It was 2018 when Psytec Games first released the swinging franchise sequel Windlands 2 to PC VR, followed by a PlayStation VR edition in 2021. Now, five years later, Meta Quest 2 gets a long-expected version. But after all these years, can a videogame with intense swinging mechanics through highly stylized worlds with dangerous bosses to fight still hold its own in our Windlands 2 review?
Windlands 2 is all about ultimate freedom of movement, whether that’s horizontal or vertical. Being able to navigate its environment however you please, mostly in the air with occasional ground-based accessibility, has always been its main draw. With a grappling hook in each hand, there’s no need to worry about right or left-handed mechanics, same goes for its newest feature, the bow.
Gameplay is all about being light on your feet and very aware of your surroundings. When you get a feel for it and find that flow Windlands 2 has a beautiful energy to it, evoking a real buzz when you swing through chunks of the environment perfectly. Miss a grappling point and you’ll quickly realise how far away the ground can get – and the obvious lack of it.
Better than the rest
Having played the PSVR version – and its horribly janky PlayStation Move control scheme – the Quest 2 is a true testament to the wonderful control scheme. I’m astonished it has taken so long for this port to arrive as, quite honestly, it seems the best edition yet. Getting up and running (swinging) is effortless, Windlands 2 finds a perfect home on Meta’s VR headset.
This isn’t as relaxing and non-violent as the original though, that bow is there for a reason. Titans are the main enemy in the game, mechanical beasts that effectively work as a segway in the storyline. Some are singular beasts with a multitude of shields to destroy and armaments to avoid. Whilst others throw in occasional weaker opponents to keep encounters hectic, and most importantly, you distracted. There might be a storyline this time, where you’re trying to save a peaceful society from this evil menace, yet the narrative is that light you never get truly invested in its conclusion.
The addition of enemies – no matter how sparse – is welcome, because while lovely to navigate, Windlands 2 is lifeless at points. There will be the odd character to talk to yet, by and large, you’re on your own swinging from place to place.
Hence why those “boss” encounters are so welcome. They turn a tranquil experience into one that’s suddenly full of danger and actual difficulty. So much so that it takes a moment to change my thought rhythm into action mode. Because of this, the fights are where you’ll really test that VR locomotion sensitivity, sharp turns in direction, savage drops and a big robot shooting lasers are all part of what makes this sequel so different.
Everybody needs a friend
You don’t need to live a lonely life, however. On the contrary, with at least one other player – it’ll support up to 4 players at once – there’s an added vibrancy to the experience. Fun little things like competing to get to the next marker or spotting an illuminated quest item for them to grab, the team dynamic helps make Windlands 2 shine. Fights become much more straightforward and strategic, increasing the excitement. The only problem with multiplayer was the lack of identification, with no map or markers you don’t know where your mates are. Saying “over here” or “I’m by this rock” doesn’t help when the vegetation is dense or you’re nowhere near each other. Voice communication is spot on, yet each player’s name appears off to the side with a speech symbol appearing when they talk, not exactly useful if you don’t know where they are.
It is lovely to finally play Windlands 2 on Meta Quest 2 and see it introduced to a whole new segment of the VR audience. Swinging through the environment is a fantastic experience and thanks to years served, the addition of advanced modes and other challenges make for a well-rounded package. Yet, try as I might, it is difficult to look past the ageing visuals and the lacklustre bow. The past five years have seen tremendous advancement in both gaming and hardware, with Windlands 2 for Quest 2 feeling like a last hurrah.