One of the videogames that caught PlayStation VR owner’s attention during Paris Games Week (PGW) 2017 was the announcement by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) regarding a new project from The London Heist developers London Studios called Blood & Truth. As that was over six months ago – and sometime since VRFocus last played it – it was time to check out a new build of the action spy caper to see how development was progressing.
London Studios took an updated version of Blood & Truth to the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, giving PlayStation VR fans a chance to see if this point-to-point first-person shooter (FPS) could improve upon more disappointing titles like Bravo Team. While there were plenty of minor updates that aren’t instantly noticeable, the major one being pointed out by the team was the ability to dual wield guns for the first time.
While it may seem obvious that if you’ve got two PlayStation Move’s in your hands that a gun would be nice in both, it’s not always feasible depending on the type of gameplay and what the developer wants to achieve. In the case of Blood & Truth however that addition is more than welcomed.
As VRFocus has mentioned in previous previews, Blood & Truth employs a fairly linear teleportation system similar to that of Arktika.1 where you have pre-set locations to move to. Unlike Arktika.1 where there were only minimal points to choose from – keeping you barely in cover – Blood & Truth is far more realistic, with each point keeping you hunkered down and protected as best as possible.
It’s these situations when you’re hiding behind a wall or car, bullets hailing down on you from several locations that dual wield certainly has it uses. It affords that additional strategy element allowing you to shoot through a window the other hand can’t comfortably reach or in the middle of a gunfight grant you a few extra bullets without reloading. On that subject, it’s not instantly instinctual to reload a gun with another still in your hand but that is possible in Blood & Truth. All that means is the ammo just doesn’t last as long.
Those that enjoyed The London Heist will rightly be looking forward to Blood & Truth. The linear nature of the experience maybe a negative to some yet that’s the nature of a highly story driven adventure where you can play a spy. The new demo also showcased a new area – previous demos have featured a casino shoot out and chase/interrogation scene – a dilapidated multi-storey building.
Again, while the main path is set you are given some freedom in how you approach some of the set pieces – what cover you choose for example. Having to work your way up the building in an effort to free your mum, London Studios want to get you involved in more than just shooting bad guys so there are climbing elements thrown in for good measure.
From what VRFocus has seen so far Blood & Truth looks to be a promising experience for PlayStation VR. There’s always that question of repetition, shooting enemies and keeping in cover which can only be answered with a proper hands-on review. As development continues VRFocus will keep you updated.