RUINSMAGUS

Once the allure of the new experience wears off, you realize just how shoddy of a game this really is. The combat isn't diverse enough to justify seeing the same few enemies over and over again. Every dungeon is a glorified hallway and there aren't any puzzles or loot to enjoy either. The main hub in front of the ruins has no personality at all... why couldn't they do even a little of what they did for the shop zones?

VRゲームという新しいジャンルに挑戦してるのはわかるがVR除いた内容はPS１時代と大差ない一本道の単調なおつかいゲーム。 マップも同じような背景ばかりだし、敵も装備も数える程度なので途中で飽きる。

Disadvantages of RUINSMAGUS: * Does not work directly via Steam Link. First, you need to connect via Oculus Link and launch SteamVR when you are in it. * Very small confirmation buttons. * During conversations, you are forbidden to walk and are often teleported around the location. But outside of dialogues, you might be forced to run through a long, useless location. * You have a somersault skill (which teleports you a meter). But you can't use it outside of combat dungeons. * Adjusting the volume of background sounds does not affect the volume of the music. The background music is blaring so hard that I can barely hear the characters. * In bright and dark environments, you don't see an attack scope. * There is no sound indication that the skill has been recharged, because of this you simply forget that you have additional skills. Switching additional skills and ults is terrible. * The method of using potions is poorly implemented. During the battle, you accidentally switched to a potion, and at a time when you have critically little health left, you do not have time to "scroll through" items to the health elixir. * The idea that if you have died 3 times, then you will have to kill all the monsters of the dungeon all over again before the boss is terrible * Shield and walls skip damage * The plot is bad, trying to play on emotions with background music, but it doesn't work if I met the character 5 minutes ago. The side characters don't have endings of their stories. * It is impossible to complete the game on high difficulty. I play many games with high difficulty for greater interest, but the high difficulty in this game is not thought out. You have almost no way to avoid taking damage, and on high difficulty, not only will you not have enough health potions, sometimes you won't even have time to drink them. * If you made a mistake like me and started the game with a high difficulty, you will not have the opportunity to lower the difficulty of the game, just start a new game I regret the money and time I spent.

Loved it, easily rose the ranks and is sitting comfortably in my top 3 favourite vr games. (played on WMR) It has some flaws, but none of them really matter when confronted with the charm that oozes from this game. Every so often it really outdoes itself. Those moments are more concentrated to the later half of the game though, so it starts off a little slow. The good: 1) The anime style atmosphere is probably the main draw of this and it does this REALLY well. 2)The combat at the end, against the later bosses, can actually be quit impressive, which is not something I was expecting considering how -just ok- it starts off. Some of these later bossfights are really fun. 3) Your main companion, despite being a charactertype I usually don't care for, is REALLY loveable. 4) The presentation sometimes spikes and can really put on a show. The music often really hits the spot as well. One cheerfull "we did it!"type track often comes back, usually with your companion cheering you on, it's a little overplayed sometimes but more often than not it REALLY hits right. 5) No bugs or real jank wich is a nice change of pace for a vr game. Though I did have to lower the music volume since it was overpowering the dialogue a bit. The bad: 1) The story can be a bit TOO typical anime/JRPG stuff. But most of it got me to smile regardless.It's really charming, but is IS typical jrpg stuff through and through 2) The dungeons at the start feel a bit bland, but with more enemies types and spells/mechanics it picks up quickly. They're never amazing though, they're the filler in between the real fun. The bosses stand out as far more interesting than the dungeons. The fights with the other magi especially stand out as the gems of this game. 3) You can feel that they were battling the Quests hardware limitations. minor characters look far less detailed, The main places you go to are gorgeous but are connected by teleporters. Eventhough they could've been in the world themselves. 4) The upgrade system may as well not be there, and honestly should not have been there. --------------- Overall I loved it, it's a charming game I'm sure I'll come back to soon enough. I can feel this studio could make the type of VR games I've been dreaming of if they just didn't have to hold back for quest or for budget reasons. I'm rooting for you Characterbank!

