Gladius | Gladiator VR Sword fighting

Gladius | Gladiator VR Sword fighting
N/A
Metacritic
74
Steam
63.79
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$14.99
Release date
29 October 2022
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
74 (250 votes)

Gladius is an immersive VR sword fighting game set in ancient Rome. As a gladiator, you will choose your weapons, train against different enemies, and finally fight for your freedom in an epic battle against the mightiest warriors and mythical creatures of the time. Win the crowd and you will win your freedom.

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Gladius | Gladiator VR Sword fighting system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows 7 SP1 or newer
  • Processor: Intel i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 equivalent or greater
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 970 / AMD Radeon™ R9 290 equivalent or greater
  • Storage: 6 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: HDMI 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2 or newer, 1x USB 2.0 or greater port

Recommended:

Recommended requirements are not yet specified.
Updated
App type
Steam APP ID
556640
Platforms
Windows PC
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Jaknet
Jaknet

Edited after the Dev (very polietly I thought) mentioned I'd missed various settings and trying again after the latest patch

This is a vey ambitious project with a lot of content that's getting updates from the Dev.

Visuals - Initially before messing with the settings I found it rather rough and unclear/harsh in the armoury / market. Having put the screen percentage up to max (200 iirc) and all the other settings to Epic it still runs really smooth and looks a lot better and clearer

Combat - Disclaimer... I've spent many years involved in Viking/Medieval reenactment with real weapons / armour...Not LARP and very initially it seems quite good.... but it's a but floaty when it gets into close combat.... there's this soldier with 4 foot of sword and his arm but suddenly it's all quick attacks simply by wiggling his arm. With the latest update the combat is getting better

Chariots - This starts off okay, ignoring the unclear visuals. All seems quite good. 2 horses, 2 reigns, whip the reigns to increase to the next speed which the horses stay at then start to slow if not whipped again, pull back on one or both reigns to turn or slow, places to mount your shield on the side of the chariot, weapons to hand....All looking very promising and while heading up the straight it all works as expected...then you enter the turn and sudenly all logic, physics and reality suddenly fly straight out the window with the devs deciding that even though you are standing in a chariot that is being pulled by horses and the horses going round the turn, which pulls the chariot round the corner with them...doesn't actually work unless you physically turn yourself round in the chariot as otherwise the chariot will not go round the corner....it's like saying a car won't go round a corner without turning yourself in the seat....Turns out this is another setting that is set by default to reduce motionsickness. Changing the setting and you turn round the corner as you should and it's so much more fun

The chariot crashing is obviously a Micheal Bay production...considering the chariots are usually well attached to the horses it's amazing to see how in this game almost ANY hit to the chariot will result in instant disconnection from the horses, the front of the chariot digs in and flys a long distance through the air every damn time

samura1_pengu1n
samura1_pengu1n

i'm only writing this as a negative review as it does not specify room dimensions for this, you need at least 2m x 2m... do not attempt to play this in a roomscale of 2m x 1.5m as you will punch the living shit out of nearby objects and possibly break your vr equipment...

Bladderfish
Bladderfish

I haven't put a lot of time into this yet, because the combat irks me. The game undoubtedly has atmosphere and a great sense of place and feel, but the unrealistic fighting, the core of the game, brings it back to Earth.

It is difficult to know where to start when critiquing the combat, but the main issue revolves around the lack of damage your hits do. If I slash someone across the legs with a sword, I expect to see something other than a bit of blood. If I stab someone in the chest, I expect them to be seriously wounded and act as such rather than continuing fighting as normal. In short, having a HP system rather than an actual location-based damage system is a bad idea for a VR game.

Also the enemies don't react as well as they should. If I indicate that I am going for a low strike, they should lower their shield. If I am going high, they should raise their should. None of this happens so it is very easy to simply keep swiping at exposed legs.

In summary, could have been great, needs the combat system reworking.

Bananarama
Bananarama

An excellent realistic gladiator combat game! GORN is if you want to be absolutely barbaric and tear goofy-looking warriors apart with your bare hands, while Gladius is if you want actual sword fighting and a real feel of ancient greek culture. Absolutely worth every penny of the great low price of 10 bucks.

My only gripes are with the sound design. Cheering will cut out completely, shattering immersion. Warriors make the exact same dying sound. But other than that, it's a fantastic addition to your VR collection. I'd say it's better than Sword Fighter VR

drunk gandalf
drunk gandalf

at ferst it was fun than it got wors over time { I broke the cuntroleres befor I killed one guy}sad to say I do not recremend this game

zilfondel
zilfondel

This game is a pretty intense and realistic apart from weapons having no weight. Still, it just feels right to properly swing a weapon like you'd expect, and killing enemies is very satisfying. Game still needs work, but I found it quite fun. Make sure your play area is clear!

