AGAINST
- December 16, 2021
- Joy Way
- 31h median play time
Get on Steam"AGAINST is a single-player shooter game with an intriguing story set in 1930s America, where you fight against deadly enemies and dreadful bosses in rhythmic combat, all presented in a splendid dark comic-style with fabulous graphics and ingenious music. The game allows you to play custom levels or create your own, offering a unique experience of slicing henchmen and mowing them down while dodging obstacles and running up walls."
PC
Virtual Reality
Windows
Oculus Rift
Reviews
- The game features a unique blend of mechanics from popular VR rhythm games like Beat Saber and Pistol Whip, providing a fresh and engaging experience.
- Visually stunning with a noir comic book style, the graphics and art direction are highly praised, enhancing the overall immersion.
- The gameplay is fun and offers a good workout, with a variety of weapons and movement mechanics that keep the action dynamic.
- The game suffers from poor rhythm synchronization, making it difficult for players to feel connected to the music and timing of their actions.
- Many players report bugs and issues with hit detection, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences where actions do not register as intended.
- The game has limited content, with a short campaign that can be completed quickly, and concerns about the lack of ongoing developer support have been raised.
- music128 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the soundtrack and its fit with the game's aesthetic, while others criticize the lack of synchronization between the music and gameplay actions. Many noted that the combat often feels disconnected from the rhythm, leading to a frustrating experience where timing is unclear. However, the inclusion of custom song options offers potential for improvement and variety in the future.
“The soundtrack is married to the movement as you punch, slice, and shoot bad guys to the beat.”
“I wasn't sure how I would feel about the music, but what's here I love and it matches with the whole aesthetic of the game very well.”
“It's got excellent art direction, a bangin' soundtrack, insane gameplay and a custom beat-map maker on launch.”
“It was kind of there, but even on hard, the flow of the combat didn't really connect with the song the way you get in Beat Saber and Synth Riders.”
“As it stands now, the game boils down to a clunky set of rigidly arranged hand movements you need to perform in time (and a lot of times the timing isn't clear) to music.”
“The content that is there is not really good either; at least when I played it, the music sync felt very awkward in some sections.”
- gameplay101 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Against" has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the variety and mechanics reminiscent of popular titles like Beat Saber and Pistol Whip, while others criticize it for feeling clunky, unresponsive, and lacking a cohesive rhythm. Many noted that the introduction of new mechanics can be abrupt and disrupt the flow, leading to a disconnect between the music and gameplay prompts. Overall, while the game shows potential and offers engaging elements, it requires further polish and balance to enhance the overall experience.
“The gameplay itself is challenging, rewarding, and will make you break out into a sweat all the while feeling like a ninja badass.”
“It combines a lot of different mechanics and each one feels awesome in its own way.”
“It's got excellent art direction, a bangin' soundtrack, insane gameplay, and a custom beat-map maker on launch.”
“The gunplay is worse than Pistol Whip, the sabering is worse than Beat Saber, and all of the punching, dodging, and wall-running mechanics feel very stiff and cludged on.”
“The game lacks variation, and sadly this title just doesn't have enough meat in the gameplay to make me even consider playing through the bonus songs, let alone coming back.”
“While the aesthetics are good, the comic story panels are interesting, and the workout you get is really strong, I can feel the game using mechanics from Beat Saber, Pistol Whip, and Powerbeats at every corner without understanding what made these games so fun to play.”
- story98 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally viewed as a standard, cheesy action narrative with a campy tone, featuring a noir-style detective and villain. While the visual style and comic panels are appreciated, many players find the story to be short and lacking depth, with some noting that it feels rushed between levels. Overall, the story is not the primary draw for players, who tend to enjoy the gameplay mechanics more than the narrative itself.
“I find it fun to play overall and it has a cool story, cool format, and cool execution.”
“It has a storyline, like the cinematic missions of Pistol Whip, starring a hilariously voice acted noir style detective, and a similarly hilariously voice acted villain, both of whom chew the scenery in glorious fashion.”