MetaQuest3にてプレイしようと思いましたが、25年4月10日現在、色々調べてもSteamVRの関係でプレイすることはできませんでした。 MetaQuest3をお持ちの方は気を付けてください。私は今返品処理をしています。 MetaQuestLinkのほうで同タイトルがありますのでそちらで遊びたいなって思います。 こういう時おすすめで「はい」か「いいえ」しか選べないので「いいえ」を選択するしかできないのですが動かないので仕方ないですよね・・・。

Play this game on Easy/Normal. There is no reason to play on Hard mode unless you are a masochist. Purchased this game on sale. Recommend getting it on sale. I was interested in this game because this was not a VR shooter game. This has the anime inspired appeal and some nice voice acting. What I disliked about this game: 1) Game music overpowers voice actors. For the love of god, this happens to many games and unfortunately, happened to this game too. Even lower other options, the game music just overpowers the voices. 2) Scrolling through inventory to use the right healing potion and dying as you were too busy scrolling for the right item. There needs to be a better inventory management for potions/healing and other items should be "stored" elsewhere. 3) Using the shield is nice and dandy, but I have a heavy grip and sometimes would pull/use items from my chest. Certain shields you squeeze the grip to activate it, but squeezing the grip close to your chest also activate pulling the item to be used on your chest. This was not thought through. 4) Not being able to turn down difficulty when in a tough fight cause if you are an idiot like me, assumed "hard" difficulty wasn't going to be any different. Please allow the option to turn down difficulty if you mistaken put hard mode. Set it where you can reduce difficulty, but cannot go back up in difficulty. (Not like there were achievements or trophies for beating the game on hard.) 5) Being able to swap magic/armor at any time. There were times I picked the wrong magic setup and was a huge disadvantage. What I like a bout this game: 1) Some of the characters were your typical anime tropes. Sure, they were annoying, but you can appreciate how annoying they were. You can tell the developers put some love into this game. 2) This VR game was not a shooter. I'm tired of seeing lots of VR shooters. Sure game mechanics got repetitive, but it was a nice pace to enjoy the atmosphere in this game. 3) There was a story, just you had to make it to the end to get the actual story. Kind of wish they explained it better provide more lore through out the game so you can learn about this world. tldr; Get the game on sale; play on easy/normal. Enjoy the story. Enjoy some eye candy, depending on your preference.

This game is often billed as a JRPG, but it's really an ARPG. You have a few different magical abilities which you will rotate through in real time battles as you make your way through dungeons. There is no physical VR interaction at all, you walk/run around firing off ranged magic abilities. The combat is good, and is something different from all the games focused on physical simulation of guns or bows or swords. There is no character levelling, but you have a few gear options and some upgrades available. You have a waifu sidekick, she doesn't help in fights, she just talks and makes kawaii facial expressions. The enemies use the same few models over and over, but their attacks change as the game progresses making them significantly more difficult to deal with. The levels themselves are a different story. The dungeons are super basic rooms, the rooms look almost procedurally generated, but they aren't and despite their simplicity you will see the same rooms copypasted repeatedly over the course of the game. This makes it feel quite repetitive. For me, the combat was fun enough that I didn't really mind, but it is the biggest weakness of the game. Story-wise, it is typical anime/JRPG fare, if you want a game that makes you feel like you are in an anime this is the one. Each 'arc' is decent but not amazing, except the finale which, while not at all original, is compelling if you like anime stories. All in all, this game sold me on VR games that don't try to do physical simulation, which is normally what I look for in VR games. I am glad to see they are working on a new game and I will definitely be playing it.

