When it comes to virtual reality games the music/rhythm genre lends itself quite well to the medium. Beat Saber and Synth Riders are among some of the most popular titles on these platforms but there are quite a few other choices as well for those looking for them. One of them is Ragnarock from developer WanadevStudio. Ragnarock released previously on Oculus and other VR devices but the PlayStation VR2 version is the first time it is appearing on a Sony platform. I jumped into this musical Viking world to deliver the verdict on whether you should add this one to your PlayStation VR2 launch playlist.
Ragnarock is a music/rhythm drumming game where you play as a Viking captain who has to guide his crew to steer their ship through various locations to win longboat races. The game is playable either solo against bots or in multiplayer with up to six players. Ragnarock is one of those games with a very simple premise but not one that is easy to master. As you play each race, runes will come down the screen toward you and you have to use your two hammers to hit your four drums in front of you at the right moment in order to fire up your crew to row the boat. The closer to hitting the runes perfectly that you are, the faster your boat will go, Miss the runes and perform poorly and your crew will be very unmotivated thus making you move at a very slow pace. The overall idea is very much like others in the genre but It’s good fun nonetheless.
Any music game like this lives and dies by the music itself and you get 30+ tracks here to rock out to. There isn’t a lot of variety in the list but if you like up-tempo, rock, and orchestra sounding music you’ll likely be pleased. I didn’t know any of these bands going in so I was quite delighted to find that I enjoyed a lot of these tracks. Rock is my favorite type of music anyway so it isn’t too surprising but still. Some of the names include Feuerschwanz, Wind Rose, The SIDH, and Ultra Vomit just to name a few. What is odd though is that there is a custom music option on the menu but you can’t select and do anything with it. This is present in the other versions of this game so I’m guessing they just disabled it and didn’t bother removing it from the menu. If the team could somehow get it working on PlayStation VR2 that would be a major addition to this but for now you are stuck with what is here.
In terms of comfort, I felt fine playing this game and you can do so comfortably either standing up or sitting down with the Sense controllers although I stood up for most of my time with it. The tracking performed well with only a rare occurrence of something going wrong with it for me. The game isn’t very impressive visually but it gets the job done and has some nice environments. The Sense controllers and the headset also utilize haptic feedback when you are hitting the notes and the effect is quite satisfying. Trophy hunters will find 11 trophies here to earn but sadly no Platinum to unlock.
Ragnarock is a great time worthy of shouting to Valhalla about and one that any fan of rock/metal music will enjoy. Some may want more variety in the tracklist and for now the PlayStation VR2 version lacks the custom music option seen in the other versions. With Beat Saber not being present on PlayStation VR2 yet though this one gets a solid recommendation from me if you are looking to jam out on Sony’s new virtual reality headset.
*Ragnarock is available now on PlayStation VR2, Oculus, and Vive. PlayStation VR2 version reviewed. Review copy provided by the publisher for this review.
Ragnarock
Pros
- Fun and responsive rhythm gameplay
- Great list of rock/metal songs
- Some cool environments
Cons
- No custom music option
- Not a lot to do in terms of modes
