Blood & Truth

- Reviewed on PSVR -

Blood & Truth released on May 28th, 2019.

Developed by, then company, London Studio, Blood & Truth is a first-person shooter, VR title, that released to pretty decent reviews.

Only released for the PSVR, Blood & Truth was even nominated for best VR / AR Videogame. And after playing this myself, I fully support their past nomination!

With great voice actors like Amy Bailey, Felix Scott, Colin Salmon, and more, Blood & Truth isn't just a VR experience, it's an excellent piece of storytelling, that literally makes you an action star hero!

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

Blood & Truth's plot surrounds the (fictional) organized, criminal world of London, as you play as a former solider, named Ryan Marks. 

After his father is shockingly killed in this high stakes, action packed lifestyle, Ryan Marks now becomes the sole protector of his family. 

The gangland action won't be easy though for you (Ryan Marks), as the main antagonist is a criminal mastermind, called Tony Sharp.

There are 19 total missions, which surprised me for a PSVR title, and it can take an average time of about five or so hours to complete. 

After my last VR experience wasn't too long at all, I was fully on board with the plot, characters, and gameplay, and ready to star in my own action movie!

Upon the first mission, you'll notice that the movement isn't free roam. 

The missions take place in pretty large spaces, so I did feel that was a missed opportunity, since the technology was there for the taking. 

Regardless, the movement is more click and go, and as you play, you can either fight with a controller, or what I chose to play with, the motion controllers. 

Motion controls for PSVR are always more immersive, and Blood & Truth is extremely immersive as is.

As a former soldier, the gameplay will of course be shooting related. 

However, there are other immersive gameplay mechanics to experience as well. 

These include Lockpicking, Tampering with Electronics, picking up and Examining Evidence, and more.

There's even a ton of small things you can interact with during the plot. 

Change the radio channel during a gunfight, flip up the mirror in a car, pull out drawers, throw footballs, spray-paint, there is a ton of fun things to do!

Back to the gunfighting though, and there is a lot of learning to do before you really get the hang of it. 

It took me, personally, nearly the whole game before I got used to the gun fights and the controls.

Of course, using a controller would be easier, but I wanted to experience Blood & Truth the real way!

During gameplay you have four weapon slots. Two side holsters for handguns, and two on your back for bigger weapons, like a submachine gun and / or shotgun.

You have to grab ammo from your chest pouch to then reload your weapon(s) manually.

I don't know if it's the game itself, my setup, or both, but using two handed weapons with the PSVR motion controls is nearly impossible!

I could never get it right with The Walking Dead VR games, and neither for this one.

This resulted in me using all weapons one handed. It's entirely possible to do so, and even sometimes, more enjoyable, dual wielding submachine guns!

The aiming is tough however, as the motion controls don't like to cooperate with the Green ADS on all the guns. 

Speaking of which, in the hub world of Blood & Truth, which is the safehouse, you can actually customize your weapons with various attachments, paint colors, and more!

You can also view collectibles in the safehouse, which can be found in nearly all missions.

These collectibles include Vaporizers, Statues / Toys, Marksman Targets you have to shoot, and more.

Once you find / shoot any of these collectibles, you get a star, and those stars are used for the weapon attachments. Everything coincides with one another, which is great game design!

Some game design aspects I didn't like though was during gunfights; you'll notice boxes with X's in them. 

These are like the game's waypoints that don't enable until after you beat a specific wave of enemies or watch an entire cutscene playout. 

This gameplay mechanic will sometimes (at least for me) break the immersion / illusion of being in a life-or-death situation, and you won't be able to go for cover in those spots. 

There is a lot of cutscenes in Blood & Truth as well. Sometimes it felt like these cutscenes were majority of the game, however, that's not a negative thing at all. 

Being in VR kind of makes you play that role as if you're in a movie yourself. 

One prime example of this is where your (SPOILER) about to jump off a crane and parachute into a building, but the game gives you a chance to look all around you at the London nightlife beforehand.

Another example is the various times your being interrogated in a warehouse, about the actions you took in the past (during the first few missions). 

Scenes like that were incredible and very memorable to me. 

Blood & Truth isn't just a game; it's your way of being in your own James Bond movie!

The loading times can be long, the aiming and two-handed weapons can be wonky, and the cutscenes can be an overabundance to some, but Blood & Truth is more about feeling like an action star. 

Once those bullets start flying, and you're literally ducking in real life for cover, and blowing up explosives, riding a getaway car, and even jumping out of a scaffolding building, you'll then appreciate the magic of Blood & Truth!

Pros: 

    - Thrilling Gameplay

    - Collectibles

    - Catchy, Action Style Music

    - Very Immersive

    - Great Plot

    - Amazing Cast of Characters

    - Good Replayability

Cons:

    - Long Loading Times

    - Bad Controls with Holding a Weapon with Two Hands

    - Cutscenes Can Be Too Long at Times

My Rating for Blood & Truth (on PSVR):

4 / 5

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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.