Fully immersed, but out of sync, this hammer doesn’t hit the nail on the head – Siege Hammer Review [GearVR]
VR gaming is a thing. There are plenty of VR games out there, and many who are using it for more than a gimmick. It is a very exciting time for technology, games, and for story-telling. However, VR is relatively new, and there are always hiccups with new things. Siege Hammer is a tower defense VR game available for the GearVR and Google Daydream. It is a hands-free playstyle that relies on gaze control.
In Siege Hammer you play as Blip, and are tasked with defending the kingdom using your mighty hammer to attack enemies and construct towers to aid you in your quest. The gameplay is simple, look at a point to construct a tower, look at an enemy to attack them, look at a menu button to press it. Very basic, and it is intuitive. It’s just not very engaging.
The story is very basic, which isn’t a bad thing because most stories are pretty much the same when broken down. But it doesn’t have a distinct flare that say something like Clash of Clans has. Which is doubly disappointing because the art style is very intriguing. I also feel the protagonist, Blip, is not memorable and unique. His name also feels like it contrasts with his character. Not like in a funny way where they call a huge Shaq-like guy ‘Tiny,’ but in a jolting confusing way like when you find out your mom’s name isn’t mom. He isn’t given a personality or actions that allow for any connection with the audience.
The gameplay is dull. A big draw to tower defense games is the increasing pace and difficulty of the oncoming horde. But since Siege Hammer is a hands-free VR game. you have look at something for a period of time until something happens. The time it takes between your attacks never feels like it decreases, so it never gets more intense but gets more and more frustrating as the enemies pick up pace and numbers.
The game also never feels to be fully in focus. The screen seems to scutter if you pan too quickly and I constantly found myself adjusting the focus ring. When it was in focus the game looked pretty good. Siege Hammer‘s design offered a unique take on a fantasy genre with distinctive accents on all of the towers and structures. The sound was also stereo and was not immersive. It didn’t matter if I wore headphones or upped the volume on my phone. Despite being able to move around the field, it felt like a two-dimensional game. Overall, it just never felt like it was ready for the wrath I wanted to unleash upon my enemies.
Siege Hammer is a slow paced tower defense game that doesn’t fully utilize the VR medium. I admire the attempt at making it hands-free, but it just makes the game feel like you’re playing a tower defense game with a mouse that can’t click. Even if this game was a 2D flash game, the pacing and mechanics would leave it a dull experience. Putting it in VR only enhances that. I give my Siege Hammer Review a 2/10
Siege Hammer is available now for $3.99 at http://siegehammer.co/
Siege Hammer [GearVR]
- Story - 1/101/10
- Gameplay - 2/102/10
- Mechanics - 3/103/10
The Verdict
Siege Hammer is a slow paced tower defense game that doesn’t fully utilize the VR medium. I admire the attempt at making it hands-free, but it just makes the game feel like you’re playing a tower defense game with a mouse that can’t click. Even if this game was a 2D flash game, the pacing and mechanics would leave it a dull experience. Putting it in VR only enhances that.