MagicMarco
MagicMarco

Great game. Among the best melee fighting VR games. Should be co-marketed for Anger Management/Workout

Thanks!

foops
foops

(Gladius VR on Oculus Rift + Touch)

I'm a huge fan of Ridley Scott's Gladiator so this is a dream come true. The game is a lot of fun, it was the perfect amount of realism I was hoping for (I love Gorn but the silly physics just kill it for me a little, and the enemies never really seemed intimidating). The first time I had large tigers sicced on me I nearly shat myself. I play with the arm swing locomotion as I want the most out of a game like this physically. Try running away from tigers as your pushing them back with your shield and sword with arm swing locomotion, intense.

Pros:
+ Realistic (for the most part)
+ Satisfactory melee combat mechanics
+ Variety in game modes (chariot races, mazes, gladiatorial games)
+ Challenging
+ Decent visuals

Cons:
- Key binds and certain actions don't work or don't work well (at least on the Rift)
For example: Using hold grip setting and arm swing locomotion, when holding your weapons with the grip
button, you'll be unable to use armswing locomotion until you release the grip button, thus
losing your weapons. Or using sticky setting and trying to change to throwing stance with
your pilum, it doesnt work.

- A few game breaking kinks to work out, occasionally your bow will disappear from your hand. You can't relocate with
teleport or move if you have arm swing locomotion enabled.

I'd like to see more people playing this game to support the developer, it would be great to see the physics collision in combat be improved (I know its in beta). Multiplayer chariot races would also be great, maybe make it so you cant use weapons until completing a lap.

TL;DR Great game, fantastic gladiator sim, has some game breaking bugs, has a lot of variety in the content.

free-phenix63
free-phenix63

Well it's the best fighting game I played on VR, but it's just waouu, really ! Lot of weapon, several ennemies... Just keep aware of fixes.

[edit] Since last update, I don't have any bugs or lags left. Just keep perform combats. I don't use slow time feature, no sure it works on windows acer vr, by the way, i'm not interested with this feature, but perheaps it's a quite really hard without it, i die always in front of the tiger and the lion in the first day. I suggest to make the slow motion feature an option, and adapt difficulty depends of it.

HarmonicHaze
HarmonicHaze

This game is so much fun! While GORN is the most popular fighting I dont see how this one has not gotten any publicity. To me, I cant stand the cartoony character models if GORN, with gladius I truly feel like a gladiator warrior. While I'm only under an hour of gameplay Ill list some pros and cons.

Pros
- accurate weapon parrying
- clean animations
- satisfying decapitations and kills
- good character models and Colosseum

Cons

cons
- gripping items/weapons needs to be more direct, does not have a big collider like other games. Very minor lol.

I'll obviously continue to test this game but as it is right now I highly recommend it over GORN.

scavenger812
scavenger812

fun for the first few days in the game until the minataurs and catapults. fuck your catapults and minataurs

Darkreaver1980
Darkreaver1980

So far, this is the best meele game for VR and i tryd em all. From Sairento to Gorn, tales of glory, Raw Data and Swordmaster VR.

This is the only meele combat that real feels "right" and you can actualy dual wield in it.

For example, its possible to block a sword strike with the left sword, while you hit back with the right one, which makes you kinda feel like archilles himself.

The game is all about fighting in a big colosseum across several "days. Each day has a different setting. Day 1 is regular combat vs gladiators/tigers, while day 2 is set in egypth with skeletons as enemys and so on. There are 3 difficulty settings which realy change how the AI fights. Beside the colosseum, there is also an smaller arena, challenge mode, training mode and the armory + market.

The weapon handling and hit feedback is simply awesome. You can destroy armor pieces and shields by doing hard and fast swings. You can even stun enemies if you bash theyr helmet to stagger em. It it also very gory which also fits the setting. You can cut off limbs, heads etc. The combat is made in such way that it feels very realistic. Every swing/strike has an believable reaction.

You get money from kills and there is a market where you can buy new weapons, shields, helmets and so on. You can also use enemy equip after you kill them. The game also includes ranged weapons and 2 handed weapons. The crow in the colosseum is fully animated and will throw food at you (for healing) if you put up a good fight, so you can stay longer in it :)

Warning, this game is realy exhausting, it will have make you sweat buckets and you will likely die, not because you play bad, but because you will be to tired to swing another strike :P

bluesman
bluesman

Ok...so I just bought this vr game so I've only played it for about 20 minutes. As someone who has competed in sport fencing and Japanese kendo (traditional fencing) I felt that the program sword movements on both the part of the attacker and myself as defender were quite realistic in pacing and movement. The parries and attacks are effective and would be just as done in a real fencing match. I'm going to give this more time to play into the game but so far thumbs up.

n00blet (AU)
n00blet (AU)

Mirroring works on desktop monitor but crashes the headset. I'll keep an eye out for a full release but for now, as it doesnt work, I'll have to refund.

