Demons have become unruly and the gods have no time for the problem. Arm yourself in Hellsweeper VR and clean up the mess.
Reigning in demons is no easy task. But the underworld in Hellsweeper VR is in need of some dire cleanup. Demons have gotten loose and are causing untold amounts of chaos. In their wake is mess after mess in each stage of the underworld. Unleash the powers of hellfire, conjure demonically powerful weapons, and put demons back in their place.
Demons have become unruly in the absence of the gods. With no one to punish them, they think to reign free without repercussion. At the behest of the True Vine, a demonic sentient tree, it is your duty to quell these hellish riots. Bestowed with power that the True Vine has allowed access to, Hellsweeper VR makes one a glorified hell janitor.
Cut through the hordes of nightmarish foes and bring order back to the pits of hell. From developer Mixed Realms comes a survival horror game that will test both your mettle and your patience. Are you prepared to show these demons what you are made of?
Most virtual reality games are straightforward when it comes to controls. Hellsweeper VR is no different. Before even getting a chance to fight demons, the talking bug tells one that the tutorial is extremely important. Seeing as it was a talking bug from the depths of hell, he sounded like he could be trusted. Thank the True Vine that it is such a comprehensive one. Going in blind to fight demons here is a very bad idea. Learning through the tutorial allows one to be far more fascinated with the higher-level attacks.
At most, the player is allowed a total of four power-ups. These Hellsweeper VR ‘power-ups’ can be summoned by flicking the controls either up, down, inward, or outward. The first few available are hellfire magic, an iron sword, or a revolver pistol.
Setting the swords to be summoned with a downward flick just felt right. Not knowing how to use the magic in Hellsweeper VR, even after the tutorial, choosing the fire was admittedly an afterthought. Fighting with the swords is interesting once thrown into the heat of battle. It is important for someone playing Hellsweeper VR to have a lot of room, as the environment is fully rendered in 360 view. Taking this into account, one can wildly swing the sword in the most ridiculous fashion, dispatching quite a few enemies in the process.
Wielding two swords as one dispatches various enemies is an amazing feeling. If one sword doesn’t feel like enough, summon another and add to the chaos of it all. Don’t feel like jumping to strike at the flying heads? Throw the steel with enough accuracy and see the dead bat-head at the end of your weapon. There is literally no end to how many times one is allowed to summon their demon-fighting weapons. So throwing swords left and right can sometimes become a thing.
Striking enemies with a sword in Hellsweeper VR might quickly lose its stylish flair. But the ability to wield weapons telekinetically makes things even better. Pressing down on either analog stick will send the swords (or revolvers) flying and highlight them in blue. Pulling on the analog sticks will spin the swords wildly in whatever direction the stick is pulled.
Wielding the pistols with TK is also possible. But it does not have the fluid feel that it does when using swords. Despite that, one can still knock demons on the sides of the heads with floating pistols. And when a demon faces the player character, it makes for a hilarious kill shot. The revolvers may be projectiles, but they can also be used to block enemy melee attacks. It is a surreal experience blocking a vicious claw and delivering a final blow to a demon’s face up close.
One of the upgrades for the pistol is the ricochet. Turning the gun sideways will bounce a bullet off whatever surface it’s aimed at. This works fantastically when turning around to face the enemy will take a little too long. If the guns break before the horde is down, just chuck the guns at the closest monster and summon another pair of revolvers.
Fire is another story entirely when it comes to fighting the demons. On its own, provided the wielder is of adequate skill, hellfire can be a devastating weapon. If it is too much trouble, summoning and slapping the fire into a sword or pistol is an option. Aside from that, there are major attacks like flamethrowers or the fire vortex.
Using the ‘flamethrower’ power, it’s easy to set groups of enemies on fire. But the vortex is where its devastating power shines. After getting an upgrade between stages in Hellsweeper VR, the flame vortex is created when two fireballs are slammed together. This will levitate the character with the power of the flames. Holding the controls like one is holding a ball summons a reticle. Keep it up for long enough, and the vortex will concentrate into a volatile fireball, exploding on impact. As useful as the attack can be, it is best left for use only when one feels extremely overwhelmed.
