Asgard's Wrath 2 Hands-On: Setting a New Standard for Quest Games

If you're new to VR, you probably haven't played Asgard's Wrath. It's Sanzaru. Games在2019年推出的一款由Meta资助的RPG游戏。当时，这款30多个小时的冒险游戏是首批“3A”级别的VR游戏之一，并基本上为VR的可能性设定了标准。现在，Sanzaru再次做到了这一点，并为QuestThe game sets a whole new benchmark.

到目前为止，我只玩了8个多小时的《Asgard’s Wrath 2》，所以这是一次“上手体验”，而不是标准的评测。这款游戏续作一般需要100多个小时的任务、掠夺、地下城冒险和战斗，而你会认为这根本不像Quest游戏，因为如果只是凭借手机级别的芯片组，这款游戏本应该更小、更低密度、更少动态和更低响应性。

好吧，当我说“应该”的时候，我指的是过去的情况。很明显，开发者正在努力破解这个难题，并制作出接近PC VR的Quest游戏。尽管你不需要1亿美元的开发预算就能达到PC VR的视觉高度（如《红色物质 2》），但你确实需要达到《Asgard’s Wrath 2》所实现的规模和深度。

Here's how Sanzaru describes the game: "Awaken, Guardian of the Universe. The fate of reality is in your hands. Traverse the vast realms inhabited by the gods and hunt down the false god Loki who threatens to unravel the threads of the universe. You'll be stepping into one of the grandest and most epic scale action RPGs in VR. Alongside legendary Egyptian gods, you'll engage in physically-based, instinctive battles with deadly warriors and mind-blowing mythical creatures through unique weapons and gameplay styles. As you explore a vast free-roaming world and solve intriguing god-like puzzles, you can dominate unique mortal heroes and transform loyal animals into your own warrior followers."

Asgard's Wrath 2 still has more to explore, at least after I finished the full length game. More dungeon opportunities, for example, as there seem to be tons of hidden areas to clear, plus tons of environmental puzzles to solve, and tons of treasure to loot in addition to the main quest line. The map is also very expansive, making it seem more like an open world game. Of course, even though it's not, the grand scale of this one is still impressive.

Despite the presence of a large number of multisubsystems, Asgard's Wrath 2 seems to stay away from combat complexity, and I think that's a good thing in general. The sequel is clearly more approachable than the original Asgard's Wrath, which focused primarily on the evasion system. You must first dodge or block to bring down an enemy's defenses before knocking them down with a standard strike.

Ultimately, it's up to you how you deal with your enemies, and this seems like a good compromise. Regardless, combat requires significant body movement, so make room and bin to away from TVs, monitors, kids, pets, and any items you don't want to dry shatter.

In addition to facing a wide variety of normal enemies, you'll experience real "wow" moments when encountering specific huge bosses in the game. These bosses have so far felt like real encounters rather than pre-planned level endings that feel a little too "gamified". It all feels like an epic experience that changes the perception of Quest, as most Quest games tend to be shorter and smaller in scope due to budget constraints.

That said, Asgard's Wrath 2 still relies on most of the tricks of traditional gaming, though most have transferred well to VR and look native enough. Take, for example, the over-the-top animations. Adventure RPGs are indeed full of such elements, but instead of being stuck in a virtual arena and watching over-acted transitions, you'll be experiencing the transitions in question in a much more natural VR way, such as riding on top of a bird's back and experiencing programmed transitions in the memories of key characters.

One of the highlights of Asgard's Wrath 2 is the plethora of environmental puzzles, most of which require the player to take on the form of their deity and guide your mortal character to an objective in a sort of single-player co-op mode. Examples include tinkering with a hook and pulley system, or moving rocks to properly balance giant scales while reverting to your mortal form to pull levers, or jumping on platforms to move forward. I'm only playing the core part of the game right now, but so far I think the game is filled with tons of other engaging puzzle opportunities.

In addition to the main quest line, the game simultaneously hides a rogue-like minigame and puts your dungeon to the test of the world leaderboards. You can choose whether or not to participate in this, but it should be noted that if you decide to take on the challenge, you'll be able to swipe specific gear and items and allow you to advance through the main game more easily.

Finally, I can't wait to invest more time in playing Asgard's Wrath 2. Other games may pass and be done, but Asgard's Wrath 2 is just beginning to unravel the layers of its story, and I'm pretty sure it's an epic that's worth the time it takes to play. It's worth buying a long data cable or battery headband in case you need to charge your headset at least 50 times before the end credits roll.