Pistol Whip

Pistol Whip is one of the best games on PSVR. The shooting is satisfying, the level design is fantastic, and the music is phenomenal, making the whole experience a heart-pounding joyride through the senses.

89%Game Brain Score

music, gameplay

grinding, stability

94% User Score Based on 5,500 reviews

Critic Score 84%Based on 15 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Pistol Whip" is a rhythm-based virtual reality game that combines music with action-packed gunplay. It features community-created mods, as well as story-driven campaigns such as "Smoke & Thunder," set in the Old West, and "2089," a gritty sci-fi experience. The game's Physical FPS gameplay is enhanced by dynamic tracks and dreamscape visuals, making for an immersive and exhilarating experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,515 reviews

music677 positive mentions

grinding14 negative mentions

Pistol Whip combines rhythm and shooting mechanics, making players feel like action heroes in a cinematic experience.
The game provides a great workout, especially for the legs, due to the dodging and movement required during gameplay.
The developers consistently release free updates and new content, enhancing the game's replayability and overall experience.

The game has a limited selection of songs, which can lead to repetitive gameplay over time.
The rhythm aspect is not as pronounced as in other rhythm games, making it feel more like a shooting gallery than a true rhythm experience.
There is currently no support for custom songs or levels, which limits the game's longevity and variety.