“Shame it's a short story but an interesting twist at the end.”
“I feel that $15.00 would be a more fair price for how short the story is.”
“- the voice acting for the storyline is not good.”
“- story mode leaves a lot to be desired.”
- graphics76 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant comic book noir art style and smooth animations, which contribute to an appealing visual experience. However, some players noted issues with clunky gameplay and input lag that detracted from the overall aesthetic enjoyment. Overall, while the visuals are generally considered impressive, there are concerns about their integration with gameplay mechanics.
“The visuals and concept behind this game are fantastic.”
“The graphics are pretty impressive and it has a cool noir style.”
“Beautiful graphics.”
“Dull telegraphing graphics, smooth enemy motions, and generic noises for hit sounds fail to mesh with the otherwise impressive comic book noir theme the game has going for it.”
“The sword swings are cues too easily missed in the visuals.”
“The game could be a little bit better optimized as changing the graphics settings seemed to have no impact whatsoever on the game's input lag, which felt much higher than it was because of the few things I'll mention below.”
- optimization16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with many players noting performance issues typical of early access titles. While some users have reported improvements and are optimistic about future updates, others have expressed disappointment regarding streaming capabilities and input lag, indicating that further optimization is needed.
“Update: learned from the dev that some of my concerns are actively being improved and optimized, so I am modifying my review to recommend this game.”
“Great optimization.”
“It's not really optimized for streaming in mixed reality, which is disappointing because it would be great there.”
“I personally had issues with Airlink and stuttering at the time of this review, but that doesn't mean that won't get better in the future.”
“The game could be a little bit better optimized as changing the graphics settings seemed to have no impact whatsoever on the game's input lag, which felt much higher than it was because of the few things I'll mention below.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Despite a limited number of levels, the game offers high replayability due to its rhythm-based mechanics, encouraging players to improve their scores and tackle higher difficulty modes. The potential addition of a beatmap editor further enhances replay value, promising endless gameplay opportunities. Overall, players find themselves returning frequently for both enjoyment and challenge.
“The campaign isn't very big for now, I'm 40 minutes in and I think I'm only missing the final level on easy mode, but there is great replay value since it's a rhythm game. You can always replay it to try and get a better score, and then I'll have normal and hard mode to complete, which must be insane!”
“This isn't about the amount of content as much as it is replayability, and I can see myself firing this up at least every other day to keep me less sedentary.”
“The beatmap editor hasn't dropped yet, but this kind of tool at launch to allow infinite replayability is just fantastic.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs that affect gameplay, such as unresponsive sword mechanics, audio glitches, and issues with custom maps and menus. Many feel the game has been abandoned since 2022, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from enjoyment. Overall, players recommend avoiding the game due to its persistent instability.
“Custom maps and menus are buggy in general.”
“Even if they update with an option to edit in the headset, there's still several bugs (objects not going where you want them to, audio glitches, enemy spawn bugs, the list goes on).”
“If you got 2k and a 32" monitor - do not buy this buggy mess.”
- humor4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, featuring a hilariously voice-acted noir detective and villain who deliver comedic performances that enhance the storyline. Their over-the-top antics and engaging dialogue contribute to a delightfully entertaining experience.
“The game is frickin' hilarious.”
“It has a storyline, like the cinematic missions of Pistol Whip, starring a hilariously voice-acted noir-style detective and a similarly hilariously voice-acted villain, both of whom chew the scenery in glorious fashion.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players express that grinding in the game is so demanding that it feels like it requires an extra life to manage effectively.
“You'll need a second life for grinding, mate.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding, mate.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features a monetization model that is free from microtransactions and advertisements, providing a seamless experience for players.
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express that the game evokes a strong sense of empowerment, making them feel like superheroes. This emotional connection enhances their overall gaming experience.
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally regarded as solid and immersive, though not exceptional. Overall, it effectively contributes to the gaming experience.
“Not the best, but very solid and atmospheric.”