Edit (25-11-18):

Refunded but tried again this sale.

Same issue. As the game loads, I get audio in the headset and the menu comes up on my monitor, non mirrored as I understand that it is turned off by default. On my headset I get the loading splash screen for a while then the Vive menu comes up (which usually indicates that there's a problem) then the headset goes to the plain white motion tracked screen while the game crashes and I have to alt-f4 the game on the PC.

Specs:
Win10 Pro 64bit
i7- 4790k
16Gb RAM

GTX 1070ti

Tried enabling Beta updates to see if that would fix my problems but no joy. Negative review stands. Will hold off refund for a bit if anyone has ideas to try or Dev gets back to me.

Kofta2
Kofta2

Cool mechanics! The fighting could be a little smoother/slower on the enemy part but HOLY FUCK is it fun! Also runs much better than most games i've played performance wise.

P.S The egyptian level is insanely scary and difficult. I love it. I wish there was more ancient egypt VR stuff.

C'est La Vie
C'est La Vie

Played for 10 minutes. Started waving my arms and realized the crowd were chanting with me after sweat was dripping down me.

Mfw Gladiator is my childhood film
Chills dude. Chills.

UBBER
UBBER

Great game so far, I put in 2 hours without even realizing I had so much fun! I seem to have bought at a good time seeing the recent update that came out. Looks like there will be more to come!

Flyguy715
Flyguy715

I gotta say, if you really like immersive sword fighting in VR, and the ancient rome times, you gotta try this game, I know i only have a few hours on it (will changed later, but none the less), But its the best hours ive played so far. I really suggest this game to people who want a in-dept VR game that has good physics based sword fighting.'

All thats left for me to say in this review is, Its definatly worth 15 dollars, even if its in early access.

ᔕᗴᑎᔕ
ᔕᗴᑎᔕ

Ok, let me start off by saying that I like the game quite a bit. I like the game, but I don't have as much fun playing it as I hoped I would. It's not that it's boring or anything like that, it's just that it doesn't feel as polished as a two year old game should, even in early access.

For starters, in the tutorial, the game tells you to attack the limbs as the killing attack to dismember the enemies. You can't cut their limbs off unless it's a killing blow, which is something I personally don't mind, but why make it so your attacks don't hit the limbs at all until then? If that wasn't your intention, you need to fix that, because a good seven swings out of ten, the attacks don't register as hits to the limbs. No, I'm not just missing, I tested it during the slow-motion instances, in which I could very clearly see my blade travelling through the limbs and doing absolutely nothing to the enemy, and that's a problem. I understand that this game is still in early access, but that's no reason that a bug like that shouldn't have been fixed after two years of availability, it just seems like such an easy bug to spot and work out of the game, which, again, after two whole years after being released (and that's of course not counting how long it had been in development before it's early access release) just makes the devs seem lazy. Maybe it's a new bug, I don't know, but either way, it needs to be fixed soon. I would very much like to see an option to make the movement system follow the HMD, rather than the trackpad, because it makes the combat a bit tedious when either trying to bash/stagger the enemy with a shield or swing at them with a weapon in my left hand while trying to strafe or charge at them, though usually I have the problem while strafing. I like the ability to hold the weapons in a stabbing position, though again, with the movement thing, it makes that tedious and just very unsatisfying. There should be a button dedicated to switching the weapon positions while in-hand, instead of having the player pick a weapon up, hold it the wrong way, drop it and pick it up again to try to grip the thing the right way, and still end up gripping it the wrong way, forcing the player to waste time and get attacked while struggling to use the damned weapon properly. Even when grabbing the thing slowly and precisely, it usually ends up in my hands in a stabbing position time and time again, like it only does what it wants to, when it wants to, and that's just flat out obnoxious. The animations need some work, though I've seen much worse, to be honest. Please...please add an option to scale my characters height..I'm kind of short for my age, and not being able to scale my characters height to the average adult height, which the enemies seem to be scaled to, makes the combat even more tedious, trying to swing at their heads, only to hit whatever the fuck else. I'm like 5'5, ok, and I'm not the only one, this NEEDS to be an in-game option.

Ok..that felt great...now, on to the good stuff.

