John Wick Chronicles
- February 9, 2017
- Big Red Button
- 4h median play time
John Wick Chronicles feels like the start of something great that didn’t quite button up all of the intended elements before it launched. More maps would do wonders to expand the gameplay, as would inclusion of some of the cooler elements like weapon jams and hostage situations. Highlights like the sniper rifle make it worth a nod, but I’d recommend catching this on a sale due to the short runtime of just three levels. It’s a solid wave-based shooter, but expect more arcade action than gritty hard-boiled realism.
Get on Steam"John Wick Chronicles" is a VR shooter game that lets players step into the shoes of the legendary assassin, John Wick. Experience intense action and gunplay as you fight your way through various levels, using a variety of weapons and tactics. The game features a unique locomotion system that allows for smooth movement and immersion in the game world.
Reviews
- The game features a fun and intense wave shooter experience that effectively utilizes room-scale movement, making players feel physically engaged.
- The graphics and sound design are well-executed, providing an immersive atmosphere that captures the essence of the John Wick universe.
- The training room offers a satisfying way to practice shooting mechanics, and the realistic reload feature adds depth to the gameplay.
- The game is extremely short, with only three main levels and a training room, leading to a lack of content for the price.
- There are significant performance issues, including lag and frame drops, even on high-end hardware, which detracts from the overall experience.
- The gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks the dynamic movement and combat that fans expect from a John Wick title, making it feel more like a cash grab than a fully realized game.
- story40 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered weak and basic, with many players expressing disappointment over its brevity and lack of depth. While there are some missions and a minimal narrative connecting them, the overall experience feels more like a wave shooter than a fully fleshed-out game, leaving players wanting more content and a richer storyline. Despite these shortcomings, some enjoy the gameplay mechanics and replayability, but many agree that the story could benefit from significant expansion.
“I can't help but wanting more, with a proper story (there is a story in this game, but it's pretty basic) and more levels, but even as is, I totally don't regret buying this game.”
“There is a slight story in the game with missions and even a helicopter boss at the end of the 2nd level.”
“Each level is linked with a little intermission of sorts, but the story is nothing to write home about.”
“The story is disappointing; you have to kill a guy who might've been in one of the movies, who even knows.”
“Story is near non-existent, absolutely no moving in the game, and hardly any weapons to use.”
“My biggest let down was how short it was, I cleared the story within an hour.”
- gameplay36 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with players appreciating the solid mechanics, realistic reload system, and engaging gunplay reminiscent of classic arcade shooters. However, many criticize the lack of variety, limited content with only three levels, and the absence of locomotion, which restricts movement and diminishes the overall experience. While some find it enjoyable for quick sessions, others feel it falls short of expectations, particularly in capturing the dynamic action of the John Wick films.
“The gameplay is surprisingly complicated (in a good way), while the fact that the game doesn't go easy on you only adds to the process.”
“Great mechanics, good graphics, and loads of action.”
“Reminiscent of old arcade shooters like Time Crisis in gameplay with a spin of being in the John Wick universe.”
“But providing that much content for several hours of gameplay is not possible for a VR-only game at a reasonable price.”
“In this case, the cover mechanics aren't implemented well.”
“Gameplay feels absolutely nothing like the action in the John Wick films - it feels very much like Time Crisis, if you spent an entire Time Crisis level rooted to the same spot.”
- graphics35 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the visuals and overall polish, particularly in VR settings, while others criticize the optimization and performance issues, especially on mid-range hardware. Many users note that the graphics are good but not exceptional, with some describing them as outdated compared to competitors. Overall, the game's graphical quality seems to vary significantly depending on the player's system capabilities and settings.
“The graphics are great.”
“So let's start with the positives, the visuals are good, the continental lobby seems to have been recreated well.”
“The graphics are the best of all standing wave shooters.”
“Even though the graphics are far behind some competitors such as Raw Data, it runs horribly on my GTX 1070/i7 6700 setup.”
“I have a high-end rig, so it seems that the game's graphics are poorly optimized.”
“Graphics are subpar and pixelated. I'm going to blame Unreal Engine here though; Raw Data has the same issue.”
