Trickster VR: Co-op Dungeon Crawler

I got this game a few weeks ago, during the VR sale. I bought the Index last year, and when I booted up this game was incredibly disappointed. It is a fun game, but the controls were not made for the Knuckle controllers, and are just horrible. I played through the first level, and had to close the game, to write this review. If you have the current Index, do not bother with this game, unless you have the proper controllers, the experience is just horrible. I don't understand why dev's seem to refuse to support more controllers!

Wouldn't recommend this game in its current state unfortunately. I played this with the Valve Index controllers and unfortunately the controls are buggy at best. I had to disable my touchpads/scrollwheels just to get the motion controls to work comfortably, and after that i had a bug where shaking my controllers would switch the weapons. It's a neat mechanic but unfortunately it fails when youre quickly drawing back an arrow or quickly swish-stabbing an enemy. The game concept is neat but a lot is unexplained properly and prone to error in terms of controls and system stuff.

IF they fixed their controls and made movement more fluid (you can only move forward or back, either from a headset pov or a controller pov, which is terrible), then this game would actually be pretty fun to play with other people, provided they added more interesting content, but the 'amount' of content in the game is actually just heavily repeated and grindy to actually get to.

Would not recommend: 4/10.

Don't understand the very positive reviews as whilst the base game is fine, there are a lot of bugs with arrows hitting walls as the hit boxes are so wide, rocks flying about which constantly block vision by simply sitting on top of mobs, and the movement suddenyl spastics out when you touch a wall sometimes.

Content wise, once you've done one map, you've done them all, they just change the scenery. The weapons differ, but it's a tedious grind. Just look at how many people have the achievements and you can see many don't stick with it for that long. 4 hours was more than enough for me, thanks.

Get it on sale if you must

Memory leak, like others have noted, cripples this game.

I got Trickster VR back when it first released into Early Access back in 2016, and from what I tried I was excited but wanted to wait for the full product to be finished. Well even at "full release 1.0" it still had issues, so I waited longer. Now it's clear that it's just not going to be what I had hoped for.

The game itself would be good if it were technically sound. My only issue is the progressive degradation of the visuals, with framerate drops and visual smearing after the game has been open for less than one mission. I have my FPS showing and it is locked at 90 and all my other more demanding VR games run fine, but less than 15 minutes in Trickster get to the point of nausea. There's a lot of good gameplay stuff to potentially talk about but it's not even worth mentioning at this point.

This is a hidden little GEM that I fortunately found while searching for obscure VR games. This is a simple well-styled wave shooter with a wisely tuned combat system that keeps the game interesting. It features online CO-OP which is just a BLAST. Nothing intricate about the levels (wave shooter) but some simple objectives and it's progressive difficulty keep it interesting. I haven't finished it yet, but feel like I have gotten every penny's worth.

I wanted to like this game. I saw the good reviews, some solid gameplay, and was excited that it wasn't just another 3-4 hour story. Unfortunately, some of the core mechanics just make the game frustrating to play.

First, let's talk a little bit about hitboxes. Where IS my hitbox? Arrow looks like it's flying over my head? Headshot. Dodge incoming fireball? Nope just kidding. And then there's the shield. This is one of the largest shields (visually) that I've seen in a vr game. And yet it feels like the hitbox is smaller than any other shield I've ever used. Also why even have a shield when enemies can just walk up to you and swing sight through it. Also why can enemies walk into me? I can't hit them when they are inside me but they can hit me.

Next, up is melee combat. I don't like the hitstun. At first it was satisfying but after a bit it just feels awkward; especially when using dual weapons. Also what is up with armor hit boxes. Sometimes I swing straight through their armor and it's fine, other times I sing at flesh and bounce. What gives? Also did i mention that the shield sucks? Because the shield sucks.

Ranged combat is actually pretty good. Nothing to complain about here. Carry on.

Movement also sucks. I never feel like I can move where I need to mid combat especially because moving side to side or backwards is annoying to do yet is integral to successfully dodging attacks. Not to mention that it's very restrictive in where I can go. If I want to jump off of a cliff to drop attacks some orcs I should be able to do so. I'm fine with invisible walls on the stage bounds preventing me from falling into the abyss but why do they also need to be at the staircase preventing me from taking a shortcut.

Options, or rather, the lack thereof. There need to be more options for UI adjustments and movement options. I don't want to swipe to turn my camera, I want to physically press a button. It works correctly far more often and can be done faster. Also can I get an option to remove the blood staying the screen whenever I get hit? It's incredibly distracting and makes the punishment for getting clipped by janky hitboxes all the more punishing now that I can't even see the enemies / attacks.