The game itself is nice, as I said before, I do like it. I love the feel that it has, the atmosphere, the setting, etc. The whole "central hub" thing, as a lot of games call it, or the armory, as this one calls it, was a very nice touch, in my opinion. The graphics are pretty nice, the art style is just right, and the musical score is very good. The weapons themselves feel nice and natural, though the shields, while they do feel good to use, sometimes don't block the enemies attacks, and again, tested this with the slow-motion instance thing, they are, indeed, going right through the shield, though that's a pretty rare occurance, so I'm not going to throw it up there with the negative stuff. The manual slow-motion activation feature is very fun to use. The colosseum mode is fun, having to fight tigers and stuff every-so-often, and the charriot races or whatever sound pretty cool, though I haven't tried that mode yet. I think that you have something great on your hands here, something that could easily compete with Gorn, once fully polished, like a more realistic counterpart, and that is very exciting. Unfortunately, as the game is now, it can't really compete with Gorn just yet, though I feel like comparing it to Gorn is a bit unfair considering Free Lives probably got some funds from Devolver Digital to help them along the way, so I'm not going to hold it against you or your game. I know that the VR gaming industry is still in it's infancy and the technology is probably a bit limited and very expensive on it's own, let alone paying people to use that technology/programs/whatever to create the game in the first place, and with probably very few people actually owning VR headsets compared to those who just play standard "pancake" games, as some tumors like to call them..it's a bit of a challenge to get the needed funds from the customers themselves.

Overall, I'd recommend fans of VR fighting games/simulators/etc to keep an eye on this game, if my words in the beginning turned you away from the game, because it's by no means a bad game, it just needs work, like every early access game, and if that didn't turn you away and you wouldn't mind the problems that I had stated earlier in the review, for fifteen dollars? Go for it, really. I don't want to give this game a rating yet, at least until I've seen a few updates adding or fixing things that I had mentioned, though if I had to right now, I'd say that, compared to others I've played that cost even more, it's about a 7 or 8 out of ten, though I want to lean more towards an 8 because I know that a lot of people might not mind the things that bothered me since I can be a bit of a knit-picker at times..as clearly demonstrated earlier. I, personally, won't be playing it for a few updates after this review, though I hope that doesn't take too long, because I really do want to jump back into the game, I just can't really play it as it is right now.

Though I have many issues with the way it is right now, I still recommend the game.

Johnny Rico
Johnny Rico

Seriously, buy this game. This game is surprisingly LOADED with content. Apologies for my heretical words but... it's as good, if not, better than GORN. The realism is unparalleled. Please buy this game. And if you're a developer reading this, nice work and please keep updating.

ItsNeverEnough
ItsNeverEnough

Very impressed with this VR title. Only 91 minutes in, and I can tell I got my $15 worth. I'm going to have to say that this is my favorite VR game I've played so far. Thank you for this experience, devs.

(Jesus christ the announcer's voice is cringy tho. I really hope that gets a patch fix or they hire professional voice acting. It's not game breaking, but it's pretty bad.)

God
God

I was going to return my Samsung Odyssey as there were so few games worth playing, then I played Gladius. Worth the cost of the headset. Amazing game.

I AM SPARTACUS!

Putty Patroller
Putty Patroller

I hate to give a bad review on a small game like this, but I can't see how people can enjoy this in the current state. It feels like you're hitting everyone with a pool noodle and I have no idea what is happening. A major mechanic involves releasing your sword into an opponent to instantly kill them. Doesn't really make sense.. but okay - I can dig it, seems like a fun idea. But this oftentimes doesn't seem to work when it should. Then your sword flies across the map due to crazy physics and you're standing there without weapons eventually looking like a jackass. Despite having killed ten dudes, their weapons and bodies have all disappeared on the floor so I can't pick anything up either. Sometimes my entire hand was dissapearing and I couldn't figure out why. Turns out it was gripping a sword, which was stuck in a body on the ground ten feet away.

You move pretty slowly, and there doesn't seem to be any kind of dodge mechanic. So in my playtime, too often I ended up just rubbing against enemies hearing PING KACHING PING PING PING CHING and not really understanding what was going on or who was hitting who and where. Moving around awkwardly in directions I didnt want since my raised shield was bound to the same hand I was using for trackpad movement.

There appear to be a lot of weapons to unlock, and a campaign which seems really cool. But the basic combat of this game just doesn't make sense to me unless I cheese the enemy by using slowdown for everyone to get only insta-kills. It's possible I didn't give the game enough time to make things click. But the first 45 minutes were bad enough that I don't want to attempt playing it anymore to give it more of a chance.

SKITZOwithGUNS
SKITZOwithGUNS

Gladius is hands down the best VR game I have played. I cannot reccomend it enough. the actions makes gorn seem slow without being too hard, this game however can be quite the workout. It is absolutely a must own VR game.

Tatts
Tatts

If you enjoyed GORN and want more of solid feeling melee combat, this is the one to pick up. The fighting all feels smooth and there's already a fair bit of depth.

Painface
Painface

Very much worth it! Finaly Something to Rival GORN!!

Since I got my VR-Headset about a year ago im always looking for good Games that focus on Melee Combat. I was and am very Happy with Gorn but I was dissapointed that it was the only game of its kind. At least the only good one.

Hence Im very happy for Gladius to have been released in early access.
At first I didnt like it after I watched some youtube videos about it to see whether it is worth my money or not.
It just looked to early in development to be good, wonky animations, lots of glitches and stuff like that.

