With "Archangel" (VR), you can feel big and save the whole of humanity from an apocalypse in proper arcade-baller style. Developer studio Skydance Interactive has released a very polished mech shooter. So far, the shooter has only been available for PSVR - but not yet in Switzerland. However, you can now play the title on PC.
[/g1_lead] With "Archangel" from Skydance Interactive you are travelling with a giant mech robot. You also have to free the world from the clutches of an evil adversary. In between, there are all kinds of upgrades for weapons and shields. But first you have to watch as your own son disappears in a collapsing building. It may be a mechanical habit that the neuronally networked giant mech asks you what feelings are running through your head - namely iron revenge. You'd better explain it to your mech mate quickly, because there's hardly any time for human emotions.
Tackle with your hands
Archangel" is all about the two giant robot arms. Using the motion controllers, you can not only fire rockets and regular artillery with the machine guns, but also fold out two transparent shields. The fact that the shields only hold for a limited time should not irritate you. Skilful balance is required here! If you fire a volley with your right hand, you have to use the left shield. If you bombard yourself with grenades, simply switch straight away - the shield defence is then transferred to the right arm. But that's not all: you can also use the tinny fist weapons to smash a bridge or whip snappy robot dogs out of the way. And there are plenty of alternative weapons such as laser torpedoes and homing grenades. All unlimited, of course. Although reloading takes a little time, depending on the weapon. Otherwise you better switch quickly.
In the game, however, you don't move around freely, but walk straight ahead. However, this doesn't interfere with either the gameplay or the VR immersion. If you don't know how to counter the enemies with a shield and shot from the right angle at the right time, you will quickly end up in digital metal nirvana.
Enemy in sight!
The sublime view from the giant mech robot triggers a certain VR thrill. That's why you want to embark on the adventure straight away, as there has never been anything quite like it in the VR landscape. But you're not completely on your own. In familiar Star Fox style, a ship from your own regiment always rushes to your side and you are constantly given hints, for example when you have to destroy a dynamo of an enemy shield or when a kamikaze plane is about to attack you. In an emergency, when you can no longer defend yourself, you can also use both hands to defend yourself and thus minimise the damage.
At the beginning, you even have the choice between a male or female character. Side note: I have only played through the game with my male counterpart on the normal level so far. The sometimes rather forced story with few dialogues may be slightly different with the female protagonist. I'm already curious. That's why I'm not going to rate the story here yet, because I don't think it's the core element.
Average play length with replay value
"Archangel" is very challenging. Even on the easy and normal level, you won't get very far if you don't defend yourself skilfully and keep an eye on everything. However, the checkpoints are always fairly placed. Nevertheless, for 29 francs, the title can be played through in around four to five hours. This could keep you entertained despite the short gameplay: There are optional weapon and shield upgrades after each main mission. So start again from the beginning!
The graphics on the HTC Vive impress with crisp textures and a diverse range of enemies, coupled with many glistening explosions and flashing machine bullets. Even when you die, the cockpit, which is ablaze with sparks, is still a final visual treat. However, additional control of the weapon sounds would be desirable. Unfortunately, the orchestral "Gears of War" music almost drowns out the harmonious weapon effects a little.
A few bugs and crashes
Speaking of sound: I initially had a sound problem on the HTC Vive. Music and sound effects were not present at first. Reloading the latest Nvidia drivers and a quick integrity check in the game library (by right-clicking or under Properties/local files) did not fix the problem either. If you are experiencing this problem, you may also need to quit SteamVR and restart it. Although the game is otherwise very polished in every respect, there were about two mission points where it was suddenly no longer possible to continue playing or the game crashed.
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