Arken Age

About

Arken Age is a single player role playing shooter game with fantasy and science fiction themes. It was developed by VitruviusVR and was released on January 16, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

JOIN OUR DISCORD About the Game About Arken Age Arken Age is a VR action-adventure game set in the Bio-Chasm—a terraformed fantasy world created by the Grand Arborist. Engage in full physics combat using Arkenite infused swords & guns—and freely explore the densely filled environments under siege by Hyperion's neural corruption. Key Features Physics Combat- Shoot, dismember, and …

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92%

Audience ScoreBased on 400 reviews

gameplay79 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

Exceptional VR mechanics and controls, including intuitive climbing, swimming, weapon customization, and physics-based combat that is satisfying and varied.
Beautiful and immersive environments with detailed worldbuilding, encouraging exploration with rewarding collectables and secrets.
Well-optimized performance across platforms, polished gameplay, and meaningful progression with a solid 10-15+ hour campaign and replayability through new game plus.

Limited enemy variety and some repetitiveness in environments and combat encounters, including bullet sponge enemies and frequent respawns.
Melee combat can feel clunky or floaty at times, with occasional issues in parrying, blocking, and weapon feedback that reduce immersion.
Story and narrative are considered thin or confusing by some players, with an ending regarded as underwhelming and occasional difficulty spikes in boss fights.