I can't recommend this game in its current state. It has tons of potential but is just far too frustrating to actually play.

I didn't buy this game for a long time because I was just like "eh it's another sword wiggle dungeon game, gorn does it better blah blah'

NO!

Don't listen to past me. Past me is an idiot. Listen to now me...or future me if you are reading this later. This game is just a ton of fun. Combat is fun and changes a bunch depending on the weapons you use thanks to the powers. Plus this is not one of those beat it in 3 hour VR games. No you get to beat it for hours and hours in this game...and by it I mean orcs.

---{Graphics}---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☑ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ Paint.exe

---{Gameplay}---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It‘s just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Starring at walls is better
☐ Just don‘t

---{Audio}---
☐ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☑ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ Earrape

---{Difficulity}---
☐ Just press ‚A‘
☐ Easy
☐ Significant brain usage
☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{Grind}---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☑ Isnt necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You‘ll need a second live for grinding

---{Story}---
☐ Story?
☑ Text or Audio floating around
☐ Average
☐ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It‘ll replace your life

---{Game Time}---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☐ Average
☑ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{Price}---
☐ It’s free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{Bugs}---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

Unfortunately I have to give this a negative review. I really wanted to like this. But it is just way too broken and clunky for a game that's been out on EA for over two years.

I read reviews that the enemy animations when getting hit are good, but from my experience when you hit them they literally freeze in a static pose. The only animation on getting attacked is a rag doll when finally killed.

The AI is also lacking at least in co-op. When trying to go face to face with an ogre with my sword and shield they ignore me and walk right through my body (which is terribly disorienting) to the other player. I've also had the enemies walk right off a ledge (with no animation, they just freeze up and drop).

I couldn't stand the walking controls... even with dual stick for trackpad movement which I usually like to use. I switched to teleporting, and it was oh so broken. In the hub area I managed to get stuck underneath the stairs, looking up at my co-op partner begging him to start a match so I could be unstuck. I also was able to teleport out of bounds quite easily getting myself stuck (I knew I'd get stuck doing it but at this point I just had to keep going to see how far out the game would let me teleport). Which by the way, when you do that the enemies just walk across the void like it's nothing hilariously to get to you.

My final straw was when my partner and I wiped at the first red crystals. We got sent back to the HUB and I remained fainted. He tried to revive me but couldn't, so again he started a match to try and fix me. Nope. I was not only still fainted, but my partner couldn't even see me any more.

I get it. It's early access. But it's been two years. I see that there has been a lot of content updates, but for me to find all these game breaking and immersion breaking elements in less than one hour I feel like the developmental priorities are in the wrong place.

Bought this at 50% off. Using a Samsung Odyssey WMR with SteamVR.

I was hesitant at first, but I'm not at all disappointed. The combat is very enjoyable once you get the hang of it. I generally play using teleport settings as my controls are buggy, and I so very enjoy being surrounded by orcs, casting a meteor on my position, teleporting a short distance away and watching the carnage. I have yet to play with others, but given the solo experience, I'm definitely keen.

I have a few nitpicks, but nothing too major. When you're hit enough, your screen can fill with a lot of red, and it does make it obnoxiously difficult to see what you're doing and where you are. Some terrain models clip through each other, resulting in a messy look. If you're teleporting, you can accidentally teleport into terrain and break your immersion. Some enemies possess the ability to cast magic or fire arrows through the terrain,

I'd like some bigger maps, perhaps a castle defense mode and Windows Mixed Reality support, but I highly recommend the game, and it is a steal at $12.99.

*Windows Mixed Reality users, expect crashes as usual. I get through about a half hour to an hour of gameplay before my headset disconnects suddenly. Issues with turning using the touchpad as well. I still recommend the game as I would expect fixes to come, and the time you are able to play is still worth the progress lost you'll lose.

Ok, this is awesome, yes it needs some polish, but once I got into it a bit I could see its shine! It's sort of a dungeon crawl set on floating sky rocks. You equip two weapons, a belt item, and pick up scrolls in combat (which allow you to cast combat spells).

Then your off on a procedurally generated map to do the usual (kill or destroy something). The melee isn't up to Gorn standards (nothing is) but it is fun! Armor will block flailing/projectiles, as will shields.

I found myself gut stabbing from behind my shield as bodies piled up while my co-op archer was sending arrows pouring over my head into the crowd. Afterwards, I smashed a healing potion into the ground to rejuvenate us for the next wave; both of us falling into a rhythm of me forming a one man shield wall, and him playing Robin Hood/Legolas.

