In Blood & Truth, PlayStation has the definitive must-play PSVR experience. Astro Bot is a great game but it neither uses the VR tech in as interesting and satisfying ways nor does it include as high production values.
Not to take anything away from Astro Bot, but Blood & Truth is phenomenal.
It’s a fully fledged, action blockbuster and not a moment is wasted from start to finish.
Blood & Truth Review
Essentially, Blood & Truth is a modern take on the old Time Crisis formula. However, instead of stepping on a switch to pop out of cover, you actually duck and move to hide and avoid enemy gunfire.
Instead of holding a plastic gun in your hand and aiming at a screen, you hold Move controllers and aim them inside the virtual space. And it is fucking awesome.
I’ve been pretty sceptical about VR for a while. Most VR games make me feel woozy at best and vomity at worst. When I booted up Blood & Truth and made my first movements through the world, my stomach was not pleased. Thankfully, after about 15-20 minutes of play, I stopped feeling ill altogether.
I’m not sure if this is the case with all VR games and I’ve just not persevered before or if Blood & Truth’s handling of motion is better. The fact that I pushed on through the sick feeling is a testament to just how well Blood & Truth plays and how much fun it is.
Move, Move, Move
As you hold two Move controllers to play, you don’t move by pushing a control stick, instead, you look where you want to go and when an illuminated triangle appears you simply press the face button. You character moves swiftly into position and if you’re able to, you can strafe left or right by pressing ⚪ or X.
Getting a handle on movement, aiming, strafing, ducking and shooting takes a minute as it’s not overly intuitive. But once you get it, it becomes second nature. Moving between cover, firing at enemies and hiding becomes easier the longer you play. By the end, you’ll be a pro.
Other actions you perform also take some getting used to. You reload by holding your off hand to your chest until you feel a rumble. When you do, you press the trigger and grab a clip.
Then, you move your hand from your chest towards your other hand, let go of the trigger. You’re also able to hold four weapons at a time; two in holsters and two on your back.
Guns for Days
To holster your pistols you reach to your hips and press the trigger and to holster your larger guns you reach behind your shoulders and do the same. When the action gets hectic, swapping guns in the midst of battle and pulling out dual-wield sawn-off shotguns is incredible.
You feel like a real action hero.
Especially when you’re aiming in two different directions, taking out goon after goon after goon all while moving seamlessly through the world without a scratch.
Aside from the shooting galleries, Blood & Truth does feature some quieter gameplay. You’ll hack cameras and terminals, pick locks, cut wires and deactivate power and more. Each of these makes really great use of the Move controllers and feels natural to perform.
The best thing about the Move controllers is that instead of standing in for an object or a weapon, they’re actually your in-game hands. So where you move your hands in the real world, they move in-game.
Clambering Upwards
Some of my favourite moments in Blood & Truth happen outside of combat. Swinging across monkey bars, climbing up buildings and sneaking through vents all include movement you need to perform. They’re all basically variations on a theme; you move your hands, grab on then use your other hand to grab the next.
It’s incredibly intuitive and naturalistic and when I was clambering through vents and up walls, I couldn’t help but feel like John McClane.
I don’t want to get into the plot of Blood & Truth as it’s actually pretty great and the performances by the actors are definitely worth checking out. Basically, Blood & Truth is a gangster/crime story with an interesting twist. Unfortunately, the cliffhanger ending leaves lots unanswered and it feels like a cheap ploy to either sell DLC or a sequel.
That being said, I’d totally be up for both. More Blood & Truth can only be a good thing.
Best of the Best
Blood & Truth is the absolute best of its kind and the definitive reason to own a PSVR. It includes showstopping gameplay, brand-new and amazing ways to interact with the world and never ceases to be more fun than it has any right being.
As I said, I’ve been sceptical of VR for the longest time and although I enjoyed Moss and Astro Bot, neither one has the same spectacle as Blood & Truth.
It’s a true blockbuster and an absolute must play.
Blood & Truth was reviewed on PS4 and PSVR using a digital code provided by PlayStation.
PowerUp! Reviews
Game Title: Blood & Truth
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Best Use of VR to Date - 9.3/109.3/10
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Incredibly satisfying gunplay - 9.1/109.1/10
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Cliffhanger is a bummer - 5/105/10
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Impeccable Sound Design - 8/108/10
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PSVR Must Play - 10/1010/10