But that isnt the case. At all! It is very, Very well done even now this early. The attention to detail in its gameplay is amazing compared to other melee focused games like i.E. karnage

COMBAT AND EQUIPMENT

The Combat is veery good. Very responsive and the closest thing to realism there is right now. Duells actually feel like duells, if you dont move, dodge, block, parry and attack properly, you are going to have a hard time, depending on the difficulty level.
In other words, Way complexer combat than in Gorn.
As mentioned fights against AI can be a challange, as they too, dodge, block, parry, and (of course) attack according to the sitation during the fight. Predicting the enemies next move isnt as simple as you might think. An attack can come out of nowhere if youre not careful, that way parrying these attacks or even countering them feels very satisfying.

According to the amazing combat, there is a vast variety of items you (and you opponent) can use.
Such are Helmets, Shields and weapons.
The weapons range from (alot of different) swords, to daggers, axes, maces and even hellberds and fist weapons.
(On this not I would reccomend staying away from two handed weapons as the coordination of both hands on it is very weird on the date im writing this)
The shields range from small wooden shields to the square roman ones and even the metal shields of the spartans
(shields can also be used in offense, throwing works just finde, punching the enemy with it not so much at the moment(wonky))
There are also helmets in the game, which represent your armor (if the helmet breaks the next attacks will lower you health until you get a new one). There are also a lot of different helmets, going from standart roman legionaries, over spartan helmets to "normal" gladiator ones and even viking helmets.
(Very Big Thing for me: There is an option which allows you to show the helmets while wearing them, meaning your vision gets impared depending on the helmet youre wearing. I am a huge fan of this as its very immersive. You can however turn it off if you dont like it)

There are also 3 different ranged weapons, beeing the bow, the roman throwing spear and the balista
You can also throw your normal cc weapons, daggers seem to be very good for this.

GAMEPLAY AND CONTROLS

The controls are very nice, you can choose between teleporting, teleport-sprint(just moves you fast instead of blinking you to a position), "normal" movement with the stick on the controller and the "GORN Movement" which actually requires you to move your arms to move.

In the Cell area (eg HUB) there is some sort of playground where you can climb a structure using your arms. Very nice. Cant wait to see what they are going to do with that mechanic.

Your Basic Gameplay Orbits around 3 Categories

Collusseum: A set of Cinematic missions, each harder that the other.

Arena: 3 Challanges
-Endless mode, see how far you get. The further the better the reward
-Challange mode: Use a specific weapon to do specific things
-Charriot Race: Very awesome. You controll a charriot with two horses(very nice controls) through a set amount of laps while trying to kill you rivals while they try to kill you

There is also an armory to equip yourself before each fight.

There is also a market to unlock new weapons, shields or helmets with the gold you earned during your games.

There is also a training mode in which you can practice archery, do Custom fights, learn how to dismember your opponents and lots of other stuff.

The Only real issues I have for are:

-a clipping bug in which my weapon isnt recognized as a weapon for a second and therefore doesnt harm my enemy when I hit him (semi-rare)

-stabbing enemies sometimes makes them stuck on your blade for a few seconds, making it impossible to attack

PlannedWhisper7
PlannedWhisper7

Disclaimer: Despite my Not Recommend vote, I feel that this game has a lot of potential, & from what I've seen the developer does pay attention to feedback from players, so I'm going to try and stick with this game in the hopes that it will improve.

The concept is novel, specifically in the different arenas with interesting gimmicks, but the combat is very inaccurate, & the challenges are at times impossible, even at the lowest difficulty; I can't get past the Minotaur at the end of the fifth level because I ultimately can't keep up with its speed, it kills me far too easily, especially after having been worn out fending off endless waves of crocodiles from the previous fight, all while dodging rocks hurled from catapults that can kill me instantly...

The game honestly is too ambitious for its own good, & requires significant fixes in regards to hitbox detection, not to mention making the challenges more intutive & less overwhelming in novice difficulty, at least.

On a personal note, I do appreciate what the developers tried to do with the scope of environments in the arena, but ultimately that's not good enough when competing against games like Gorn.

Skippy Dimbleflob
Skippy Dimbleflob

This is possibly the BEST vr game i'll ever play, it has realistic fights (sometimes), you can grab enemies, cut off arms, legs and heads, and even stab an enemy and let the knife/sword stay in the enemy while you use another weapon to execute a diffrent enemy, it's really satisfying to stab a knife into someones neck and then grab another knife to throw at another enemy while you brutally slaughter the first one~ ʕ ͡°ᴥ ͡°ʔ

P.S The creator of the game is a kind and just awesome guy, love ya Multi

Funk
Funk

TLDR; This is a really good VR arena combat sim. Realistic, fairly deep, very interesting scenarios.

