Plasmaborne Review

It does seem like, at least once a month, a new VR roguelike will pop up. And XRSource does love a good roguelike, as they tend to offer exciting gameplay and tons of replayability. But with so many on offer, standing out from the crowd becomes harder and harder. And that’s what our buddies at 131XR have found with their review of Plasmaborne for Meta Quest. It just doesn’t make a big enough mark.

What is Plasmaborne?

Developed by Cybersnake-X, Plasmaborne is a sci-fi roguelike that was originally released as an Early Access title in 2025. The game recently had its official launch (hence the review), adding more content for new and seasoned players alike.

Filled with demonic enemies and plenty of spiders, ticks all the sort of tropes you’d expect in this type of game. However, while the gameplay is solid and the action frantic, there’s little that elevates Plasmaborne into a ‘must-play’ title.

With little narrative as to why you’re in this demonic expansive blast, all sorts of angry foes, Plasmaborne relies on its enemy, weapon and upgrade variety to carry it. Starting with a couple of pistols, you have to blast through the enemy ranks to accumulate credits, which can then be spent in the hub on permanent attributes like weapons, powers and passives once you die. Unlock grenade launchers and rail guns, cyro blast and time slow, or more health, better shields and more. Plus, these can be further upgraded to maximise their efficiency. All fairly standard stuff.

Then there are the in-level boosts. These appear once you clear an area, offering one of three possible bonuses. As is roguelike lore, these are only temporary, lasting for the duration of the run. Finally, while you can dual-wield any of your weapon selection, you also have a limited-time beam sword in your off-hand. Slice and dice the hordes, but only while it still has energy. Once depleted, you need to wait for it to recharge.

Visually, Plasmaborne looks alright, but it does tend to be a little too dark at points. This is made more awkward by pop-up menus for things like health being overly bright. Not only distracting your attention, but it also impedes your view of imminent attacks.

Plasmaborne is a fun roguelike adventure that does what it does competently. As 131XR notes in its Plasmaborne review, this might attract the core roguelike audience, yet there are far better examples of the genre.

Roguelike Madness

And there is a cornucopia of roguelike examples out there. The first place you should look is XRSource’s Best VR Roguelike List, featuring the likes of The Light Brigade, In Death: Unchained and Until You Fall. Each possesses that one thing Plasmaborne lacks, a unique edge.

There are undoubtedly going to be more roguelike titles arriving in 2026, and XRSource will do its best to give you an opinion on all of them. For the time being, let us know which is your favourite roguelike game in the comments!