Deadpool has been a major fixture of the Marvel Universe in the 21st century, evolving from a bare-bones villain in the early 1990s to a 4th-wall-breaking exercise in comedic posturing. While the surface-level character can be entertaining in spurts, it takes a greater sense of depth to make the character truly compelling. While Marvel’s Deadpool VR doesn’t manage to achieve that narrative strength, it does make up for it with some pretty fun gameplay.
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A hodgepodge of VR action-game mechanics spread out across a cartoony and crass tour of the Marvel Universe, Marvel’s Deadpool VR is never boring. It can get aggravating at times, especially when Deadpool needs to fill the time during a cutscene by babbling nonstop. However, the nuts and bolts gameplay — while not necessarily difficult — is fun enough to keep players going. When it’s firing on all cylinders, Marvel’s Deadpool VR is a delight — and even when it drags, it’s still a fun time.
Score: 4/5
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Action-heavy gameplay is full of natural chaos that lends itself well to the title character. | Standard combat can become repetitive. |
| A colorful and enteraining presentation brings the players into a fun version of the Marvel Universe. | Near-constant dialogue and a mixed bag of jokes make the humor very hit-or-miss. |
| Rewarding combos and clever set-pieces enhance the experience. | Not for audiences who don’t care for Deadpool as a character. |
Maximum Effort
Marvel’s Deadpool VR is very much about letting players step into the unkillable head of Marvel’s Merc with a Mouth, for better and for worse. Marvel’s Deadpool VR focuses on Wade Wilson being captured by the interdimensional villain Mojo, who seeks Wade’s assistance in capturing a number of other Marvel villains to be used in his upcoming shows. What follows is a gleefully self-aware and unapologetically gory take on the Marvel Universe.
As befitting the character, Deadpool never stops chattering, even in his own head. While Neil Patrick Harris does a decent job in the part — mimicking enough of Ryan Reynolds to be recognizable but distinct enough to stand out — the jokes range from drab pop-culture references to clever riffs on gaming tropes. However, because of the non-stop nature of the comedy, the clunkers stand out more than the hits.
What helps the game’s presentation is the choice to lean into a more colorful and comic book-inspired visual approach. This gives the game a certain charm to its action and scenery, even as the expansive worlds grow larger from level to level. It doesn’t take on an uncanny valley vibe that some other similar VR titles can be stuck with, and the distinct locales add a bit of visual variety to the action. It feels like stepping into a superhero universe in a way previous VR titles like Iron Man VR couldn’t quite match, and it lends Marvel’s Deadpool VR a real sense of charm.
A Goofy And Gory Good Time
Marvel’s Deadpool VR operates with a fairly straightforward approach to combat that doesn’t take long to master. Luckily, the core combat loop is entertaining enough and sets up plenty of fun, natural moments of chaos to be engaging. Exploration is relatively standard, albeit with collectables and weapons to be found littered all around the winding hallways and maps. Each level is full of minor enemies for the player to slide their way through and shoot down, with their handy katanas and pistols always at the ready. Other weapons, like grenades and the grappling gun, add a bit of natural variety to the combat.
The best moments in Marvel’s Deadpool VR come courtesy of the game’s bombastic approach to action. Disarming enemies (sometimes literally) will sometimes send weapons into mid-air in slow motion, allowing players to quickly grab it and shift to a different combat style. It can lead to battlefields being chaotic messes, but it can also be full of genuinely thrilling little moments that occur naturally. Cutting someone in half, throwing your sword into the ground, and grabbing their gun before the corpse hits the ground can be a shockingly fulfilling experience, especially if players then quickly use their new firearm to take out another enemy. At its best, Marvel’s Deadpool VR makes the player actually feel like Deadpool.
The actual traversal mechanics are restrained enough not to throw players too hard, and the game finds the right balance between big set pieces and hallways of enemies to dispatch. While the typical combat against nameless henchmen can become repetitive, the game’s overt embrace of brutal kills is infectious. While I may have killed the same-looking enemy commando fifty times in fifteen minutes, by the end, I was trying to see how many body parts I could juggle or slapping someone around with my own dismembered hand.
Deadpool Is A Blast, But Be Forewarned
Credit where credit is due, Twisted Pixel has done a solid job recreating the distinct spirit that has always made Deadpool so entertaining. As a longtime fan of the character, I was thrilled to see word balloons pop up and to recreate some of Wade Wilson’s most explosive moves. The VR approach was an interesting way to do it, leaning far more into visceral fun than genuine challenge. That’s not a bad thing either, as Marvel’s Deadpool VR‘s boss fights in particular were exciting, entertaining, and just the right amount of silly.
While Deadpool himself may be a bit of a mixed bag in the game (and players who dislike the character entirely should probably avoid this title), Marvel’s Deadpool VR is a very entertaining way to recreate the character for a VR audience. Not necessarily a killer app on its own, Marvel’s Deadpool VR has enough fun showcasing the action, platforming, and worldbuilding of the VR space to be well worth checking out for gamers who already have the available tech. If you like Deadpool just as much as you like hacking enemies to pieces in video games, then Marvel’s Deadpool VR is the perfect title for you. For everyone else, it’s still a pretty fun experience that can be annoying at times, but is overall a bloody good time.
Comicbook.com was provided a review code for Deadpool VR for the purposes of this review.
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