Sairento is a cyber ninja action VR game. This hit game from Mixed Realms first debuted on the HTC Vive way back in 2016, but recently has gotten major updates that have set the VR community on fire once again. In the Oculus Quest version of the game, Sairento: Untethered, we saw a multiplayer update. This came as a pleasant surprise to many, as it didn’t receive much publicity before the official release of the patch.
In our in-depth game reviews, we look to cover anything and everything you’ll want to know about a virtual title before you go out and buy or try a virtual title. Sairento is a classic, but there are many updated aspects to the game that we look to cover in this game review. If you think we missed anything, need to re-evaluate the game, or even change up our review criteria, let us know in the comments below. This is a fun game and we are excited to review it for you today.
Getting Up and Running
When it comes to getting up and running with Sairento Untethered, you won’t have too bad of an experience. In fact, it is just the same as any other VR title that you’ll find on your Oculus Quest. The price is $19.99. You won’t be finding this game on any discounts any time soon, and you won’t be finding this title in any holiday packages or game packs either. This price will be set in stone for the time being.
There is another way to get this game on your Quest though, and that is through Oculus Link and the Viveport Infinity subscription. The Oculus Link will essentially turn your Quest into a Rift S, and from there, you’ll download the game through the Viveport app. This is a roundabout way to get it, and you lose the multiplayer update, but it is still an option. The games are very similar, but there are a few parts of the ‘Untethered’ version that you don’t want to miss out on. Let’s touch on those.
Type of Game
Sairento is a first-person ninja game that is going to give you many different ways to kill the hordes of enemies that are going to be coming at you. It has a few different game modes to keep your level interests high throughout the entire game as well. You will be able to play alone or with another through the online servers. This allows you and your teammate to have access to the 9 different immersive maps too, as there is no falloff for wanting to play on the servers they have made for your use.
As for the single player modes, you are still having access to the 9 different maps that have been created and optimized for the Oculus Quest. You will have the ability to fight in different missions with different objectives, or you can choose to play in the endless game modes. Those can place in different maps that cycle. The missions will be changing your location each time, and that is something that is appealing to many players. Whichever game mode you choose to play in, you’ll have plenty of fun.
Player Perspective
The player perspective in this game is first-person. In the PC version of this game, usually played with base tracking, you have weapons on your shoulders and lower back. That usually wouldn’t be a problem, as you were tracked in full 360°. In this game, the same weapon locations are present. This gives you some problems while playing, as the Quest features inside-out tracking and it has a hard time tracking those specific places. You’d think that if you are making a game for a specific headset, you’d play into the tracking a little better. We found that sticking with the two guns in your hands the entire time in gameplay was the way to go.
Theme and Story – Score: 8/10
The theme in this game is strong, and the story isn’t. The theme is what is carrying the score here. You are a ninja with a plethora of weapons and load outs to choose from, and your skills seem never ending. The story? Well there isn’t much. You have missions with objectives, but the objectives are shallow and could be compared to the objectives you’d find in a Battle Pass of your favorite third-person shooter. The score is still shining here from the theme, but cmon. The story could’ve easily been improved by some imagination while writing a paragraph or two.
Controls – Score: 7/10
If you don’t go through the tutorial in this game, you’ll be pretty lost. The controls, even if you do go through, aren’t intuitive or natural. If you are new to VR, it would be easier to catch on than a seasoned VR veteran. This is because most games don’t have 5 different weapons available during gameplay. And even if they do, they aren’t asking you to reach around to the lower back to grab you SMG. This causes some problems.
Music and Sound – Score: 9/10
The music and sound of this game flew under the radar, and thats exactly how you’d hope it is. Unless you are playing Beat Saber, or a rhythm game like that, you don’t want music blaring in your ears and taking away from the immersion. There is nothing worse than ear rape in VR, and this game steered away from anything of the sort. The music was nice but in the background of gameplay, and the sound effects in this game matched exactly what you were seeing at all times. A great score here for the devs.
Player Movement – Score: 8/10
There were two different ways to see your movement in this game, but you’d still use the same locomotion system for both. If you are a regular VR player, the default settings would need no adjustment. If you are new to virtual reality and the harsh movements of quick games, you’ll find messing with the settings will be beneficial to your stomach. Tunneling vision, no snap turns, and no line-of-sight adjusters can help your experience. You can find those all in the settings on the right side of the screen.
Kinetosis – Score: 7/10
We are experienced virtual reality players, and this game still gave us a bit of problems. We never messed with the settings, but we aren’t confident in the idea that it would’ve changed anything. The snap turns were aggressive enough, but they weren’t always consistent. The teleportation/fast travel was spotty as well, as the distance available to move was never the same as the last. It lead to some motion sickness, but none that would keep us from playing for over 30 minutes or so.
Environment and Immersion – Score: 9/10
The music and sound, the player movement, and the theme all play a large part in this part of the score. Each one of those things were executed on in stylish fashion. The motion sickness did cause some problems though, and that is what is keeping this score from a 10. Some improvement there can finish the job for this score.
Overall – Score: 8/10
This score is the average of all scores we gave this game. We find the 8 to be a great representation of how we felt about this game. Its a fun game, but with some minimal flaws that aren’t going to be fixed. An 8 out of 10 is a great score, as you look at all of the other scores we were giving games before this one. If you are looking for a good ninja FPS with some good combat action, you’ll be happy with this one for a simple $19.99.
