Until Dawn: Rush of Blood | PSVR

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There's no other way of saying it - Rush of Blood is amazing. It’s the kind of experience you’d expect to find in an arcade, or as a theme park attraction, not as something you can actually own in your own home. Whilst that last sentence probably makes me sound at least twice my age, thanks to PlayStation VR, the game does feel revolutionary.

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by Sam
​Sant

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@SlamShotSam

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Developer: 
Supermassive Games
Publisher: Sony
Interactive Entertainment 
Platforms: PS4 (PSVR)
Players: 1 

A carnival ride from hell, Rush of Blood features the Until Dawn name, but bares little resemblance to the teen slasher flick that serves as its namesake. It’s more inline with Rob Zombie’s brand of big screen horror, fixated on gore and disturbed, killer clowns that (worryingly) just happen to perfectly align with the current zeitgeist.

The on-rails experience starts off slow, just long enough to settle you into a false sense of security before tapping the accelerator to imbue a creeping sense of terror. Whilst virtual reality makes the scares impactful - and anticipating them all the more dreadfully suspenseful - it’s all in good fun. Jumpscares will leave you chuckling to yourself, after shouting your expletive of choice, of course, rather than inducing heart palpitations like Resident Evil VII’s uncomfortably horrifying KITCHEN demo.

The snug carriage you occupy moves steadily along the tracks for the most part, both to maintain player comfort and allow time to shoot a myriad of inanimate targets. When it comes to an incline, however, you know things are about to get real. If you don’t like rollercoasters, get off now, because as far as your subconscious brain is concerned, you’re on one. Trepidation rumbles in the pit of your stomach as you’re winched up, there’s a tangible sense of momentum as you plummet down the opposite side, and you feel the impact of sharp, jerking corners. It all amalgamates in a convincing euphoria, and, just like in actual reality, it’s intensified if you put your arms in the air.

Don’t leave them up for too long though, because you’ll need them for blasting a variety of nasties that play on common fears. Clowns, spiders, pig-headed men (literally, not the stubborn kind), poltergeists, gargantuan bosses and more keep things varied and unnerving across the game’s seven levels. The stages span locations including a haunted house, a snowy mountain top, and a rickety, dilapidated mine, each being a treat to take in due to their 3D depth, scale and 360° detail. Whilst the headset outputs them in a low, fuzzy resolution, the added immersion is easily worth the trade-off.

The perfect Halloween party game, Rush of Blood isn’t a tired rail-shooter, but the rejuvenator of a stale genre.

Rush of Blood’s shootouts are at their best when undertaken dual-wielding PlayStation Move motion controllers. The fidelity is impressive, easily accommodating subtle wrist movements to, for example, destroy a line of objects without missing a shot. As enemies swarm towards you, unsettlingly encroaching on and eventually invading your personal space, things naturally get a little more frenzied and the arm flailing begins. Though the controls adjust well, you’ll need to hold your controller(s) out and keep them still whilst holding Option/Start to properly realign if you get too carried away.

Weapon boxes are scattered around the environment and can be used to your advantage in these desperate situations, shooting them replacing the default, infinite-ammo pistol in the relevant hand with an ammo-limited upgrade. Each weapon behaves differently and carries unique advantages and disadvantages - like the shotgun’s short range and limiting two shots before reload, but immense firepower - making weapon choices an important tactical factor at higher difficulties. This is especially true as reloading is manual, which is easy to forget when you’re hurriedly attempting to fire clicking weapons because your real life is totally on the line!

You’ll also spot deviously hidden collectables and secrets dotted around the place, which, along with Trophies and leaderboards, contribute replay value to the short - though appropriately priced - package. Such is the game's gravitational pull that my second playthrough is already in full swing; what’s more, I’m taking in new sights and travelling new paths all the while.

It’s the kind of experience you’d expect to find in an arcade, or as a theme park attraction, not as something you can actually own in your own home.

The perfect Halloween party game (seriously, convince someone that scares easily to play and hilarity ensues) Until Dawn: Rush of Blood isn’t just a tired rail-shooter, but the rejuvenator of a stale genre. Virtual reality’s added dimension allows for invasive scares that are impossible to become desensitised to, making it genuinely uncomfortable (in a good way) to physically dodge rotting corpses, get drenched in gory entrails that turn your vision a sticky red, and be bombarded by hideous 3D noise that dares you to look in its direction. We’d be happy to leave the house and pay-per-play, so the fact we can stay home and enjoy Rush of Blood to our heart’s content at the very reasonable asking price of £16 makes it an easy recommendation, and a must-buy for PSVR owners.

Pros

• Responsive motion controls
• Genuinely feels like you’re on a theme park attraction
• VR offers a wonderful sense of scale and immersion
• Effective scares
• Great price and replay value

Cons

• Short runtime
• Not as fun if you don’t own two Move controllers
• Little here for fans seeking conventional Until Dawn

Score 9/10