR experience.
Well, developer Endeavor One is breathing new life into this title with the release of Arashi: Castles of Sin – Final Cut on PSVR2, PCVR, Meta Quest 2, and Meta Quest 3 on December 5. While this version doesn’t change the foundation of the original game, it does provide a few notable enhanced updates that could potentially hold you off until their next release.
I was able to experience a brief look at Arashi: Castles of Sin – Final Cut. Stealth is the name of the game here, with tools and situations crafted around these mechanics. Still, there seem to be multiple ways of approaching situations during a mission, whether that be using your bow or a blowdart tool. However, being spotted creates a more chaotic situation where you can’t move on to the next mission until the alerted enemies have been dealt with.
The melee combat allows you to wield a sword. Utilizing actions such as block and sword skills seems to come in handy, but doing this all in the VR space has me worried about my surroundings. I can only imagine slicing down my invisible sword only to knock over my TV. Regardless, the overall flow of these encounters requires some strategy as you block and follow up with short-blade attacks. It creates a rhythm in the action, but you have to pay attention to enemy telegraphs to get through these battles unscathed.
This gameplay has always been present in Arashi: Castles of Sin, but this Final Cut release shows improvement in the overall presentation. In short, the game looks great, running on more powerful hardware, but it may still be held back by its PSVR roots. The movement is all well-tracked, and the actions seem fluid, but from an AI standpoint, I do hope to see an improvement in enemy reactions and patterns.
For those who purchased a PSVR2 or those looking to pick up a Meta Quest 3, Arashi: Castles of Sin – Final Cut makes for an excellent introductory experience in VR. It really delivers an all-around sampling of many VR action systems, from stealth to sword fights and even some gunplay. The devs have created a wonderful playground of tense action.
Arashi: Castles of Sin – Final Cut may have been released two years ago, but this updated version makes it appear brand new. In Fact, publisher Skydance Interactive is one of the few who seem to really believe in this tech and push its capabilities. As a platform that is seeing more and more advancements from a hardware perspective, it’s initiatives like this that will help developers get the most out of the tech. Sure, I’ll be waiting for what the team delivers next, but it’s great to have something to hold me over for now.