I remember seeing this game pop up a long time ago. It looked ok, but I wasn't sold on the graphics.
At the time Gorn was getting a lot of attention, and so I had been playing that as my go-to melee arena fighting sim.
Recently however I picked up Gladius, I assumed it was basically a more realistic verion of Gorn.
But boy was I wrong, I did the tutorial and hopped into the arena for the first time (on hard difficulty) and I was getting pummled by these other gladiator dudes. I really had to think and react to the weaknesses in their armor. And the fight just kept going, gladiator after gladiator. Then once they were all dispatched and i was ready for it to finish, some Centurion came out. I saw their tall shields and just thought to myself, "Oh crap... how am I going to do this?"
Well, I just managed to take them out too, when 2 lions come charging at me!
They killed me, but man it sure made a lasting effect on me. I just wanted to go back in, and do things better.

That was just the first arena, and they got better and better. The introduction of mythological creatured scared me as the combat is so raw and realistic.

So, basically, if you liked GORN but wanted a bit more than just the same arena spaces, I dare say you'll love this.

Джо
Джо

Has great great potential and I will totally rebuy the game soon, but as of right now the animations are way too clunky, the pocket system is kind of bad, etc. Just pretty much full of bugs, but I am sure down the road this game will be incredibly addictive.

rockrun58
rockrun58

Great game, might get a lil motion sickness. Worth it tho, as well its one hell of a work out for those looking to lose weight and have fun at the same time. Took me like forever to get through day 1 haha

big man patty
big man patty

holy cow this is the best game on vr i have every played. superhot and war thunder (and duck season) are good games but this is top tier 8/10 for me so far, there are a few glitches like people flying out the Colosseum, and equipping weapons can be an arse. but the experince of being russell crowe and showting that one line is truly beautiful.

spillmypint
spillmypint

WOW! just WOW!!!!!!! What a game. I thought Gorn was good, this is incredible. Almost to the point of going to get my chamois leather out of the car and wrap it around my hip for the true Charlton Heston feeling.

....Going to get a shower and go to work. I'm all sweated up......

Ramsey
Ramsey

Honestly? This CRUSHES Gorn. The AI are actually skillfui and will fight you like they give a sh*t about winning, and that takes the intensity higher than anything Gorn can provide. the AI in Gorn are a cop out by the devs in that they are so bad the devs think they are good. Anyone can win in Gorn by flailing their arms. In Gladius, you have to know how to fight to survive. Two huge thumbs up! This is a must buy!

Papito
Papito

This is the most immersive game I played in my life. I tried several of the gladiator arena type games. This one I feel like the enemies are trying to kill me. The biggest problem is playing this is a workout. That could be my age though. Game is not easy and even on novice levels I am having trouble progressing through the coliseum. The ways you can shield bash, grab opponents, and dismember them is awesome.

PrettyFly-gon
PrettyFly-gon

I've got quite a few more hours than this, they were just offline.

I looked far and wide for a Gladiator type game for VR when I first got my headset, and I stumbled across this. It felt quite awful when I first picked it up, but the dev has been fixing alot of issues as thye relatively small community has been pointing them out which is really nice to see for any developer.

I'd say you should try it is you like intense physical experiences

UZI SUICIDE
UZI SUICIDE

I was looking for a fun game that would do more than just be entertaining.
Well I was Entertained.
After my first few minutes in the arena I was starting to tire out.
I can see this being my go to after a bad day at work lol.
I was pumping with adrenalin and said "this guys head is coming off"
a few well placed blocks and he opened himself up and his helmet
hit the floor and then the head rolled out.
There I was strolling around my play area with arms up shouting,
"ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED".
My wife thought I had finaly lost the the plot.

Bottom line is this game is a must have for any seroius VrHead.

CROSSEYED_JIM
CROSSEYED_JIM

Fantastic game for folks interested in more realistic gladiatorial combat. Gorn, Sword Master, and others may have better mechanics in some ways, but the look and feel of Gladius is incredible. There are a few janky physics here and there, and some of the "Colosseum" pseudo-story levels feel broken (looking at you, Day 4), but it overall does a fabulous job of making you feel like you're really under the helmet in your favorite gladiator show or movie.

Unlike many one-and-done VR titles, there is a real sense of progression in the game. You earn money for your performance in the arena (I recommend the "Endless" mode on Gladiator difficulty), which you can then use to upgrade your equipment. There are a ton of weapons, shields, and helmets to choose from, and better equipment makes a noticeable difference when it comes to your performance. Best of all, though, you can actually feel yourself getting better at the game. You'll learn to exploit weak points in armor, anticipate opponents' moves, shield-bash, and even use the pommel of your sword (or your fist) as a blunt weapon. I once had to beat an opponent to death with my bare hands after accidentally dropping my sword. As gruesome as it sounds, it felt amazing.

Lastly, bring a sweat band. This game will make you work harder than you think, to the point that an hour or so in game feels like a genuine exercise routine. There's nothing like getting your heart rate up by fighting your way through your gladiator fantasies.

