Pistol Whip

Pistol Whip deserves to be discussed alongside Beat Saber, which I think is still virtual reality’s best and most fun ambassador. The two are both rhythm games that engross you in the music as you fight your way through a series of moving obstacles. Though I felt similar thrills the first time I played both, Pistol Whip’s gunplay manages to feel mechanically unique, and I am excited to push my high score and master the harder difficulties – even if it means having a sore neck.

The point of the game is to feel like techno-fantasy gun action and it succeeds incredibly well at that, with the pumping soundtrack driving the action in a way that’s impossible to resist. The rhythm and shooting fuse together to the point where you can feel when a shot is off, and that just because it hit doesn’t mean it was good. Pistol Whip is a music/action VR shooter built from recognizable elements that combine into a unique whole, and when it all comes together as planned it leaves the player feeling like an invincible gun-god dancing through the bullets.

Pistol Whip is entertaining and another of the growing list of successful arguments for VR as a near-staple for gamers. As a music game, it doesn’t have the depth or addictive appeal of Beat Saber. It can be fun and is one of the better action/arcade games in the VR space, but given its limited playlist and mechanics, I suspect it doesn’t have the long-term appeal of other, more fully-featured games.