Same as last year, it looks like virtual reality gamers are getting some new reasons to dust off their helmets in time for Christmas, just when the VR scene seemed to struggle once again. Similarly too, it's the superhero genre that will provide the best environment to try out some new, over the top action moves, and once again those users are benefiting from the "war" between Marvel and DC. Where they got a decent futuristic flying experience with Marvel's Iron Man, and then a dark, more serious detective adventure with last year's award-winning Batman: Arkham Shadow, now it's time for Wade Winston Wilson to sit in between the two. Because Marvel's Deadpool VR is a crazy, over the top action game with some nice new combat ideas accompanied by very fitting writing and voice acting.
The Meta Quest 3/3S exclusive launches tomorrow as probably the most important release in 2025 for the most popular VR system. And while it doesn't achieve nor seek the refinement and sophistication of The Caped Crusader's story, Twisted Pixel Games managed to put together the different ingredients that could make Deadpool work in virtual reality, at the same time catering to both fans and newcomers. Beware, if you're the latter, that this means non-stop gore and comedic chatter.
Let's start with combat as the core set of mechanics here. On paper, the character lends himself to a hectic combination of ranged and close combat attacks, and that is pretty much what you do again and again in the different encounters. You dual-wield both your guns (available at both sides of your hip) and your swords (that you draw from your back), which you have to alternate with the additional gadgets (such as the grapple gun, on your lower back, or the sticky grenades, on your left forearm) and the blades and firearms provided by enemies and the environment (such as ninja shuriken, bows and arrows, shotguns...).
To make it Deadpool's very own style, the developers have convincingly introduced some of the character's most recognisable traits. Dropped weapons for instance don't actually drop on the ground, instead floating above the corpses for a few seconds so that you can grab them easily in a slow-mo fashion. That is probably the best design choice implemented here to give it the feel of the Deadpool movies and comics, but then of course you have gruesome finishes to make you laugh or scream, or athletic moves to traverse the environment (wall run and double jump are also comfortably executed here). On top of that, there's Deadpool's own main "super power" to keep in mind and use to your advantage: his ability to regenerate dismembered limbs.
After a stellar initial mission you get to the game's hub world (or universe?) where you take on the different chapters which, together with a bunch of collectibles, upgrades, secret rooms, and hi-scores, make for a meaty game by VR standards. The idea here mostly is to make you alter your play style to tackle the different enemy types, both in hordes, waves, or final bosses. It's more impressive and surprising at first and there's little to zero exploration or adventure feel other than some collectible comic books, but I'd say I kept coming back just because of the silly, over-the-top combat. It also gets repetitive and some of the enemies were just too basic, even freezing their animations if you were 20 metres from them, but the next finisher usually made me forget that.
Ah, the finishers and the combos. They were some of the best I've ever experienced not this year, but in VR in general, and that naturally is a big plus for a Deadpool game. Gun-grappling a sniping dude, pulling him towards you to cut him in half in slow motion, then grab his throwables with each hand and stop two incoming running foes from different directions is only an example of what you can do, and it's not just for your enjoyment, as the game introduces a "livestream" environment for you to show off before your viewers, like Viewtiful Joe would do nowadays. And these only get better in the scripted boss fights, but of course.
In order to keep all the gore and flying limbs on screen at a steady pace, and as it's running on the powerful yet portably standalone Quest 3 hardware, the game makes a few concessions in the graphics department. The cel-shaded comic-inspired finish to characters works well enough, but the environments often seem like they're coming from the Gamecube era, and some of the Helicarrier's plain halls and corridors already announce this from very early into the game. Compromises are understandable and the norm with this format, but I couldn't help but long for fancier graphics.
So once you've done a hundred executions and restarted the game a couple of times due to the occasional glitch (one annoyingly kept a tutorial prompt on screen forever), is there anything that sustains the deliberately silly, shallow experience? Yes, there is, and to me it's the other main reason to try out this game: the writing and the voice acting.
Because talking from your beheaded self is hilarious enough, but this game wouldn't be the same without the ongoing, never-stopping chatter, as it's also a staple of the character. Over the comms, talking to yourself, or during encounters, the cleverly-written and wonderfully-delivered lines are there to keep you entertained at all times, literally. As simple and effective as that, but in a way we rarely see in VR. And as great news for non-English speakers, though you'll miss Neil Patrick Harris and the rest of the Hollywood cast's performance, there's very good quality dubbing as well in additional languages. You all know that reading subtitles isn't the best idea in VR, and because you would rather focus on creative ways to slaughter your enemies while the umpteenth joke is delivered to your ear.
From "you did this to me, you shitty player" when you see the replay of your own dumb death, to the constant fourth wall breaking or the witty references to video games (including loot boxes) and pop culture, this is how it's done in VR and something that holds and elevates a honestly silly game where ridiculous executions are the other only main hook.
So, well done, Twisted Pixel and Meta, as you nailed the humour and the type of experience Deadpool needed to be in VR. Don't expect smart puzzles and gadgets here, as this is an upfront, unapologetic massacre, and it's the new Quest game you'll want to show your friends this Christmas (as long as they're 18+, though there's a Kidpool mode, mind you).
