Terrible Posture Games' latest FPS-roguelite wave-shooter hybrid Mothergunship: Forge is a follow-up to 2018's Mothergunship, this time exclusively designed for VR, and it delivers on the promise of a more frantic, tactile experience. In Mothergunship: Forge, players are deposited directly into the action as a recruit in a high-tech mech suit trying to survive waves of metal alien enemies and high-powered bosses to defeat the mothergunship. To aid in this endeavor, players will craft giant dream weapons that affix to their mechanical gauntlets using parts they earn or purchase, from common pieces like shotgun barrels to more fantastical options like sticky jelly trap ammo mods and exploding pizza projectiles. They will also need to physically dodge enemy projectiles and melee attacks by ducking and weaving out of the way.
Mothergunship: Forge is a traditional roguelite, meaning players progress by selecting various rooms based on the rewards they'll earn for facing the challenge within. At certain points, players will reach bosses that allow them to move deeper into the mothergunship and defeat it. If players run out of health, however, they will lose their weapon creation and have to start all over, although they will keep any crystals they earn in a run to unlock more permanent add-ons and other perks that can make subsequent runs a little less difficult. Levels are designed to be fairly linear and straightforward, but with moving platforms and turning mechanisms that can hide threats until it's too late.
With VR technology still somewhat in its infancy, it can be difficult for developers to create a new experience that completely capitalizes on the technology and features of the new medium. Mothergunship: Forge fully embraces the medium, allowing the gun crafting process to feel tactile with haptic feedback and precise turning and controls, as well as the need to dodge, duck, and quickly look around to locate the next enemies. Aim feels accurate, and gun kickback and range also feel realistic. Then, when players fail a run, they are transported back to their hub ship, a realistic control board area where a cast of minor characters will tease them for their failures and banter among themselves while the player sets up their next run. All of these features taken together make Mothergunship: Forge one of the best wave-shooters, and even one of the best VR games, available to date.
The best part of Mothergunship: Forge is undoubtedly the core gun-building mechanic. Players will earn gun parts that can be attached to both of their gauntlets to build massive, intricate weapons of destruction. They can use connectors to affix various barrels, ammo mods, and upgrades to these weapons on both hands and dual wield incredible creations that can fire in multiple directions at once and take out several enemies with a single shot. Between rooms on their roguelite run, players also have the option to deconstruct and reconstruct their weapons to ensure they build the best possible configuration for their playstyle. This function in VR is fantastically immersive and does not appear to put any strain on the headset while still feeling responsive and immersive.
Given the bombastic flow of gameplay, it helps that Mothergunship: Forge has also taken accessibility features into account. The game includes a seated mode that allows players to remain stationary and simply duck to avoid projectiles and a free movement mode that allows them to use the controller to duck and dodge. Projectiles are almost always fairly slow-moving as well to allow players time to strategize their movements and prepare for potential impact. There are other accessibility options to ensure motion sickness stays at a minimum and that all players can enjoy the action. These options are especially important in VR, and they are well-integrated in Mothergunship: Forge.
There are a few minor ways Mothergunship: Forge could improve. For one, though players can duck and move around, they are largely rooted to one spot for most of the run. It would help to have a bit more range than just turning, even if it was just to step forward and back. In addition, it is somewhat hard to see the aiming reticle, though it is there. Better visualization would make aiming each part of the weapon a little easier, though this matters less with bouncier and more explosive rounds and upgrades. Small quality-of-life improvements like this can continue to elevate the game and make it stronger than it already is.
Overall, Mothergunship: Forge comes out of the gate strong and gets more fun with each subsequent run. The randomization of the roguelite mechanics ensures almost endless replayability. Mothergunship: Forge feels far different than other wave shooters in the best way and gives players multiple customization options to build some incredible, zany creations. Despite the somewhat simplistic premise, the possibilities and variety do feel endless. With a few updates, the gameplay experience can be even stronger and easier to master. The graphics and sound design in Mothergunship: Forge are also well-done and contribute to the immersion, but the standout is undoubtedly the gun-building physics and the use of VR technology to put players more directly in the game. Mothergunship: Forge is a must-have VR experience and demonstrates so much potential, both for the future of virtual reality games and for its own future and the future of Terrible Posture Games as a developer in the VR space.
Mothergunship: Forge is available now for MetaQuest and Steam VR.