(Updated review for v0.5)

If you ever wanted to feel really, really epic, then this is the game for you!

Even in its early access state, Sairento delivers a massive amount of fun and epic ninja-style action. There is currently no story implemented at all but you don't really need one to already have fun. The devs announced, that there will be a storyline/plot including choices. There are currently five environments which you can battle in (one of them changes everytime you play it) and there are more to come. You can choose between a rather small but diverse selection of weapons which are not simply "bigger is better" or "more expensive is better" weapons, they can actually all be used in all situations, depending on your playstyle!

The graphics are pretty solid and good looking. I really enjoyed the environment and sometimes stopped for a second to take a closer look. My system isn't a top-notch million bucks computer. It can run Vive and all of its current games with at least high, if not ultra quality and Sairento runs without stuttering, lost frames or similar problems even when on highest settings. While the latest big patch introduced a number of frame drops, the devs were very quick in providing fixes and improvement and it runs fine again, at least on my end.
Another noteworthy point: The player has actually an avatar, so you can see a body if you look down. So, instead of encorporating a surreal energy cloud, waving swords and floating pistols, you now actually play a person. Might not be for everyone (you can turn it off!) but I haven't seen a single other game out there which features a full player model!

The movement is the real gem in this one: You actually "dash" through the environment which is a cool-looking and fancyer version of teleporting, but! you can attack while you "move", you can slow down time while you move, you can jump over enemies, shoot them from above, land, slide some more meters and slice them up with your katana(s) while you are still sliding all in one go! It feels super-epic, certainly looks stupid from the outside and is an enormous amount of fun!

The weapon arsenal is pretty limited by now (please note the date when the review was written! 0.2 did not bring new weapons but more are planned for sure!), you have access to the usual set of pistols, katana, smg, shotgun and rifle. As it looks like, the types of weapons will stay the same but there are different versions of, for instance, handguns or swords and there are now also curently empty slots for shurikans or grenades and other stuff! They have a DPS value but that does not mean that one is better than the other! If you are an old-school ninja, you can finish a level with swords only. Prefer the gunslinger-style? Maybe also left hand sword - right hand gun?
Apart from that, there is also armor which will surely be able to be changed later, providing different kinds of protection or looks.

Again an update on the skill system: It is now a combination of relics you strap on your gear as well as skills you unlock like in any other RPG game. This allows for some interesting combinations, depending on what you want to focus your character on. There are a lot of skills and basically an infinte number of relics you can find and as such it allows the player to choose a combo that fits their playstyle best.

I also have to update my final remarks:
This game, when I bought it, was just a very nice tech demo which was a lot of fun to play. The devs appear to work without pause and so the game did steadily evolve and develop to a now, still unfinished, but even more awesome piece of VR awesomeness. My first review version said the price was too high for it's current state, I can say that no longer. The devs are extremly active, the concept is great, a lot of progress has already been made, there is no way I could not recommend that game!

This game will, once finished, most probably define what a "true" VR game should be.
If you can play VR games and you don't own Sairento, you haven't even seen anything what VR has to offer!


What's new since 0.5?
A lot of things were added, epic, awesome and unique things. It's easier to just scroll through the changelogs on the official page. You can follow the extremly active development of the game there and get a good impression on how the game is developed.
What did not change?
It is still THE top-notch game of its genre within VR circles, it is still being actively developed and it still has an extremly dedicated dev-team and community.
Seriously, if you have a VR system and you don't own this game you should re-evaluate your choices in life.

(Updated review for v0.5) If you ever wanted to feel really, really epic, then this is the game for you! Even in its early access state, Sairento delivers a massive amount of fun and epic ninja-style action. There is currently no story implemented at all but you don't really need one to already have fun. The devs announced, that there will be a storyline/plot including choices. There are currently five environments which you can battle in (one of them changes everytime you play it) and there are more to come. You can choose between a rather small but diverse selection of weapons which are not simply "bigger is better" or "more expensive is better" weapons, they can actually all be used in all situations, depending on your playstyle! The graphics are pretty solid and good looking. I really enjoyed the environment and sometimes stopped for a second to take a closer look. My system isn't a top-notch million bucks computer. It can run Vive and all of its current games with at least high, if not ultra quality and Sairento runs without stuttering, lost frames or similar problems even when on highest settings. While the latest big patch introduced a number of frame drops, the devs were very quick in providing fixes and improvement and it runs fine again, at least on my end. Another noteworthy point: The player has actually an avatar, so you can see a body if you look down. So, instead of encorporating a surreal energy cloud, waving swords and floating pistols, you now actually play a person. Might not be for everyone (you can turn it off!) but I haven't seen a single other game out there which features a full player model! The movement is the real gem in this one: You actually "dash" through the environment which is a cool-looking and fancyer version of teleporting, but! you can attack while you "move", you can slow down time while you move, you can jump over enemies, shoot them from above, land, slide some more meters and slice them up with your katana(s) while you are still sliding all in one go! It feels super-epic, certainly looks stupid from the outside and is an enormous amount of fun! The weapon arsenal is pretty limited by now (please note the date when the review was written! 0.2 did not bring new weapons but more are planned for sure!), you have access to the usual set of pistols, katana, smg, shotgun and rifle. As it looks like, the types of weapons will stay the same but there are different versions of, for instance, handguns or swords and there are now also curently empty slots for shurikans or grenades and other stuff! They have a DPS value but that does not mean that one is better than the other! If you are an old-school ninja, you can finish a level with swords only. Prefer the gunslinger-style? Maybe also left hand sword - right hand gun? Apart from that, there is also armor which will surely be able to be changed later, providing different kinds of protection or looks. Again an update on the skill system: It is now a combination of relics you strap on your gear as well as skills you unlock like in any other RPG game. This allows for some interesting combinations, depending on what you want to focus your character on. There are a lot of skills and basically an infinte number of relics you can find and as such it allows the player to choose a combo that fits their playstyle best. I also have to update my final remarks: This game, when I bought it, was just a very nice tech demo which was a lot of fun to play. The devs appear to work without pause and so the game did steadily evolve and develop to a now, still unfinished, but even more awesome piece of VR awesomeness. My first review version said the price was too high for it's current state, I can say that no longer. The devs are extremly active, the concept is great, a lot of progress has already been made, there is no way I could not recommend that game! This game will, once finished, most probably define what a "true" VR game should be. If you can play VR games and you don't own Sairento, you haven't even seen anything what VR has to offer! What's new since 0.5? A lot of things were added, epic, awesome and unique things. It's easier to just scroll through the changelogs on the official page. You can follow the extremly active development of the game there and get a good impression on how the game is developed. What did not change? It is still THE top-notch game of its genre within VR circles, it is still being actively developed and it still has an extremly dedicated dev-team and community. Seriously, if you have a VR system and you don't own this game you should re-evaluate your choices in life.