Harpagun Gameplay Review: Engaging Arcade Action and Vibrant Storyline

Harpagun provides a vibrant VR arcade shooting experience infused with a gripping storyline. Here’s our comprehensive review.

While on-rails movement may not seem thrilling in today’s VR landscape, Harpagun demonstrates that such gameplay can still engage players effectively. Following their previous endeavor with the charming puzzle title Toy Trains, Something Random ventures into fast-paced shooting with this arcade-style game. Although there are limitations in movement and some rough patches on the Quest platform, the core gameplay remains highly entertaining.

Harpagun presents a humorous sci-fi narrative with a futuristic Soviet flair as players navigate a post-apocalyptic setting, crafting a captivating story that comes to a gratifying conclusion. As players step into the shoes of the ‘Harpagun’, our lead character seeks out their missing allies while combatting waves of mutant fungi. Guided by two quirky leaders via a floating television, the tale unfolds to reveal the fate of this society and builds investment in our hero’s journey for survival.

The campaign is organized into manageable missions featuring three difficulty tiers, ideal for those who prefer gaming in quick sessions. Should the player fall in combat, they will restart from a checkpoint—though it’s worth noting that such checkpoints are oddly absent during boss encounters. The player’s mission is to find a way off this desolate world and reunite with the mothership, armed with dual gravity guns that allow for shooting as well as manipulating objects.

While standard gunfire meets expectations, the real excitement lies in launching items like debris, chairs, and even disembodied enemy parts at the mutant foes. Each level is scattered with objects that can be tossed for creative kills, and there’s inherent fun in grabbing enemies and hurling them into one another.

Timed supply drops provide necessary health boosts and special ammo types for augmented damage. The thrill of eliminating several foes in one go while lasers ricochet is satisfying, and shotgun-style ammunition delivers heavy hits for effective crowd control, especially when employing electric upgrades that unleash a lightning ball to obliterate the pesky mushrooms. It’s all dramatically exhilarating and a lot of fun.

The varied enemy designs in Harpagun also deserve praise; the creativity shines as players progress through levels. For instance, one enemy requires players to lift it using the gravity gun and then shoot the bubble it releases. Another enemy needs to have its wings ripped off, which sounds more gruesome than it truly is. More challenging enemies and weaponry are introduced at a balanced pace, yet players will consistently rely on gravity guns.

With foes appearing almost as quickly as they’re dispatched, players must juggle combat effectively, which can become overwhelming if not managed well. Reflecting back attacks with the gravity gun during these hectic moments is satisfying, as is blocking incoming projectiles by picking up other enemies. However, it only takes a few hits to be taken down, making swift movement essential.

While Harpagun lays a solid groundwork, its design presents some limitations, which become apparent in intense enemy waves. The teleportation mechanic to designated points typically functions well, but when dodging attacks, it offers limited maneuverability options. Players can generally move left, right, forward, or backward from the center, with little else available.

Something Random evidently crafted Harpagun’s movement with player comfort prioritized over immersion, and so far, I have not encountered significant discomfort even on lower comfort settings. Nevertheless, several aspects could benefit from refinement. The smooth camera rotation is excessively rapid, making precision a challenge, and unlike snap turning, the camera speed is not customizable. Noticeable loading times on Quest 3 can also detract from the experience, particularly at game startup.

I’ve experienced performance issues on Quest 3, with frame rate drops becoming apparent during later levels when a greater number of enemies are present. Additionally, some moments where the text from the television-guided leaders appears can jitter, which is bearable but may vary in impact from player to player. I have not tested the Quest 2, PC VR, or PS VR2 variants, so I can’t make any direct comparisons at this point.

The primary campaign takes roughly five hours to finish, a length that feels just right for Harpagun. Players can also enjoy an arcade mode for replaying specific levels after completing the campaign, in addition to an Arena mode where they can face off against waves of enemies. Personally, I don’t find myself eager to replay the Arena mode, but it’s a decent feature to have.

One of the standout features of Harpagun on the Quest 3 is its vibrant cel-shaded graphics, which offer well-crafted environments and a wide array of often unsettling enemies. The soundtrack complements the gameplay adequately, albeit without being particularly memorable, and it’s excellent to see performance settings available for players wanting to emphasize either performance or visual fidelity.

Harpagun Evaluation – Overall Thoughts

Harpagun maintains Something Random’s impressive momentum since last year’s Toy Trains, providing an engaging VR shooter with a captivating story that hooks players right from the start. While rough edges on the Quest detract from its appeal and the confined movement system limits gameplay, the strong action mechanics make it a title worth recommending.

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