A roguelike with much to offer, PSVR2 becomes the definitive way to play.
Climb the tower and take down the robots standing in your path.
Sweet Surrender, developed by Salmi Games and released originally on Quest headsets – circa 2021 – has launched on the PlayStation VR2 (PSVR2) as of Oct. 30. Pick your favourite class, use powerful guns you find throughout each run, and add upgrades which can vastly improve your chances each playthrough.
While the game has been on the virtual reality (VR) market for some time, the game has seen numerous improvements over the years which include:
- Four new classes
- Melee weapons, refined grenade launchers and sniper guns
- New areas (the sewers)
- New weapons, new chips, revamped chips
- Tons of accessibility improvements (including a trainee class, save & quit, improved UI and tool tips, shortcuts, and tone more)
- Many, many bug fixes and improvements
- A fully revamped graphics look, including a full pass on all our shaders and particle systems
Bringing this game to a new system was no small feat. The team behind the game wanted to ensure they could put out the best version of the game, using as many of the technological features of the PSVR2 as possible.
“Sweet Surrender takes full advantage of the haptic feedback on the Sense controllers, as well as the Headset feedback. It also supports the adaptive triggers of the controllers and runs at a smooth 90fps (frames per second) with no foveated rendering. On PlayStation 5 Pro, Sweet Surrender runs at even higher resolution,” said Yacine Salmi, CEO & founder of Salmi Games. “We’re really excited for the PSVR2 release, and we’re looking forward to the player’s feedback. It’s been fascinating for us to work with some of these new technologies, especially the adaptive triggers. We feel like we are just scratching the surface of what we can do. We hope the game is well-received on PSVR2 so that we can continue to invest more and more time on PSVR2-specific features.”
What may feel like a bloated genre on this generation’s of headsets; just like the wave shooters that came during the era of the original PSVR, the roguelikes have seemingly taken the lead – alongside a plethora zombie games – on the VR headsets of now. Sweet Surrender stands apart from the rest thanks to four key points Salmi notes. These include satisfying weapons that feel physical and powerful; extensive upgrades that combine in surprising ways and change the way you play; an arcade-focus – a streamlined reload system and infinite ammo let you focus on the weapons and your enemies; accessible – our game is playable by all, from first time VR players to veterans. Tons of comfort options and a challenge for all experience levels.
So now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s talk mechanics.
Playing Sweet Surrender is fluid and boasts easy to understand controls; grab with the grip buttons, shoot, use, or activate guns and items with the triggers, and move around with the thumbsticks. There are a number of comfort options for those who cannot handle the more extreme VR movement sets, however, being able to move around with complete freedom is the best way to play. If you want to access the menu during your run, simply use the ‘B’ button on your controller to be able to access the menu.
To reload the game shows its arcade roots by having you point your gun to the ground – no manual reload options are available. While it’s a little bit of a letdown that you don’t have the more immersive option, the frenetic and over-the-top action you’ll experience on a full run will make you happy that all you need to do is lower most weapons to quickly reload. Heads up for weapons such as grenade launchers – among others: you’ll need to point your weapon to the ground longer as it loads grenades one at a time. Compared to weapons you’ll gain access to early – which reload quick – you’ll need to change your style if you expect to power your way through with guns like these.
Gameplay is as you might expect for a roguelike: head out on your run, find new and interesting weapons & upgrades – these are found in the form of “chips” which provide upgrades like more damage, the ability to gain health from pickups in the environment, among other things. As Salmi has noted the upgrades “combine in crazy ways” which allows for an even more unique playthrough.
There are also areas which serve as shortcuts between levels, and even the ability to build shortcuts to different parts of the building; you can access these by paying a robot its requested fee. You’ll find this big fella sporadically throughout your runs, and it definitely does not hurt to pay up – especially if you want to unlock the other classes.
You’ll start with just one class – each comes standard with a different gun – and you’ll be able to unlock more by completing special missions through your runs. Heal yourself with stims, land headshots, and use melee weapons to gain access to some of the classes available.
Your character has three weapon slots – two on your hip and one behind the shoulder – as well as four item slots to hold things like grenades, shields and health boosters. You also have access to a minimap which can help you find your route through each level; you can activate this whenever you need by flipping over your non-dominant hand.
It should be noted that you can’t see enemies on the map, just the rooms available to you on each floor. This can help you to plan out the route you want to take – including seeing routes that aren’t necessary to hit; these tend to include upgrades and items that you may not find anywhere else.
Now let’s talk graphics before we call it a day.
As Salmi noted, 90 FPS is the standard the game runs on the standard PSVR2, and it’s crisp and smooth as you make your way up the tower. There were never any issues experienced during playthroughs – no crashes or framerate drops throughout a week’s worth of play.
The graphics boast a cell-shaded and classic arcade look, all of which is great in headset. While menus do have text that seem a little lower quality, this is not an accurate depiction of how the rest of the game plays – for instance, random notes left around give hints and point you as a player in the right direction.
Overall, Sweet Surrender is an excellent port – done by a developer who wants to ensure the best possible version of their game is the one launched.
While there are definitely many games competing in this genre – with more on the way as the year closes out – Sweet Surrender offers up a quality experience that most multi-platform games don’t.
A former student who studied at the University of Toronto, Salmi wants to share a message with those who are currently pursuing their dreams.
“If you want to become good or successful at anything, it takes regular, steady, daily work to achieve it. Set a goal, then chip away at it constantly. Your efforts will compound. There are no magical shortcuts. I wished I had learned this much, much earlier in life.”
Sweet Surrender was reviewed on the PSVR2 after receiving a pre-release key from the developer.
