Swordsman VR

About

Swordsman VR is a single player hack and slash game with a historical theme. It was developed by Sinn Studio Inc. and was released on September 24, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Swordsman VR is a room-scale sword fighting game that transports you to a fantasy world. With realistic melee combat mechanics and a variety of enemies to face, it provides an immersive and challenging experience. Use your motion controls to wield an array of weapons, unlock new abilities, and climb the leaderboards.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

70%

Audience ScoreBased on 830 reviews

story22 positive mentions

stability26 negative mentions

The game features a variety of weapons and armor, providing players with options for customization and strategy.
Combat mechanics, including parrying and blocking, can feel rewarding and engaging when executed correctly.
The developers are actively updating the game, showing commitment to improving gameplay and addressing player feedback.

Hit detection is inconsistent, with many attacks failing to register or weapons getting stuck in enemies.
The AI behavior is predictable and lacks variety, leading to repetitive combat experiences.
The game can feel unbalanced, with players often dying from minor hits while enemies can absorb multiple strikes.

story
138 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
71%
13%
The game's "story" is largely criticized for being minimal and lacking depth, often described as a series of arena battles rather than a cohesive narrative. Players express disappointment over the absence of meaningful plot progression, with many noting that the gameplay feels more like a combat-focused experience than a story-driven adventure. While some appreciate the potential for future development, the current execution leaves much to be desired, with calls for more engaging missions and a richer storyline.
- “The game offers a story mode, stretching across four different fighting areas.”
- “A great VR sword game that has a story-style mission as well as all the usual modes - awesome to see the continued updates and investment.”
- “However, it has a lot of potential with the story and progression system.”
- “A lot of people like to say this game is a 'story mode Blade and Sorcery' but there is no story.”
- “Also, despite the name 'story mode', there is no story.”
- “Overall a bit disappointing as I was expecting more from the 'story driven' element of the game (something a bit more like a VR version of Kingdom Come), however the 'story' seems to be no more than the occasional boss fight at the end of a series of very similar arena style fights.”
gameplay
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
59%
11%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it unbalanced and lacking depth, leading to a repetitive experience. While some appreciate the unique swordplay mechanics and graphics, others criticize the dated mechanics, poor AI, and inconsistent hit detection, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game offers potential but feels incomplete and fails to engage players for extended periods.
- “Gameplay is unique, challenging, and stunning.”
- “Great game, fantastic gameplay, brilliant graphics and really makes you feel like a swordsman.”
- “Had a ton of fun playing once I got used to the mechanics.”
- “The mechanics do feel very dated, especially after being spoiled by a game like Blade and Sorcery in 2024.”
- “Content-wise, there is enough in here, but all that content does not mean anything if the core gameplay is not good.”
- “It doesn't take more than ten minutes of gameplay to realize 'oh, if I stab them in the head, they die instantly' and 'oh, every enemy has the exact same attack pattern so I can just space out their first attack and then get a free hit', which inevitably leads to every fight playing out the exact same way.”
graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
36%
7%
The graphics in the game are generally well-received, particularly for a VR title, with many users noting that they are better than average and contribute positively to the immersive experience. However, some players feel that the graphics could benefit from additional polish and more customization options, as well as higher fidelity on PCVR. Overall, while the visuals are appreciated, they are not the standout feature of the game, with some reviewers suggesting that improvements could elevate the game's overall quality significantly.
- “The graphics are pretty good for a VR game, and the fighting is very satisfying.”
- “Great game, fantastic gameplay, brilliant graphics and really makes you feel like a swordsman.”
- “I really want to like this game but I can't, for me so far it has been a 3/10... the graphics are beautiful and it has many good ideas, honestly this game could go up to an 8/10 or even a 10/10 relatively easy.”
- “(also please increase the graphical fidelity this game is on PC VR for God's sake why is it so ugly and flat?)”
- “Graphics could use a bit more shine.”
stability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and unresponsive AI that detract from the overall experience. Many users noted that combat feels inconsistent due to buggy physics and hitboxes, leading to frustration rather than skill-based gameplay. While some updates have been released to address these issues, the consensus is that the game still suffers from significant stability problems, particularly on the Oculus version.