Swords, guns, and fire are not the only way to fight in Hellsweeper VR. Moving around the environment is as important as the weapons used to dispatch the unruly demons. Pushing the right analog stick summoned a targeting arch, allowing movement to where the circle at the end appeared. If an arrow appeared anywhere on the circle, it meant that wall-running could be done. Seeing a wall run in the first person had me feeling like a ‘weapon of fate.’
If one needed to act fast, the dismembered parts of a demon made amazing weapons. The cages that acted as the mask for some enemies made an excellent shield. Paired with the claw hand, it made a surprisingly versatile combo.
In addition to sailing through the air and running on walls, one is also afforded the ability to slow time down. It is a simple power in Hellsweeper VR, activated by pressing A, that can spell the difference between victory and defeat. Some of the monsters have a fair bit of hit points, making it even harder to take them down. Slowing down time around these mini-boss creatures allows for what amounts to a combo strike.
No matter how much I prepared, it sometimes didn’t feel like enough. But, thanks to the fact that each sweep is another chance to practice, combining different powers becomes fun. One might be able to twirl a blade and keep bipedal demons at bay as they take potshots at the flying bat-heads.
Scattered throughout each level are pillars and chests. The pillars, sometimes referred to as totems, are decorated with runes and come in various colors. Contained within a few of these are the keys to the various chests. Within each chest, there can be either an upgrade or a variable amount of currency. One of the hidden goodies in these chests is the sword’s Blade Wave attack. Holding the bottom trigger, one could charge the sword with red energy. Timing the release of the trigger with the swing, one could release an energy wave that could hit multiple targets before dissipating.
Not all of these totems in Hellsweeper VR are inert. Some of them are adorned with demon masks, shooting projectiles while the player attempts to complete certain objectives. Because they seem to be living, they must be attacked repeatedly and with heavy attacks. When a horde was at my back, and a living totem was a problem, slowing down time was necessary to deliver enough strikes safely.
The chests also allowed one to stack mana or health upgrades if that was their choice. In addition, one could gain access to the ethereal shop of Hellsweeper VR. With the currency gained from each sweep, multiple upgrades to a single item were available. Some of the upgrade sets were expensive, but they eventually paid off in the long run.
Hellsweeper VR is a fantastic treat for the eyes. One can only imagine how many different shades of red there are. Putting on the Meta Quest 2 and seeing this iteration of hell, it is amazing to see such a diverse palette using a single color. Doing the usual thing that most people do, I looked down and was relieved to see that my character possessed actual legs. This isn’t a common occurrence. But it’s always hilarious to test if a developer thought to render a character’s legs.
Each of the demons is surprisingly detailed. There is enough variety in enemy design so that they are not boring. The flying bat-head creatures were truly frightening. Not only did they have detailed bat wings attached to their sides, but their fangs were visible clear as day. The environments themselves also vary in layout, even if going on a second run through the same place.
The voice acting in Hellsweeper VR is phenomenal. While it is only the beetle speaking, the actor does an amazing job of being the character’s inner voice. Developers do an excellent job of making sure the demons invoke fear with their growls. It’s hard for a title to really sell the ‘underworld’ setting if the demons don’t sound like they’re welcoming you to their home.
Hellsweeper VR is amazing as a survival horror game. And it is doubly fascinating how the developers adapt the virtual reality controls. It is not an easy feat to assign so many controls to something with so few buttons. Combining the motion sensors of the Meta Quest 2 along with its controllers made combat feel much more fluid.
It is really easy to get injured playing this game. Ensure that there is adequate space to step and swing. Additionally, I would not recommend this title to anyone who is easily stricken with motion sickness. Getting extremely immersed is both a blessing and a curse. High immersion allowed me to enjoy the game, but it also tipped me off balance enough to almost fall.
Hellsweeper VR is great for those already versed in virtual reality. There’s plenty to do, and there is never a shortage of demons to slice and shoot through. The ability to look at past runs and their scores gives players an incentive to pick up the controls and get back to Hellsweeper VR once more. With the addition of a co-op, players will be able to double the carnage and team up with friends to sweep through the underworld.
