Vendetta Forever Preview (Meta Quest)

Vendetta Forever is what you would get if you crossed Superhot VR with Ghostrunner, and threw in just a touch of John Wick. It’s fast-paced, features a plethora of faceless goons, and before you know it, all of the targets have been eliminated, and you’re waiting to see what’s next.

This upcoming VR title from nDreams, the developer behind Synapse, Fracked, and Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, drops on October 23, 2024, but players can now experience a demo version of the game ahead of its release.

I had the opportunity to check out a press version of the Vendetta Forever demo myself, and this shooter shows a lot of promise. If the other 50+ levels contained in this game maintain the intensity and creativity of the limited preview, VR action fans are in for a treat. 

Vendetta Forever Can Be Vendetta in 30 Minutes 

What will thrill many players testing out the Vendetta Forever demo initially will be its gunplay and unique settings. It’s not hard to imagine the nDreams devs are fans of action movies, when the first level has you kill an enemy with a pencil and a later scene has you shoot down a helicopter from another helicopter. Whether you’re channeling John Wick, James Bond, or Dutch from Predator (1987), this teaser alone has a ton of nods to cinema greats. 

Once you’ve had a chance to appreciate the mechanics and the references, you will probably start to pick up on the true challenge of the game…speed. As the heading suggests, Vendetta Forever levels can go by in a flash, and if you’re hoping to run through the demo to get to the end, it won’t take more than half an hour. The problem is that it won’t be enough just to get to the end. Every time you finish a level, you can see the global scoreboard, and you will quickly realize just how slow you are in comparison. 

When I started playing the Vendetta Forever demo, I expected to be one of those 30-minute players. It was all about getting a quick feel for the game and doing a run-through of the levels to prepare for this preview write-up. What I wasn’t expecting was to finish the first scene, see my terrible score in relation to other players, and let my competitive spirit take over. That 30-minute play session turned into two and a half hours of intense attempts to climb a little bit higher in the rankings, and it’s the best impromptu workout I’ve had in months. 

There are elements of the game that very much feel like Superhot, including the enemies and weapons, and since they look so similar, there are a few crucial differences worth mentioning. While most Superhot modes are in slow motion, Vendetta Forever takes a real-time approach with limited instances where things are slowed down.

The game also has a unique movement mechanic, where players teleport to a new location by grabbing an enemy’s weapon, as opposed to staying in one spot. Furthermore, one bullet does not equal death in the game’s normal mode, so players can take a few hits before going down. Superhot is an excellent VR title, and it seems nDreams has taken some inspiration and cranked it to 11. 

Vendetta Forever Looks and Feels Great, But Has a Few Flaws

Although there’s not much to criticize of Vendetta Forever before doing a full review of the game, there were a few minor inconveniences that warrant attention. The first and most frustrating issue I discovered in the demo was that the UI would sometimes jump away after completing a level. It would still be visible, but too far away to reach. This happened primarily when I would take off the headset briefly or recenter the screen. 

What makes this a little annoying is that instead of quickly being able to move on to the next level, I would have to go back to the home screen and find where I left off. This was when I wished nDreams had taken a page out of Ghostrunner’s book and made reset instantaneous upon death. Nevertheless, it was a small trouble, and something I hope is fixed before launch day. 

Another instance of this fast-paced game slowing things down was in situations where enemies would drop their guns just out of reach. This was sometimes agitating because your run can be going well when all of a sudden you have to restart because the grab line doesn’t extend far enough. I still think this movement mechanic is well done; it just needs some touch-ups on a few levels. 

The last issue I will mention is that the scoreboard started showing an error near the end of my playthrough. Its failure to connect to the nDreams servers was a bit disappointing, since it was providing so much motivation, so I hope this is not a regular occurrence when the game is officially released. 

Closing Thoughts on the Vendetta Forever Demo

Demos seem to have fallen somewhat out of favor with video game companies, when honestly they are a great way to help you decide if you might like a title or not. If you are interested in Vendetta Forever, definitely take advantage of the demo levels that have been made available for free. I certainly had a lot of fun testing it out, and I’m looking forward to seeing the whole game. 

I hope that with the additional 50+ levels, there will be even more variety in the gameplay and missions. The initial tutorial suggested that stealth is always an option in the game, but most of the settings required a full-force attack. So it will be interesting to see if more scenes incorporate a silent approach. 

As far as games like Vendetta Forever go, when there’s no focus on a narrative, the mechanics and replayability have to be top-tier. Currently, I think this game has an excellent shot at impressing a lot of gamers, as long as the full game holds up to the quality of the demo.

What do you think about Vendetta Forever? Have you played the demo and/or do you plan to get the full game? Make sure to leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.