Good immersive hack and slash with beautiful presentation and some glaring issues.
"Gates of Nowhere" tends to attract what is in my opinion bit unjust number of negativity in reviews. There are numerous issues I will point below but I'd say it really works as immersive (linear) dungeon hack and slash horror crawler. With well done breakable weapons/shields.
The presentation is flawless on the graphics side, the created dungeons are among the best VR underground sceneries I have seen. Be it narrow torches lit corridors, dark halls or oddly shaped tunnels with water dripping from some source above -this all works very well and doesn't feel like yet another store assets game (we've all seen the same dungeons/enemies models through many a games now, didn't we?).
The combat becomes very hard as the games progresses to the point that ending of level 2 caused me to throw controllers in disgust. Also the weapons/spells controls are a bit cumbersome, especially in the heat of combat, but are not that big of an issue.
Story? There is some bare minimal one I think, paid no attention, sorry!
There are large (linear) levels to explore -and those nicely vary in gameplay. There might be moments of intense combat interviened with more scary (like, whole level 2... ohh my how well the tension was played in there. No, it was not the spooky moment. No not even now. Ha! Still not now. Maybe now? No... wait for it... oh how the f about now then?! Let me say my heart skipped a beat there...) traps avoiding through very spooky lone patch among darkness.
There are big issues with "Gates of Nowhere", however.
The weapons collisions with environment/other objects? Very not existing. Especially with scenery. Something what would be ok-ish in 2013 maybe but in times of games like Blade and Sorcery or Tales of Glory starts to be big issue. Another issue that developers apparently are unwilling to admit there is a problem with -is the very lack of interactions sounds. Smash your axe into wall, your own shield held in other hand, or a chain changing from ceiling -nothing, nada. Plus the non-existing collisions. Sometimes you can walk through 9 ft tall creature. Those really break the immersion that beautiful graphics and environmental ambient sounds create. And I will wave off the developers reasons not to fix this big breaker (performance impact issues with physics calculations and sounds triggering) as rather poor excuse. Those are things that if done well make games shine above the rest.
As for combat, again, it's hit and miss. With blood. Once you get the hang of it and know how to time your attacks and blocks, going against several enemies at once is survivable. Use shields, those are your biggest adventage. Some shields serve also as blades, play with this fact to gain upper hand. Then pick up what enemies drop, sometimes your inventory wears off quickly. Or f it and use two weapons in both hands, maniac style, that creates quite a punch. Overall, the engagements let you choose your preferred method. Especially when you deal with the same group of enemies for the 5th time. Yes, you will die alot in this game. Spells help though ;) But there are times when nothing makes sense, swords bounce off air or go through enemies without effect. But when you time your strike well and enemy arm or head detaches into air ...then it is a good, good moment. Very nice animations of creatures help alot.
Overall this games is hard. Dark Souls VR as people call it, can't verify, stayed away from DS series due to it's infamous difficulty level.
This all aside as this review grew larger than I intended, do I recommend "Gates of Nowhere"? Heck yeah!
If you like the Arx Fatalises, the Dark Messiashes of the 2d era and want to relive smaller bits of those in VR -then you shall find it here. Be warned of the issues I mentioned, pay less attention to those and you will enjoy the dark and gloomy patch in front of you. Just wear diaper during "Throught the Darkness" (you have been warned)