YeastyQueef309
YeastyQueef309

well its a good fun game i so recommend it BUTb you really need a big room as you can get dissorianted pretty quick instead of stabbing the enemy i ended up stabbing the wall and snapping the controller in half

7/10 would stab softer next time

Socks
Socks

it looks and is really good from the 30 mins ive played (alot for me in vr games cuz i wear glassess in the headset and they steam really quickly) and i love these type of vr games with stabbing and sword play and its done really well in this game. Blade and Sorcery does this very well and is my favourite vr game and this is also a good vr game defo 9-10 ratings and when you 1st get in the arena i was stunned to see millions of people watching me and mt foe battle to the death where mostly die its great.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. however the main prob i have is turning in the game. due to my little space (just over the game requires) is a rectangle shape so i try and face the same way to avoid punching a wall, the htc vive cable (after market so its all one cable) gets tangled up alot. so using the turning system whitch is to swipe on the touchpad left or right is REALY BAD. it works like 20% of the time and by time it does work im dead (also my controllers are brand new). so the opiton to change it from a swipe to a press system becasue it dosent work. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ atm this the only flaw with the game everything else is fantastic but that one little thing ruins the game for me (DISCLAIMER: THIS PROBLEM IS ONLY BAD IF YOUR SET UP IS LIKE MINE ITS NOT THE GAME IT MY PLAY AREA) ao if you have alot of space for vr this game and every other game aswell will be alot better for you

Dmand
Dmand

This is a awsem game,
Its the one game in its genra to actualy make me feel like a gladiater
Many different old school weapons that colide with everything they touch weather its a table, a sword in your other hand, your shield or your enemys neck bone.
Variaty in enemy types wich are all kind of smart ai and can block attacks , I feel this could use a little more work tho.
Progression system to unlock weapons.
different missions with different challanges.
Dismemberment and slo motion.

Highly recomend

ThaDevilsJester
ThaDevilsJester

The controls are clunky, the hit detection and weapons are ass. It's just a worse blade and sorcery, which is saying something.

Tangrisnr
Tangrisnr

Just found this gem. Its an absolute must have. Unlike most of these games it has a point.helmet view makes it intense. Combats decent. Dead bodies too light and wish ya could de limb them.stsbbings cool but ya need yo be able to stab with blade edge horizontal. Sword bind where can push enemys blade with mine be great. also be great if added visible cuts on the unarmored legs arms ect. And a light multiplayer. devs active so can only go up from . Buy buy buy.

Phuck Norris
Phuck Norris

This game is OK. It's better than blade and sorcery but has room to improve. I'd like to see more weapons and more destructible bodies. Overall I would recommend it and look forward to putting more time into it.

Matty Louie Ray
Matty Louie Ray

Just picked this up like 40 minutes ago. I'm a heavier guy 250lbs, I bought a vive to make getting fit fun since my job doesn't require me to be physically mobile.
I played this for around 30 minutes, and boy let me tell you this is the BEST VR GAME I've got YET! I got FO4 and Skyrim VR's. I also tried gorn, but haven't purchased it yet. The combat in this game alone TOPS all 3.
Within 10 minutes I was POURING sweat, not as intensive as The thrill of the fight, when I play that game I wake up hurting every morning. This is just a pure cardio king, without throwing your arms out or pulling muscles.

Some pros, the parrying system is by far the greatest. I played with a shield but at first it's all I used for blocking, and it made it hard to land blows. Eventually after my shield kept breaking and I got rekt by the tigers I decided I was going to hold my shield off to the side and fight the first guys by parrying strikes and save my shield for the tigers.

I was not disappointed, you have to play defensive, walking backwards slowly waiting for strikes, watch the strike then parry then go for a gut stab, MOST SATISFYING CRAP EVER! You hear that sword go in "sqsshhh" and they go limp and your sword is stuck in them, rip it out and get ready for the next combatant ready for the slaughter.
This game is definitely WORTH the 14.99 for the combat alone. If you're on the fence about it just buy it, if you don't like it then refund through steam. But I gotta say, playing this game for 30 min-1hr a day is a solid cardio and WORTH EVERY PENNY.

Heldgalaxy
Heldgalaxy

Honestly i really really wanted to like this game but i just cant say i do the combat feels really boring due to me not knowing if i hit or not half the time. almost every hit lacks impact no blood no knockback nothing i beat an enemy where he only bled once when he died it really just ruins the immersion and honestly just makes the game boring. My final complaint is that the hit detection is horrible besides on the tigers pick this game up possibly after early access

Roberto
Roberto

THE MOST UNDERRATED VR GAME OUT! For the price this is the most value I have gotten out of a VR hand tracking experience. The combat is not as physics based as other sword fighting games but that makes the fights last longer and feel like fights that can't be cheesed or exploited. This is the most fun I've had VR sword fighting. The game doesn't look all that great in screenshots and videos but the scale VR brings and 3D depth prevent me from noticing poor textures or animations while playing. I completely lose myself when playing and have hit walls and tables in my house as I'm dodging around the room. On paper this game seems lacking compared to other offerings but it is so easy to jump and and get lost in a fight. I jumped and screamed the first time a tiger charged me. As janky as the animations are, this game is immersive and fully delivers on the gladiator premise.

