We review Dick Wilde 2 for PSVR, a frantic virtual reality shooter with cross-platform co-op support.
If you’re a fan of those classic arcade on-rails shooters like House of the Dead or the Until Dawn VR spin-off Rush of Blood, then Dick Wilde 2 should be right up your street – or rather, right down your bayou. This PS4 title allows you to strap on a PSVR headset and immerse yourself in the action, as you blast away at a huge number of foes with the Move controllers.
Things start off at a lovely, relaxing pace in Dick Wilde 2, luring you into a false sense of security. You’re drifting peacefully down an (admittedly quite swampy) river on a rickety raft, occasionally blasting some rather mean fish, toads and other residents in your quest to reach the end. They politely attack one or two at a time, just like in a martial arts film, so you’ve got plenty of time to blast the floating debris for extra coins. And even if one or two do slip through and munch on your face, or blast you with their projectiles, no worries. Your life bar will only take a minor dent, so there’s no pressure.
A few levels along, things become rather more frantic. You’ll have to deal with aquatic and aerial assaults simultaneously – missiles, dive-bombing birds, exploding critters, not to mention barricades that need to be blasted before your boat can proceed. This is the point where solo players will start to struggle. There’s simply too much to deal with unless you have the dexterity to wield four Move controllers at once. Even upgrading to the most powerful rapid-fire weapons will only help so much. I found myself struggling on the early bonus levels too, which are used to unlock those weapon upgrades.
Thankfully Dick Wilde 2 offers full co-op support, so you can mow down the hordes with a buddy at your side. No worries if your best bud has a PC either, because the cross-platform support means you can fight alongside Oculus Rift or Vive owners. This is definitely the best way to play the game, especially if you have aspirations of making it to the end.
We love the cartoon graphics and tongue-in-cheek humour of Dick Wilde 2, which make a stark change from the grisly gore of our other favourite PSVR shooter, Rush of Blood. The weapon selection is diverse and for the most part satisfying, especially as you can wield a different gun in each hand. The initial crop of pistol, uzi and shotgun feel woefully under-powered, especially when the enemy count ramps up, but with some graft and a bit of help from a friend you’ll unlock some seriously cool armaments – which we won’t spoil here.
Each level is broken up with checkpoints, where you can restock on health and power-ups and occasionally choose between two different routes. This helps to give your aching trigger finger a rest (much needed) and gives some extra incentive to replay a level, especially to collect every hidden key – these are used to unlock those bonus stages which grant new weapons. Plus, replaying older levels with your upgraded kit is simply fun. Who’s on top now, eh, you little fishy buggers!
You can buy Dick Wilde on PS4 right now.
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