Title: Ancient Amuletor
Available On: PlayStation 4 (PSVR)
Publisher: Time of Virtual Reality
Developer: TiGames
Genre: Adventure, Arcade, Virtual Reality
Official Site: Ancient Amuletor
Release Date: June 27th, 2017
Where To Buy It: PlayStation Store ($19.99)
Since I opened the box to my PlayStation VR, I’ve been dying to play a game that is exciting and truly feels like a virtual reality title. While things like Job Simulator and Until Dawn: Rush of Blood are great titles for what they are, I wanted something more strategic that actually felt like being in a video game. When I received Ancient Amuletor to review, I was happy to discover that I had finally found the VR title I’d been looking for. Although it is pretty short, Ancient Amuletor is fun, strategic, and really takes advantage of the virtual reality aspects of the game.
In a nutshell, Ancient Amuletor is a tower defense game. Once you’ve chosen your character, the game sends you to mystical, foreign lands to battle against creatures, monsters, and warriors that are all hell bent on destroying your stations. As of right now, there are four characters to choose from: archer, gunner, mage, and puppeteer. The archer and gunner were, by far, my favorites, and they are pretty self-explanatory. The puppeteer throws an actual robot out into the battle, and you can hack away at your enemies with the robot. The mage was definitely the most frustrating and hardest to control. While playing with the mage, you create orbs with a spell book in one hand while throwing the orbs with your staff in the other.
Most importantly, you will have fun playing this game. It’s so easy to get absorbed into the gameplay, and the worlds really come alive with the VR. The game is really meant to be played with multiple people, and I can only see the game getting better while working as a team. That being said, I had just as much fun playing by myself. The game really keeps you on your toes as you have to constantly keep an eye on what is happening around you. One match will have you teleporting all over the map to assure the safety of your towers as you blast away skeletons and gladiators. However, knowing where you are aiming, especially with the gunner and the mage, can be a little tricky at times.
One thing that really surprised me was the inclusion of boss battles. As I finished the last level of the first world, the last thing I expected was having to fight a giant pharaoh made of stone. And let me tell you, in VR, this thing looked massive. This battle, much like the rest of the gameplay, failed to disappoint. It was a blast figuring out the best ways to move around the battlefield and how to take down the giant menace before me. From beginning to end, Ancient Amuletor was just fun to experience overall.
Despite all of my praise, I will have to warn you that this is a great title for what it is. While providing fun gameplay and a satisfying experience, Ancient Amuletor does leave a lot to be desired in certain areas. For example, the game is incredibly short. While there is a promise of more levels to come, I would have liked to see these available on release. Each hero has an aspect of modification available that I would also like to see more of. Last but not least, there really isn’t any story included in the game so far. I’m not sure if that’s something that will change, but with it being such a short experience already, a little story to give some background would have been great. The world and characters that the development team has created are interesting; we just don’t know anything about them.
All in all, Ancient Amuletor really shows a lot of promise. It’s obvious that the team has more in store for the game, I only wish that they would have waited to release it all at the same time. With that being said, I’m still extremely excited to see what else the developers have in store when it comes to new levels and characters. Regardless, to anyone out there with a PSVR this is an exciting title that I would totally recommend for a good time!
Verdict: Ancient Amuletor is fun and exciting for what it is. Its gameplay will get your heart pumping as you teleport across the maps to battle against those who wish to destroy your towers. The graphics are bright and fun while still providing a totally immersive experience. The only complaint is that I wish there was more. The lack of story and limited levels make Ancient Amuletor feel more like an early access versus a full game.
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