music
2,306 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
66%
5%
The music in "Pistol Whip" has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its energetic electronic and dubstep tracks that enhance the gameplay experience, making them feel like action heroes. However, some users express disappointment over the limited song selection, suggesting that the game could benefit from more variety and custom song support. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-received, personal music preferences significantly impact players' enjoyment of the game.
- “The music is catchy, and a decent amount of movement is required for dodging enemy projectiles.”
- “The music choices and level design are awesome and both complement each other very well.”
- “Pistol Whip boasts an electrifying soundtrack that fuses pulsating electronic beats with heart-pounding melodies.”
- “The music selection is very limited and gets boring real quick, even with harder difficulties and other modifications, I just feel as if I've seen it all before and easily get sick and tired of it all.”
- “The actual downside is the trash music added last patch, damn near cancerous.”
- “The music is not my flavor, at all, and it was one of the main reasons I did not originally get the game.”
gameplay
456 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
52%
2%
The gameplay of Pistol Whip is widely praised for its engaging mechanics, combining fast-paced shooting with rhythm elements, creating a unique and immersive experience. Players appreciate the variety of modifiers and weapons that allow for customization and replayability, while the energetic soundtrack enhances the overall enjoyment. However, some critiques mention a lack of clear rhythm integration and a desire for more content, but the core gameplay remains addictive and fun, making it a standout title in the VR genre.
- “Great graphics and music, and the gameplay is incredibly fun with unique levels.”
- “The game has gotten better over the years with more experimental levels and the dev team attempting new genres and gameplay elements.”
- “The gameplay is phenomenal despite being a rail shooter in VR, and when you get into the beat of the music... it's a feeling I get from very few other games.”
- “The gameplay is very repetitive and the music 75 percent of the time is just awful.”
- “The worse thing, in my opinion, about this rhythm game is that the rhythm isn't exactly front and center and feels like it was just tacked on to the scoring system rather than being something core to the gameplay.”
- “However, given its lack of content offering only a handful of songs, and having no support for custom songs, combined with the biggest flaw: it isn't really a rhythm game, you're not really shooting to the beat or rhythm of a song, so much as you are just timing shots with a metronome, which feels counterintuitive to the shooting gameplay.”
graphics
277 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
45%
4%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their stylized, low-poly aesthetic that complements the fast-paced gameplay and energetic soundtrack. While some players note occasional graphical errors and a lack of detailed textures, the unique visual design and immersive environments for each track create a captivating experience. Overall, the visuals are considered engaging and dynamic, enhancing the rhythm shooting experience, despite some critiques regarding repetitiveness over time.
- “Graphically, it's gorgeous, and it manages to still look unique while sharing the same low-poly art style as a number of other Unity games.”
- “The art style is wonderful to see and to move through, character movements feel smooth and very responsive, the music is fresh and enticing.”
- “Fantastic on-rails rhythm action shooter with amazing graphics and a killer soundtrack.”
- “Game's got a few graphical errors on my end such as random assets either loading too early or not being loaded at all and random white rectangles appearing and my entire right eye being unable to render the game.”
- “The graphics aren't impressive and the polycount is quite low.”
- “They really could have been expressive, creative & crazy with the visuals but just stick to the same thing which is ok for a short while but becomes boring pretty soon.”
story
209 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
69%
4%
The game's story aspect has received mixed feedback, with some players appreciating the unique narratives tied to each level and the engaging campaign modes, while others feel the overall story is minimal and could be expanded. The addition of free story campaigns has been praised for enhancing the experience, but many players desire longer and more integrated storylines. Overall, while the story elements are enjoyable and add value, they are often seen as secondary to the gameplay itself.
- “Each level is uniquely crafted to its individual song and story.”
- “This game has story campaigns, daily 'bounties', epic boss battles, fantastic art, great music, and oozing style.”
- “The introduction of the story mode was brilliant!”
- “☑️ This game has no story.”
- “Not much story.”
- “I wish there was more of a story, and a bit more as far as customization or even really multiplayer - but all in all I am happy with this purchase.”
replayability
135 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
51%
6%
The game's replayability is generally praised, largely due to its variety of modifiers and the challenge of mastering songs for high scores, which keeps players engaged despite a limited number of levels. While some users express disappointment over the lack of custom content compared to other rhythm games, many appreciate the ongoing updates and additional free content that enhance replay value. Overall, the game offers a satisfying experience with significant replay potential, especially for those who enjoy skill-based challenges.
- “The replayability of this game is phenomenal.”
- “The flexibility of the game with modifiers is astounding and gives a ton of replay value.”
- “There is so much replayability in this game with a really high skill ceiling to climb towards.”
- “Unlike Beat Saber (sorry to compare, I know some people hate it, but whatever), there are no custom maps, which is the main replayability of games like this for me.”
- “Limited replayability with the lack of custom songs and few enjoyable standard songs.”
- “The game is cool, but it has no replayability for someone like me.”
optimization
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
46%
23%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its fantastic performance, beautiful visuals, and smooth gameplay, particularly on PSVR2. However, many others report significant issues, including performance drops, stuttering, and desyncing, rendering the game unplayable for some despite meeting minimum specifications. Overall, while there are instances of good optimization, a substantial number of users experience frustrating technical problems that detract from the gaming experience.
- “Fantastic performance, amazing visuals and insane tracks.”
- “Extremely well optimized, beautiful and fun.”
- “Not only do you get the most optimized experience on PSVR2 in performance, you also have a plethora of ways to play the game, with thirty tracks to enjoy.”
- “Unfortunately, this game is just not optimized, and though I meet the minimum specs, it is unplayable, so I can't even rate the game.”
- “However, for me, it has constant performance drops and desyncing. It might just be my index, but I doubt it as it runs perfectly and really smooth on other games.”
- “Too many runs have prematurely ended due to an ill-timed stutter, and the devs haven't even bothered to offer native Oculus support to alleviate performance.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its playful references, such as the potential use of Tobey Maguire's scream in a song, and the amusing experiences players have while engaging with the gameplay, which often leads to laughter and unexpected physical reactions. Players appreciate the lighthearted moments, including funny interactions with family and the game's ability to evoke joy and excitement, making it a memorable experience. Overall, the humor adds a delightful layer to the gameplay, enhancing the enjoyment for players.
- “Had me screaming, laughing, and contorting my body to dodge the onslaught of bullets.”
- “Accessibility: to those hard of hearing like me, you'll be happy to hear (haha I'm funny) that there's a metronome option where the controllers will vibrate to the beat.”
- “I let my parents try it and my dad punched my mom quite funny (no harm!) :D”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
11%
78%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be both tedious and necessary, often involving repetitive actions like spamming triggers and facing numerous enemies. While the game offers a variety of campaigns and contracts to keep players engaged, many feel that after completing initial content, they are left grinding for higher scores and difficulties, which can become monotonous. Despite the grind, some players enjoy the competitive leaderboard aspect, adding a layer of motivation to their efforts.
- “It can be a bit grindy sometimes.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “So you press the trigger a lot, and after a while it gets really tedious; it's like I am almost spamming the thing, and so many enemies spawn at the same time.”
- “2 campaigns with 5 levels each plus another 20 levels beyond that (22 if you count the encore levels for each campaign), daily, weekly, and monthly contracts, and just the good ol' high score grind (currently grinding out S+ for every level - except Death, can't even get S on that level and I'm in the top 100 of the leaderboard; forget that level).”
- “Fun as all get out, but if you're decently built, you can get through all ten (yes, 10) songs in a couple of hours, and then you're stuck just grinding out higher difficulties.”
stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
56%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users experiencing frequent crashes and significant bugs, while others report a smooth and enjoyable experience without any issues. Troubleshooting efforts, such as upgrading hardware, have helped some players improve performance. Overall, the game's stability appears to vary widely among users, with notable graphical glitches affecting gameplay for some.
- “After wiping my computer clean and updating the RAM to 2x the recommended amount, the game runs great now.”
- “It looks wonderful and runs great on my Rift S.”
- “Runs great with nice graphics, lots of options, and is challenging so far.”
- “Super buggy and keeps crashing, terrible game.”
- “The glitch effect sometimes makes the walls quite unclear to read (see: revelations on hard), or even makes them go through your face visually if it glitches while dodging.”
- “The musical aspect is poorly conveyed and buggy; the beat will not recognize some shots as landing at the right moment - and by some, I mean as many as half in any given song.”
emotional
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players describe the emotional experience of "Revolt 2089" as exhilarating and immersive, often likening their gameplay to iconic action heroes like Robocop, Neo, and John Wick. The game evokes a strong sense of empowerment and excitement, with many feeling constantly engaged and hooked by its action-packed campaigns, though some also report feeling overwhelmed or unwell at times. Overall, it delivers a thrilling emotional roller coaster that resonates deeply with players.
- “Totally hooked, the campaigns are an action-loaded emotional roller coaster.”
- “This game made me feel like John Wick.”
- “This just made me feel like Neo from The Matrix, just not quite as skilled, but super fun and smooth gameplay.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the enjoyable soundtracks that contribute significantly to its unique vibe. The variety of tracks, including 18 plus 5 in the campaign, enhances the overall experience, making the atmosphere both engaging and fun.
- “The game offers a bunch of tracks (18, I think, + 5 in the campaign) that seem to give it its own atmosphere/vibe.”
- “Atmosphere is great and the soundtracks are a lot of fun.”
- “Great game, love the songs, customization, and atmosphere.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The monetization aspect of the game is perceived as a potential cash grab, drawing comparisons to popular titles like Superhot and Beat Saber, yet it is noted for its engaging music and rhythm gameplay that surpasses these competitors. Some reviewers express frustration with the presence of ads, leading to a decision to remove related content from their channels.
- “No video review really does it much justice, it looks like some sort of bad Superhot/Beat Saber cash grab but blows both of those games out of the water.”