It was fun! And this was my first co-op with a pickup partner. This game has tons of potential (unlockable/upgradeable weapons, multiple movement types, quest and wave modes.)

One of the best VR games I've ever invested in.
For the price, great balance of graphics, mechanics, multiplayer co-op, and now skill MASTERY...
And it's still under development. I would enjoy this game for this price if it was already full release. I'm thrilled they're still adding more content.

Fun game for everyone. There are kids and adults on here like any other game. The variety will get betteras it goes but at this time, there is enough to last. I havn't played alot, but the time I have played was fun! Watch videos or give it a try yourself if you have one.

This game is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated dungeon crawlers out there. The swords and bows all work just as good as other games entirely devoted to one or the other. There's a huge variety in weapons and a few different enemies with readable attack animations that require parrying. There isn't physics based attacks (a weak swing will do the same damage as a strong one), but that's so you can feel powerful as you plow down the oncoming waves, and you DO have to attack around shields and armor. The snarky JARVIS-like companion's quips add a bunch of fun as well.

This is my go-to game when I want to play with both melee and ranged weapons. The frequent updates tell me that this game's future is in good hands!

Worth the $$.

This is a procedurally generated hack'n'slash with an active dev team. And it's inexpensive, so all considered, it makes for a far better option than 90% of the VR games for the Vive today.

Buy it, invite your friends, watch them die. You'll enjoy it.

Now this is here a real gem. I’ve tried a few vr fantasy games, but nothing stroke the right tone. Vanishing Realms feels slow, Gorn is a physics playground. This one here - I see myself coming back to this for a long time. The combat feels very dynamic and varied with all the different enemies and combos they put together. Weapons offer differnt playstyles which are all satisfying to use (I have some experience in real-life sword fighting so you can take my word for it, or try it yourself). Occasional glitches like enemies stuck on terrain never break the game for me. The graphics are polished and well thought-out. Overall, you won’t find similar value for money in other vr titles. Grab it!

I have seen Trickster on Steam quite a few times, and I always thought it looked like just another SWING THE SWORD, KILL THE BADIE, MOVE ON type of game, but it really is quite more than that. It is really fun, and there is a TON to offer here. It's not a game you sit down (or in this case stand up) and beat in one sitting. I am currently a little over an hour and a half into it (my first play) and I am shocked at how much there really is here. The enemies are all very unique and can easily be differentiated from one another on the battlefield. I feel like the archers are a bit strong, but that just goes to show that there is a good challenge here. I found myself dying more than once simply because I did not handle the situation correctly, and that's significantly better than dying because of bullshit enemies. It's a great game, and an amazing VR title. I would recommend to anyone!

At first I was hesitant to buy this game....another tech demo? Another repetitive gameplay? Where are the map exploring survival/open world/crafting/action/adventure fallout 4/skyrim based gameplay I have come to know and love? I mean procedural dungeon crawler? If I gave a nickel everytime I heard that, I'd probably be pist poor enough to be unable to buy this game but as it turns out....

Well as a Rifter since release, owning quite a few VR games already from both Oculus and Steam (List Below), I can safely say this is the closest I've felt in true action FPS RPG compared to any other game on the market for Rift, including Raw Data, which comes in second. Where Raw Data fails, Trickster thrives with its namesake, 'Procedural generated maps' with procedural generated quests. Where Raw Data is static map with incoming waves,Trickster has adventure and waves.

The only thing that of course will be its downfall is again its name...procedural generated relies completely on its base foundation...if the seed does not give enough complex variables, most often you will feel repetition (ie. No Man's Sky), however considering the many VR games out there (Vanishing Realms excluded for Rift), it still one up's my 2nd best VR game, Raw Data because the variables still expand more from the original game play thus giving me more to feel and embrace from your typical VR gaming experience

The weapon switching gives a small but arguably more progressive approach toward Action Adventure where inventory slots are concerned thus at least achieving the feel of items with light/latern in dark maps. You will have not two but three weapons at your disposal, executing all three weapons whilst moving? Priceless, indeed you will definitely feel like a badass but in this mode you will start to realise the God-like potential of what is to come...Triple A Fantasy Action Adventure FPS RPG. You will notice it when you start to flow with your items, how you skillfully weave weapon switches from bow to arrow killing with both strikes...we havent even involve magics yet...