gameplay
157 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
47%
3%
The gameplay of the game is widely praised for its fun, engaging, and polished VR mechanics, particularly the intuitive and satisfying climbing system using wrist-mounted pickaxes, dynamic combat, exploration, and crafting elements. Players highlight the seamless integration of various VR features, solid physics-based interactions, and a balanced gameplay loop that combines fighting, traversal, and discovery in a richly detailed world. While some note repetitive enemy design and minor combat or control issues, the overall gameplay experience is considered immersive, versatile, and one of the best in VR gaming.
- “The climbing mechanic is superb and very fun to use, and also very intuitive.”
- “Arken Age nails a perfect balance of fun VR mechanics and enjoyable gameplay.”
- “This game has some of the best and most versatile VR mechanics which makes for a lot of fun exploratory and experimental gameplay.”
- “I didn't like the 'things taking' mechanics; it is not as fluent as in Half-Life: Alyx. Very often when you pick things up, they are somehow dropped randomly.”
- “Arken Age slowly hits a point where you’re mostly doing the same gameplay in structurally different settings with little promise of new toys to play with.”
- “Same with the first boss (I assume there is more of them, because I haven't finished the game yet). He is a giant damage sponge; I haven't discovered any hidden mechanics to fight him, so I just sprayed him with guns for 10-15 minutes while dodging and healing.”
story
142 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
60%
6%
The story in this VR game is generally seen as decent and serviceable, featuring a full campaign with world-building and NPCs that provide motivation and engagement, though it can be thin, confusing, or somewhat generic at times. While not universally praised or as deep as top-tier narrative-driven games, it effectively supports exploration and combat, with many players appreciating its unique setting and environmental storytelling despite occasional pacing or clarity issues. Overall, the story adds meaningful context without overshadowing the gameplay and is considered a highlight compared to many VR titles that lack strong narratives.
- “Arken Age has everything I loved in HL: Alyx: astonishing graphics and VR physics, an interesting story, weapon modifications, and a solid 10+ hour campaign.”
- “The story is great and the voice acting that presents it is equally fantastic.”
- “The world of Arken Age is a joy to explore, with a captivating story that unfolds as you progress through the campaign.”
- “The story is extremely thin and to be honest I didn't understand it at all.”
- “The story is extremely boring and not engaging at all.”
- “The story is a bit bland and hard to follow.”
graphics
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
39%
3%
Arken Age features unique, visually striking graphics that blend sci-fi and nature aesthetics, delivering immersive, polished environments with vibrant colors and clean optimization. The game runs smoothly even at high settings on various high-end VR hardware, offering standout visuals often compared favorably to top-tier VR titles like Half-Life: Alyx. While its distinct art style may not appeal to everyone, most reviewers praise the graphics as a major strength that enhances gameplay and immersion.
- “Arken Age has everything I loved in HL:Alyx: astonishing graphics and VR physics, an interesting story, weapon modifications, and a solid 10+ hour campaign.”
- “The graphics on a PSVR2 and a PC adapter are mind blowing.”
- “I’ve haven’t seen graphics like this since Half-Life Alyx; it plays incredibly well too.”
- “Combat, sound, graphics all seemed rather crude on a basic level rather than being innovative.”
- “The visuals are going for a complex blend of arcane, nature-overrun sci-fi featuring medieval aliens and tree-encrusted cyborgs. The game's environments consist of abandoned, overgrown, and magically-tainted castles colonized by dilapidated science facilities. It's certainly a unique look that works with the story, but the idea is honestly a little too cluttered. Without the game's consistent palette, the fantasy and sci-fi aesthetics would've clashed a lot more.”
- “I was a bit sceptical judging by the graphics in the gameplay videos before the buy, but even though it is a bit outdated, the gameplay is a blast.”
optimization
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
46%
9%
The game is highly praised for its excellent optimization, delivering smooth and stable performance across a range of hardware, including mid-tier and lower-end PCs. It runs with high graphical fidelity and minimal issues such as frame drops or stuttering, often comparable to AAA titles. Some minor wishes for features like DLSS exist, but overall, the game's optimization ensures a polished and enjoyable experience.
- “The game is so stable and polished it feels like a game from a AAA studio, and the performance is well optimized too.”
- “It's highly optimized and runs without reprojection even on lower end PCs like a RTX 3070 laptop / Ryzen 7 5800H.”
- “I can say that it's one of the best-optimized games out there, particularly considering its high level of graphics fidelity.”
- “I also had performance problems running it on low and Steam VR set to 85% resolution with a 4070 Super playing on PSVR2 on PC, which is disappointing because it doesn't look all that much better than other VR games of similar scale.”
- “If this is an optimization issue, it’s definitely something worth addressing.”
- “I did have to turn the graphics down for performance reasons, but I have to do that in most PCVR games these days with my mid-tier rig.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
42%
16%
The music in the game receives mixed feedback, with many praising its beautiful, immersive, and atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the sense of wonder and excitement. However, some users note a lack of impactful sound effects and occasional similarities to iconic game soundtracks like Skyrim and Oblivion, which may detract from originality. Overall, the soundtrack is generally regarded as a strong and enjoyable aspect of the game.
- “The soundtrack throughout the game somehow intensifies the feeling of wonder and excitement you feel when first starting.”
- “Every bit of music does its part so well, you can't help but enjoy it.”
- “For an indie game it is a masterpiece: combat, atmosphere, music, sound and story are feeling great.”
- “It feels like there’s no music at all, the weapons have no weight, there’s barely any gunshot sound, and the fact that you’ve run out of ammo is apparently something you’re supposed to calculate mentally since, again, there is almost no sound.”
- “I know it's not my input device because the music and narration is fine, crystal clear; it's just in-game SFX and enemy noises that are messed up.”
- “Music is way too calming all the time, just seems lonesome and the enemies are so dumb and easy to handle.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is often described as tedious, with repetitive tasks such as climbing, scavenging, and enemy respawns contributing to a sense of monotony. While some players find the grind manageable and even enjoyable when pursuing all items and secrets, others feel it hampers motivation and engagement, especially in combat and exploration. Overall, grinding can detract from the experience but may appeal to completionists.
- “The climbing of the twisted trees was tedious; I didn't care for it.”
- “Picking up objects is also tedious and painful.”
- “I do find it a little tedious that enemies repopulate 'cleared' maps.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game is highly praised for its excellent stability, running smoothly and well-optimized even on mid-range hardware, with minimal bugs or glitches. Minor issues such as occasional minor glitches and teleporting bugs are noted but do not significantly impact the overall experience.
- “The game is visually beautiful and runs great with good optimization, which is rare to see nowadays in PC games.”
- “Excellent combat, fun exploration, well optimized and runs great on mediocre hardware (2070 Super).”
- “Around 4 hours into the game and this is the rare VR title that both runs great and looks great.”
- “I didn't encounter game breaking glitches except if you move at the right time when teleporting you can be glitched out of the teleporter machine.”
- “I occasionally encountered minor glitches during my playthrough, and the save system could be improved.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The game offers notable replayability, enhanced by features like New Game Plus, providing extended playtime and value. However, the lack of a missing scene or planned content may slightly reduce its appeal for repeated play. Overall, players find the replay value to be a strong aspect.
- “Update: great game all the way to the end and has a good deal of replay value.”
- “But the game has a new game plus feature which helps give the game some replay value.”
- “Arken age is a game that has so much replay value.”
- “There is no missing scene yet, or one planned, which bogs down the replay value quite a bit, an important factor when money is tight.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
Users generally appreciate the game's atmosphere, highlighting its strong audio and immersive elements, though some find it somewhat lacking or uneven in pacing. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a positive aspect that enhances the experience, especially when combined with the story and sound design.
- “Good story, good atmosphere, innovative controls that function better than most VR titles, and fun gameplay.”
- “For an indie game it is a masterpiece: combat, atmosphere, music, sound and story all feel great.”
- “Atmosphere and audio are rated 9 out of 10.”
- “The only thing I think is a little bit lacking is atmosphere.”
- “Biggest issues with this game -- pacing and atmosphere.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor shines through its exaggerated and often unintentionally funny AI behaviors, such as poorly timed grenade usage and clumsy combat tactics, alongside entertaining animations like the saw-blade launcher beheading. These moments add a lighthearted, comedic touch to the gameplay.
- “The animation for beheading with the saw-blade launcher is pretty hilarious.”
- “The AI will use grenades to flush you out from cover, but the fuses are way too long, and they often do it at the same time they are running straight towards you, which means you are shooting them in the face as you flee the grenade, or more hilariously you run past them, turn around to melee them and watch them die from their own grenade.”
- “On the other hand, they can sometimes be hilariously dumb—like jumping repeatedly off cliffs or failing to capitalize on opportunities.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a powerful emotional experience through its story-driven campaign, fostering deep connections with the alien Nara race and evoking strong feelings, including moments that brought players to tears.
- “The game offers an emotional connection through its story-driven campaign, allowing you to uncover secrets and form bonds with the alien Nara race.”
- “Made me cry a white tear”