Behemoth’s titanic battles and close combat are a great reason to play VR again

thesixthaxis.com:

Coming off the backs of their two excellent The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners games, expectations are naturally very high for Skydance’s Behemoth. Though it was quickly overshadowed by Half-Life: Alyx, Saints & Sinners was an outstanding example of what virtual reality could do, with open areas to explore, tons of interactivity, and increasingly desperate combat against growing hordes of zombies. The new and original setting of Behemoth comes with a wholly different tone, but it could be another defining, must-play VR experience across all the major platforms.

Players will take on the role of a diseased wanderer lost in the frigid Forsaken Lands, filled with ruins and dominated by the towering creatures that give the game its name. The elevator pitch naturally gives plenty of Shadow of the Colossus vibes, but the pacing and the actual experience here will be completely different to the PS2 classic.

The combat is at the core of this experience, leaning even further into the melee-heavy nature of Saints & Sinners. It’s immensely satisfying going toe-to-toe with the human foes who stand against you, with the need for a somewhat cautious approach to blocking incoming attacks – either with a shield by holding your blade perpendicular to the incoming attack – before striking back. Time it right and you can push back at an incoming strike, staggering your enemy and opening them up to your own swipe or stab. Single-handed short swords will be a go-to for many, and you have a magic sword that will always return to your inventory slot if you walk away too far. The rest of the time you’ll be scavenging two-handed broadswords, axes, wooden shields and everything else from the environment or fallen enemies. There’s also bows and arrows if you want to try and snipe at enemies, though I struggled to get my aim quite right.

One thing that I was particularly happy to see was that two-handed weapons don’t wave around uncontrollably when held single-handed. You do need two hands in