- “After reporting different bugs, the devs told me that the Oculus version is buggy and it's better to have it on Steam.”
- “This game felt like a buggy mess when I played it.”
- “Entire combat feels extremely buggy.”
music
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
19%
12%
The music in the game receives generally positive feedback, with many players appreciating the soundtrack for enhancing the gameplay experience and setting the mood. However, some users note issues with volume levels and describe certain tracks as decent but not particularly memorable or energizing. Overall, the sound effects and music contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, though there are mixed opinions on its impact.
- “I loved the soundtrack as well, it really puts you in the mood to continue playing the game.”
- “Plus, great music and sound effects as well.”
- “Sound effects are on point, music is pretty decent, does set the mood, and every weapon you want to handle differently depending on what you take.”
- “Music is serviceable but definitely isn't memorable or really effective in getting you any more pumped up.”
- “When it's not blasting your ears out before you turn it down, the music is actually pretty well done.”
- “Some of the music is decent.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
10%
30%
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its excellent performance, particularly in comparison to similar titles, thanks to its use of Unreal Engine. However, some users report issues such as a lack of feedback during combat and weapons occasionally flying out of their hands, which may be linked to performance on lower-end PCs.
- “The presentation is simple, performance is excellent, very optimized; obviously it would be, it's using Unreal.”
- “+ Graphics and visuals are good, with optimization in place.”
- “Performance is better than a lot of other similar games I've tried.”
- “Performance is better than a lot of other similar games I've tried, but the lack of feedback when you swing or thrust is just very unsatisfying.”
- “Presentation/performance:”
- “Performance is better than a lot of other similar games I've tried, but the lack of feedback when you swing or thrust is just very unsatisfying.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game offers significant replayability through various features such as multiple game modes, different characters, and events, as well as a harder difficulty level. Players appreciate the attention to detail, which enhances the overall experience and encourages repeated playthroughs.
- “However, it has replayability since there is a harder difficulty you can play.”
- “The attention to detail is great; game modes and the different characters and events give the game replayability.”
- “I think those three add a lot to the game, allowing for a ton of replayability.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the humor in the game largely stems from the absurdity of its mechanics, particularly with the Gobi Desert boss, whose ineffective yet damaging attacks create a comically frustrating experience. The juxtaposition of a seemingly incompetent boss dealing significant damage adds a layer of humor that enhances the overall gameplay experience.
- “I find it both equally funny and frustrating that the game's hardest boss is the Gobi Desert boss.”
- “His moveset is so bad it's hilarious: all he does are these weird crab walk attacks where he ducks down so low that he hardly ever actually lands anything, but when he does land a blow, it does like 140 some-odd damage.”
- “This isn't exactly important, kind of just funny, and I wonder how I bugged the game like this.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is initially captivating, resembling a cinematic VR experience, which sets a strong tone before transitioning to a story campaign menu. Players appreciate the overall ambiance, noting it enhances their practice sessions with various weapons.
- “After an initially atmospheric experience that can only be described as a cutscene (but in VR), you're presented with a menu for a story campaign.”
- “The whole atmosphere of the game is very nice and it's a really good tool for me to practice the moves that I've learned against all kinds of weapons!”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players often feel the need to engage in extensive "stat grinding" to prepare for boss encounters, indicating that grinding is seen as a necessary step to avoid frustration and disappointment during challenging battles.
- “I will likely avoid bosses for a while in my playthrough until I've absolutely mastered my 'stat grinding' to avoid the shock and disappointment of my first experience with one.”
- “Grinding feels tedious and takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
- “The constant need to grind for levels makes the gameplay feel repetitive and unengaging.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by intimate and personal interactions, such as characters initiating combos with a close physical connection, symbolizing deep emotional ties and engagement between them.
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly detailed in the reviews, but there is a focus on the promotion of its physics-based combat through the store page, advertisements, and developer discussions on forums. This suggests that while the game may have a strong selling point, the specifics of its monetization strategy remain unclear.