The motion sickness problem is solved for the RPG genre thanks to trickster, indeed, it played a trick with our mind and vision with ingenius smooth turning and twin sticks with a slap of teleport, they might have set the stage for all the VR RPG of the future. Ultimately, Trickster has tricked its way like any good Loki would into my admiration as an Action RPG VR goto game as of now, Jan 2017

Neo's Oculus Rift Top 10:
1) Trickster VR
2) Raw Data
3) Arizona Sunshine (Too short for the asking price, not horrifying enough and graphics for a zombie game already outrivaled by Resident Evil)
4) The Ark: Survival VR (Seated but is an open world crafting survival and multiplayer capable)
5) The Unspoken - (MOBA) 1 v 1 (Mage Duel)
6) Ripcoil (What Tron Disc gameplay would have been, its free and its a fresh new take of competitive court based gameplay)
7)Dead and Buried - MOBA 2 v 2 (Gunslinger duels and defend mode)
8)Subnautica (Like the Ark, a pc based survival exploration game turned VR. Low ranked because of current horrible motion sickness issues, could learn a thing or two from Trickster but the beauty of exploration in Subnautica is unrivaled at the moment)
9)Discovering Space (Im glad and proud that the human race decided to build this first compared to any triple A VR game, because everything in this space traveling exploration simulator is true to life detail except for the ship you are traveling in which is capable of FTL speeds)
10)Bigscreen Beta and Dota 2 are weirdly the only two places where I have truly met people and converse generally like I was sitting on a sofa across them, and I feel it is currently VR's highlighted social spots that will grow with the community as time passes

So here is my review after first 3 hours in this game.

The combat is fun. Its a great mix between realistic and arcade. Coming from vanishing realms, where you have one or two enemies charging at you at a time, it feels much more chaotic, but in a good way. You can play defensively by taking your shots and blocking / parrying every attack, but I found it more fun just to dive head first into the enemies and slash and hack with my sword and shield like a mad man. It can get pretty difficult though, when each of the orcs throws their magic gimmic at you and you have to figure out what exactly is eating away your health and how to avoid it. Not exactly Dark Souls, but not a walk in the park either.

The graphics are simple, but well done. The bright colors and color palette realy matches the mood of the game. Sound is just what is should be, with some epic music tracks thrown in the mix.

The strongly advertised procedural levels actually work pretty good. You start to see some repeating tiles after a few hrs, but every level is very different from another and with 3 or 4 weather settings (green, snow, desert + day/night cycle) you never know what's around the corner. High replayability value here.

And, you also get the typical wave attack game mode with this one as well if you're into those. I like the procedural levels more, but its still pretty well done. More interesting and dynamic with all the islands flying in/out than most similar titles ive played.

Get it. A great addition to any vr library.

Trickster is a very promising vr game. You start in your hub / home fortress and use the portal to venture on missions in different zones. The combat is pretty arcadey with all the spells and hit effects flying around, but has a very satysfying feel. The procedural levels really add to replayability. A great break from the wave shooters out there.

The Gameplay.
The game takes place on procedural levels, where you punch your way through groups of enemies to reach your goal. There are four quests types available, with very different mechanics and skills needed to complete them. And whats most important - they are actually fun! Running from a flying crystal shooting death rays, ending a crow infestation or taking on an orc general - feels great. That gives great hope for the future content, but at the moment is a little repetitive after your first 10 or so levels. Looking forward for future updates.

The Visuals
The game is not realistic, by any means, but it has a very consistent, kinda toon art style. It fits well with the setting of the game. The floating islands are great to look at and you'll definitely find some epic vistas. Some FX look a little too flat up close and could be improved, but its not going to bother you in the middle of the combat.

The Enemies.
Simply put - well designed and fun to fight. The orcs vary vastly in terms of what they can do, while their designs make it easy make out squishies in the group. Some will shield others with their magic, some will perform some crazy jump attacks at you and there is that one that creates floating, life-sucking area denial orbs that you'll learn to avoid really quickly. While the animations in general look very fluid, the lack of ragdoll whatsover leaves bodies stuck in terrain if they died on a steep slope. Also, I want to be able to stab a dead orc. I need it in my life.

The development.
The developer is definitely a strong point here. Engaged with the community, sounds like a guy with a vision and pushes the updates consistently. Carry on like this and the game may just become one of the best fantasy games on vive.

Worth it? Ow yeah!
Overall, its a really fun title, well worth the 10$. If you enjoy light-hearted fantasy action and want a break from wave shooters, look no further!

Had fun and it’s a game i'm keeping but…
The game in its current state has really big hitboxes on both the enemies and the environment which breaks the immersion for me in a really big way. In addition the floating corpses that are left when the islands float away feels really weird when you are playing.
Besides the points made above the game works fine.

Would love to see
* 1)The ability to either switch bow size or be able to pull back the bowstring further
2)A high score list local and global

*Has been addressed by the devs and the ability to change it is now available.