"A First Draft, Not A Final Cut" - Arashi: Castles of Sin - Final Cut Review

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2023 has been a big year for VR stealth games, with major franchises like and entering the space to create some generally solid experiences. Stacked up against this kind of competition, it's easy to miss a title like , a re-release of a PSVR game that's finally available across a more complete spectrum of platforms. Developed by Endeavor One and published by Skydance Interactive, has its fair share of attractive elements, but it's ultimately weighed down by problems that feel like they should have been fixed before it returned to the market.

is a VR rendition of a classic ninja fantasy, putting players into the shoes of a rogue operator seeking to take down an array of corrupt bandit lords abusing their power across Japan. The set-up and structure are simple, assigning all the villains thematically appropriate sins and placing them in castles that must be infiltrated to seize the opportunity for assassinations. Of course, the grounds of every castle are crawling with guards, posing a familiar sort of challenge that involves plenty of sneaking and slicing alike.

The gameplay of is fairly basic on most levels, but the big dose of complexity comes from an array of tools that outdoes most competing VR offerings. A katana and tanto serve as the primary weapons, but it doesn't take long to start unlocking alternate options, which quickly fill up slots on the player's chest, hips, and back. What's even better is the inclusion of a wolf, who will happily restrain enemies, dig up treasure, and play fetch in the brief bridge segments between levels.

's array of equipment is generally well-thought-out, with a variety of advantages and drawbacks that make smart gameplay rely on choosing the right tool for every scenario. Putting