Staring at a black screen, I approached the spire. It was towering over me until it filled my vision and I reached out to grab ahold of its golden handle. I had a moment of hesitation as I put one virtual foot into space before pulling myself up onto the peak with the full realization that my fear of heights would not save me from falling hundreds of feet below if my grip slipped.
“That’s right! You’re mine now!” came the voice from beyond the tower where victory awaited. My fear dissipated and we played another round –I’d recapture what was once mine and he’d prove his dominance yet again. As I pulled back my arm to hurl fireballs down upon him, our familiar banter lifted my spirits and reminded me why I’d come back for more.
This is the kind of enjoyment you can get from playing Until You Fall (YJM Games), an asymmetrical PvP arena game for the Oculus Quest, especially if you’re a fan of fighting games and/or spell-slinging duels in general.
As far as fighting games go, it has all the basic ingredients: you and your opponent take turns pummeling each other while trying to shield or counterattack when their guard is down. Playing until either one player loses twice is what makes this experience so enjoyable because neither one gets bored waiting to strike once they’ve figured out their enemy’s pattern.
Of course, the twist to this type of battle royale is that you’re not just a master of hand-to-hand combat: you’ve got the full arsenal of magic spells and projectiles at your disposal. So, rather than simply outmanoeuvring or overpowering your opponent with pure skill, it’s also about reading what kind of spell they’ll use and figuring out how to cancel it before they unleash its destruction upon you.
The simpler spells can be given an element (air, earth, fire, water) as well as a secondary effect (poison, heal self/others) which makes them more effective against certain types of enemies. A nice touch is the ability to put some distance between yourself and your enemy by teleporting from one position to another on a short cooldown. Also, you can add a little variety to your own playstyle by customizing your character’s colour scheme and outfit.
In terms of presentation, everything from the music to the sound effects really gives off an authentic fighting game vibe, especially when you land a final blow or do a perfect dodge! It feels great to pull off a combo too because of how quickly the action unfolds before you: there is no downtime between moves so it’s not hard to get caught up in the moment.
What makes this even more immersive is that each match lasts only 2-3 minutes which adds up very quickly into hours spent standing atop towers shooting spells at each other across long chasms below. Even though this isn’t graphically intensive, it still requires enough processing power to make the gameplay smooth and it does not overheat as quickly as some other more demanding games on this device. In my opinion, that’s awesome!
In conclusion, give this a download if you’re into PvP action with a hint of magic thrown in for good measure.
So long as you have a friend to play against –or someone you can beat up after they’ve proven themselves– you’ll get your money’s worth out of it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Until You Fall is available now on the Oculus Quest!