RUINSMAGUS is an ambitious virtual reality action role-playing game developed by CharacterBank inc and published by CharacterBank inc alongside Mastiff that seeks to translate the structure and spirit of a traditional JRPG into a fully immersive VR experience. From its opening moments, the game makes its intentions clear: this is a story-driven fantasy adventure rooted in anime aesthetics, guild-based progression, and magical combat, designed specifically to be felt and performed through physical motion rather than abstract button inputs. The narrative centers on the underground ruins beneath the city of Grand Amnis, a prosperous surface civilization that depends on adventurers to keep the dangers below in check. You play as a novice mage newly inducted into the Ruins Magus guild, tasked with exploring these ancient depths, recovering relics, and confronting the guardians that dwell within. The story unfolds through a sequence of structured quests, character conversations, and cutscenes, leaning heavily into familiar fantasy and JRPG tropes such as mysterious ruins, lost civilizations, and a gradual uncovering of truths that threaten the balance of the world. While the overarching plot is conventional, it is delivered with confidence and clarity, making it easy to follow and engaging for fans of the genre. A major strength of RUINSMAGUS lies in its combat system, which is built entirely around VR interaction. Players wield magic directly through hand motions, casting spells, charging attacks, and deploying shields in real time. Combat emphasizes positioning, timing, and spatial awareness rather than raw reflexes, as enemies attack from multiple angles and demand active defense through magical barriers. The spell system offers a respectable variety of offensive and utility options, encouraging experimentation even if certain abilities prove more efficient than others over time. The physicality of spellcasting gives combat a tangible weight, making even routine encounters feel more engaging than their flat-screen equivalents. Exploration and dungeon design form the backbone of the experience, with missions guiding players through themed ruin environments filled with enemies, light environmental storytelling, and occasional puzzles. While the visual themes shift across different areas, the structural design of dungeons tends to be linear, prioritizing controlled pacing over open exploration. This approach helps maintain narrative flow and performance stability in VR, but it can also lead to a sense of repetition, especially during longer play sessions. Enemy variety is serviceable but limited, relying on familiar archetypes whose behaviors change only modestly as difficulty increases. Character presentation and animation are standout elements, particularly during story moments. NPCs are fully voiced in Japanese, and their expressive animations and anime-inspired designs lend personality and charm to the world. Companions such as Iris play an important role in grounding the story, providing guidance, commentary, and emotional context during missions. These interactions help maintain player engagement even when gameplay loops become familiar, reinforcing the sense that you are participating in a narrative journey rather than a series of disconnected challenges. Visually, RUINSMAGUS embraces a stylized anime fantasy aesthetic that translates well into VR. Spell effects are colorful and readable, environments are detailed enough to convey atmosphere without overwhelming the player, and character models maintain consistency across cutscenes and gameplay. Performance is generally stable, which is critical for VR comfort, though some interface elements and menu interactions can feel cumbersome when accessed mid-combat. Occasional invisible barriers and scripted movement sequences also remind players of the game’s structured nature, slightly diminishing the illusion of a fully open world. Progression systems are intentionally streamlined. Character growth is tied to spell unlocks and incremental upgrades rather than complex stat micromanagement, keeping the focus on action rather than menu navigation. This makes the game more approachable for players new to VR RPGs, though veterans of the genre may find the systems somewhat shallow. The overall length is respectable for a VR title, offering a full campaign that justifies its scope without overstaying its welcome. Taken as a whole, RUINSMAGUS stands as a meaningful step forward for story-driven VR RPGs. It does not revolutionize the genre, but it successfully adapts many of the pleasures of JRPG design—structured storytelling, expressive characters, and ability-focused combat—into a medium where physical presence enhances immersion. Its limitations in enemy variety and dungeon complexity are balanced by strong atmosphere, satisfying spellcasting, and a clear narrative throughline. For players who enjoy anime-inspired fantasy and want a VR experience that feels closer to a traditional role-playing adventure than a tech demo, RUINSMAGUS offers a compelling and thoughtfully constructed journey into magical ruins. Rating: 7/10