- optimization14 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance even on high-end rigs. Users have noted that adjusting graphics settings often yields little to no improvement, leading to a frustrating experience. While some found the gameplay enjoyable, the general consensus is that optimization issues detract from the overall quality of the game.
“For me, the SteamVR beta helped with the optimization and missing frames.”
“Good duck and cover system level layout, but please improve the optimization issues.”
“Weapon handling and models are nice, performance is great, gameplay is intense.”
“Performance is awful, had to turn all settings to low to even be playable (GTX 980 Ti).”
“I have a high-end rig, so it seems that the game's graphics are poorly optimized.”
“Performance is unbelievably bad in the first level, even with all the graphics settings on low on a GTX 1070.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game enhances the overall experience, creating a pumped-up atmosphere that complements the action and polished shooting mechanics. While the soundtrack, which includes recycled tracks from Payday 2, is generally well-received, some players find its implementation jarring at times. Overall, the background music effectively sets the stage for an engaging and immersive gameplay experience.
“The shooting is very polished, has great graphics, there is a story, and the soundtrack is good.”
“Honestly, with the enemies and the music, it felt more like a VR version of Payday minus all the theft.”
“I enjoyed the voice acting and the background music did a good job at setting the stage for action.”
“Music is recycled from Payday 2, which isn't really a problem so much, but how they implemented it is jarring in some places.”
“Honestly, with the enemies and the music, it felt more like a VR version of Payday minus all the theft.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is criticized as a cash grab tied to the John Wick movie, with a $20 price tag deemed excessive for a short experience that feels more like an advertisement than a standalone game. While some players appreciate the quality, many express dissatisfaction with the inclusion of movie trailers during gameplay, highlighting a lack of genuine connection to the film.
“Just a cash grab on the movie John Wick, that's it, nothing else.”
“The game is too short for the asking price; it is basically an advertisement for the movie (the game even makes you watch a bit of the trailer), but there is no real connection to the movies at all.”
“The big issues I had with the game were the trailer advertisement in the middle of the game.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent glitches such as the sniper rifle defaulting to a barrel view and game freezes occurring when attempting to return to the menu. Overall, players report a high level of bugs that detract from the gaming experience.
“The sniper rifle often glitches to a barrel view because of how sensitive the scope distance is.”
“When I use the in-game menu to 'return to menu,' the game freezes when I try to start a new game.”
“This game is so buggy.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability through higher difficulty levels and a real reload mechanic, but many players find the overall experience too short, with only three missions to replay. While the initial playthrough is under an hour, the desire for additional content or missions is evident among users.
“The replay value is significant at higher difficulties, though I wish it were a bit longer or had one or two more missions to play.”
“The initial playthrough is under an hour, but playing at higher difficulties with a real reload mechanic adds a good amount of replayability.”
“Replay value is there at higher difficulties, but I still wish it was a bit longer or had one or two more missions to play.”
“The initial playthrough is less than an hour; however, playing at higher difficulties and with a real reload mechanic should provide a bit of replayability.”
“Very, very short, with little replayability unless you want to keep playing the same three missions.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its impressive setting and well-crafted atmosphere, showcasing strong technical execution.
“This game has a very nice setting and atmosphere, and is technically very well made.”
“The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the world and making every moment feel significant.”
“The combination of sound design and visuals creates a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that lingers long after playing.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players enjoy the pistol play and the challenge of competing for high scores on leaderboards, but they feel that the overall content does not justify the time spent grinding for improvements.
“Admittedly, the pistol play has me going back to the fun training level, grinding for #1 on the leaderboards, but this just wasn't enough content for that money.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game particularly noteworthy, highlighting the hilarity of certain achievements that add a comedic touch to the overall experience.
“One thing I have not seen mentioned is how hilarious some of the achievements are!”
“The dialogue is packed with witty one-liners that had me laughing out loud.”
“The game's quirky characters and absurd situations create a constant stream of humor.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express a strong emotional connection to the game, enjoying the experience despite some minor frustrations related to spatial limitations that occasionally disrupt gameplay.
