Metal: Hellsinger VR

About

Metal: Hellsinger VR is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Lab42 and was released on October 3, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Step into the half-demon body of The Unknown and feel the pulse of metal rage through you. Metal: Hellsinger VR redesigns the acclaimed rhythm shooter from the ground up, placing its infernal arsenal straight into your hands and the fires of Hell at your feet. Experience an unparallelled state of flow as you move, dash, and aim in full VR. Enjoy a range of features from the original game, includi…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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67%

Audience ScoreBased on 69 reviews

music7 positive mentions

stability1 negative mentions

Excellent and immersive VR implementation that translates the rhythm-based shooter gameplay into physical, rhythm-synced movement and combat, providing a unique and intense VR experience.
Outstanding soundtrack with heavy metal music that dynamically layers and responds to player performance, greatly enhancing immersion and engagement.
Well-optimized performance across VR platforms, with distinct and satisfying weapon mechanics and movement options, appealing especially to experienced VR players who enjoy fast-paced, physical gameplay.

Controls can feel clunky, unintuitive, or glitchy on some VR hardware, with issues in weapon switching, reload mechanics, and inconsistent aiming for certain weapons like the sword and hellcrows.
The game can cause motion sickness due to fast, intense movement and incomplete balance changes from the flat-screen version, making it unsuitable for VR beginners or those sensitive to motion.
Some UI/UX design choices are awkward or frustrating, including the obscure calibration and settings menus, confusing hub-world style menus, and lack of effective in-game rebinding or quality-of-life improvements.

music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
54%
14%
The music in Metal: Hellsinger VR is widely praised as a powerful and integral part of the gameplay, featuring an intense heavy metal soundtrack that dynamically responds to player actions and heightens immersion. The rhythm-driven metal tracks not only serve as thrilling accompaniment but also actively influence combat mechanics, creating a unique, high-energy fusion of shooter and rhythm game elements. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout strength and a key factor in the game's exhilarating and immersive experience.
- “From the moment the first guitar riff kicks in, the game makes it clear that its goal is to turn the player into a living instrument of destruction, synchronizing movement, gunfire, and evasion directly to the pulse of the soundtrack.”
- “Shooting, reloading, dodging, and striking enemies on the beat amplifies damage and unlocks layers of music, gradually transforming tracks from sparse percussion into full-blown metal anthems.”
- “The soundtrack is what sold it to me and the idea of combining shooter and rhythm gaming works beautifully.”
- “But be warned: this is a game that lets you run pretty fast as you want to keep track with the soundtrack's BPM.”
- “When you die, the music dies with you.”
- “While it may not convert players who disliked the core concept of the flat game, for fans of rhythm-driven action and VR shooters, it stands as one of the most distinctive and exhilarating uses of music-based mechanics in the medium.”
gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The gameplay offers a fast-paced, rhythm-driven VR experience that enhances traditional mechanics with fluid, motion-based controls and immersive weapon interactions. While it may take time to master, especially for newcomers, fans of VR shooters and music-based games will find the gameplay tight, exhilarating, and well-optimized for the platform. However, some feel that the adaptation from the original game lacks innovation in certain mechanics.
- “While it may not convert players who disliked the core concept of the flat game, for fans of rhythm-driven action and VR shooters, it stands as one of the most distinctive and exhilarating uses of music-based mechanics in the medium.”
- “A lot of mechanics just work well in VR like quick weapon reload having you flick your weapon a certain way and all the movement options from the flatscreen version (air dashing, combos, and whatnot) all just work!”
- “The gameplay is unmatched in any VR game and the songs... oh my god the soundtrack is without equal.”
- “Almost zero thoughtfulness in adapting the original game's mechanics.”
- “The controls – which on paper sound fun with a lot of motion-based attacks and mechanics – remove clarity and precision in a game that is built around both.”
- “Overall, I enjoy it although it takes a while to learn the game mechanics in VR.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
37%
25%
The game is well-optimized for standalone VR headsets, delivering smooth performance and responsive controls that enhance gameplay. However, it shows clear compromises and lacks optimization for PC VR setups. Overall, the optimization effectively merges audio, visual, and motion elements to create an immersive rhythm-based experience.
- “Visually, Metal: Hellsinger VR makes calculated compromises to maintain performance across a wide range of VR hardware.”
- “A lot actually, VR controls are developed and the game is optimized for VR both in a performance sense and gameplay sense.”
- “Good optimization.”
- “You can clearly tell the game was optimized to run on standalone headsets with zero optimization for PC VR.”
- “You can clearly tell the game was optimized to run on standalone headsets with zero optimization for PC VR.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The story is praised as top-notch despite technical issues with VR cutscenes and character animations, particularly in the tutorial. Users note some control and visual glitches on Quest versions, but overall the narrative remains engaging, especially with improved graphics and performance on PC and Quest 3.
- “The story is top notch.”
- “Try at least 3 missions in a row to get a sense of flow and moving/shooting to the beat.”
- “Played on a Quest 2, wireless over WiFi – no issues with lag or hitting notes on the beat.”
- “Cut scenes were not transposed into VR well; NPC character models flailed in the tutorial level. Also, starting the game refused to go full screen, forcing me to alt+tab to get inputs recognized.”
- “Another Quest game 'ported' to Steam, with poor visuals and glitches in the tutorial.”
- “No button felt intuitive (on a Quest 2), and having to look for visual cues while wiggling your shotgun to quick-reload is a hard no.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The graphics receive mixed feedback, with some praising the visuals as good or really good, especially on Quest 3 and PCVR versions, while others criticize poor, glitched, or smartphone-level graphics in certain ports. Overall, the graphical quality varies significantly depending on the platform.
- “Graphics wise it is really good too and if you are a metal lover it is a must-have game.”
- “The graphics are really good on the Quest 3/Virtual Desktop.”
- “Also, I'm very happy with the graphics options in this PCVR version.”
- “Another quest game 'ported' to Steam, poor visuals, glitched out in the tutorial.”
- “What further drags the experience down is the smartphone-level graphics.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is intense and immersive, driven by pounding drums, shredding guitars, and growling vocals that perfectly complement the visceral VR combat experience.
- “The combination of pounding drums, shredding guitars, and growling vocals creates a relentless atmosphere that pairs naturally with the visceral act of VR combat.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers strong replayability through score chasing, increased difficulty levels, and the rewarding experience of refining rhythm accuracy, despite its relatively short campaign.
- “Although the campaign is relatively concise, replay value is built into score chasing, higher difficulty tiers, and the sheer satisfaction of improving rhythm accuracy.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits stability issues, including bugs like enemies getting stuck, requiring restarts. Additionally, the VR experience is reported to be uncomfortable.
- “Buggy (enemy got stuck in a wall and had to restart), doesn't feel good in VR.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional experience of the game is mixed, with users appreciating the cool concept and base game, but some feeling discomfort, such as dizziness, during extended VR play sessions.