Gorn 2 (Quest 3S) Review

Gameplay

Graphics

Audio

Value

Summary: A safe, yet solid sequel to one of the silliest VR slap fests around.

3.5

Are you not entertained?

Gorn 2 is the kind of sequel I like. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. Instead, it improves the parts where the original lacked, while refining and improving what worked.

If you loved the original, like I did, there’s no point reading this review; you’ll love Gorn 2, grab your headset of choice, and get hacking. You will have a blast.

Gorn 2 opens with the hero from the first ascending to the afterlife, only to find his days of Gladiatorial combat are far from over. You see, the ruler of the realm has been deposed and butchered by his five ungrateful children, and it’s up to you to slaughter all their followers and the crazed pantheon they worship.

Over a four(ish) hour campaign, you’ll butcher your way through five distinct realms (each with three stages accessed by skewing a gladiator’s head on a pike) facing a wide variety of foes from hulking great gladiators to vicious chickens and thrashing tentacles, before facing off against the realms chosen deity in a boss battle that also acts as an end of stage set piece.

Before that, you’ll battle through a series of challenges in each deviously constructed colosseum. Each stage is populated with tricks and traps like a giant spiked pendulum that you must avoid, massive spatulas that will crush you flat, flailing tentacles, spinning blades, and much more.

There’s plenty of dodging, ducking and diving to be done, but it’s also lots of fun sending your opponents into a nearby trap, or even better, watching the dopey buggers wander straight into one. I guess being dead, they don’t worry about self-preservation anymore. What’s the worst that could happen?

Most of the burly blokes bound up to you ready to be brutalised, and Gorn 2 gives you a myriad of ways to oblige the masochistic macho men. There’s all manner of swords, bows, maces, and axes, to carve your way through the competition, each feels unique, responsive in your hand, and allows for a wide variety of playstyles.

Combat is a mix between the savage and the ridiculous. One minute, your wobbly mace is cracking skulls and your opponents are rag dolling onto the floor, then the next, you’re tearing their heads off with your bear hands and throwing them in a meat grinder to be turned into snacks for the baying crowd, and one set piece has you barbecuing fallen foes in a gladiatorial griddle to help you grow to gigantic proportions.

It’s a brutal and barmy affair with man jam splashing all over the place as you maim and mutilate the competition with every well-placed strike, severing limbs, skewering organs, and topping up your health.

However, once you’ve made your way through the campaign, there isn’t much reason to return to Gorn 2, other than a Hardcore mode that jacks up the difficulty, or returning to a previously beaten arena to complete a challenge you may have failed.

These normally comprise killing this many enemies with a certain weapon or punting them into a trap; it’s simple stuff, and you’re rewarded with a stronger weapon for your troubles, but it never feels like you’re missing out if you don’t bother.

There is an obligatory endless mode that makes for a nice workout if you fancy something a bit more violent than Ring Fit. There’s also a custom mode that lets you tinker with the horde you have to face and what you’ll dispatch them with, how many musclebound monster are cheering their inevitable dismemberment, and the state of the coliseum, as well as what goodies and pitfalls it contains.

Gorn 2’s presentation is simple yet effective. It uses the same exaggerated cel-shaded art style as the original, with goofy-looking gladiators grunting and gurning as they swing their huge wobbly axes and bounce around the place.

It’s fun and helps keep the tone light despite the extreme violence and bloodshed. It also allows Gorn 2 to run at a fairly decent pace on lower-end hardware like the Meta Quest 3S I was testing it on, with the game only struggling occasionally in the latter stages when the action got particularly intense.

Final Thoughts

Gorn 2 is a decent sequel that takes the simple fun from the first and evolves the formula with even more traps, power-ups, and a cast of crazy gods to battle against. Fans of the original are bound to eat it up, while those new to the series will find a compelling comedy brawler with buckets of charm and chum to spare.

About the Author

Gareth Newnham

Gorn 2 (Quest 3S) Review