EPIC MEAL TIME
EPIC MEAL TIME

Hey Big news the Dev HAS MADE A NEW UPDATE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

This came is very cool and its like gorn but more realistic and gives that gladiator feeling. It combines real history with some of the levels and what other gladiators had to fight and some fun obj to do. Also I do change this review a lot but i do love this game and I am going to see what this new update is about. Thank you to the dev and please try this game out.

Commander Rod
Commander Rod

EDIT: After a developer response, I checked the game's status, and they absolutely delivered!!
Amazing work!

I originally loved this game, but then the updates stopped. No new content whatsoever since the beginning of this year.
Which would be fine if this was a complete game, which it isn't.

billyst1ck
billyst1ck

So honestly, my wife and I are re-watching Spartacus: Blood and Sand, and she went to bed and I thought I'd look for a gladiator game. DAMN you guys delivered- this is fantastic- just what I was looking for, and more with the chariots and different stages etc. Great job, well done- can't wait to see what's in store.

Adil3tr
Adil3tr

Really want to recommend this, but it isn't finished and support seems to have ended.

Edit: I've had a ton of trouble making any progress in the game. Even on the lowest difficulty I can't get past the two roman soldiers in the coliseum. I also can't make any use of the arrows (is there a way to put the quiver on your back). And is there any signifigant difference between the weapons and shields? They cost money but I couldn't tell if there was. And during the race it seems like the enemies fall behind right away, and I don't know how I could fight when the horses slow down rapidly if you aren't holding the reins.

Baldrick
Baldrick

I was playing blade and sorcery (B&S) but was quickly bored of the sandbox nature and dumb AI.
I then found this and wow... it's everything I wanted for a VR hack n slash!

The combat is enjoyable and the enemy AI light-years ahead of B&S. There is so much variety too in levels, enemies and weapons. It's also a workout. I wear weights on my arms and the weapons instantly take on something closer to a proper weight.

You really need to work on the marketing cos this game deserves to be recognized as THE hand to hand combat game on VR, not B&S or GORN.

1 month update:
I like it, but it's really pissing me off now. Problems that are stopping me carrying on:
1) I can't get past level 4. Can't jump, can't cross the ladder. Get eaten by shark. Nice idea but no idea how to get past this.

2) If you accidentally hit the oculus menu (right controller) it dumps you to the menu and when you come in back into the game it drops your weapons! So then you're dead. Needs a config to turn off the oculus menu.

3) The double handed weapons are utter crap. The two hands just don't work together properly at all.

4) The bow mechanism seems very flakey. Loading arrows in hit or miss (pun intended).

It's a shame the developer has stopped work on it.

2 month update:
Still can't get past level 4 and the other stuff now leads me to not recommend this anymore.

𝔈𝔱𝔞
𝔈𝔱𝔞

Terrible. Plays like arcade game, not immersive at all. Game Crashes when picking a dagger. Keep losing hand tracking.

Update: Using Oculus Rift S. Dagger is in the Armory on a table, I don't know why but I tried to pick it 3 times, every time it crashes the game. I have to admit I tried Gladius after Blade & Sorcery and Hellsplit: Arena, those games feel more realistic to me. By that I mean, I did hit a gladiator in naked torso a few times and he still was alive. Could be my personal preference but I would prefer realistic game. I do like the idea about Gladiators and ancient Rome though. Maybe if I would try Gladius before mentioned games, I would try to stick along longer.

About hand tracking, I do experience it slightly after last Oculus update in some other games lately, but here my hands just fly away.

RWC|Rasputin
RWC|Rasputin

This is one of the coolest VR games I played yet. I think it's just a one man dev team, but they did a really good job. The combat feels good, the atmosphere of the environment is immersive and believable. I love the chariot racing, that could be a game on it's on with a little more development.

If you're into fighting VR games or anything ancient Roman...this is a must have.

restwursti
restwursti

You can kill the enemy by simply wiggeling your sword. Thats the mechanic for which I give the negative review.

Beside that, the game is okay for Early Acces and seems to be fully playable.
But there are bugs and it feels clunky at this point.

Sans
Sans

all can really say is the gameplay feels way to boring and just overall not fun i will say that i like the idea. i know that this game has the ability to become something more and i look forward to that. but as it stands right now i just dont like it at all maybe one day i can change this to be a yes but as of now its a 3/10 if you really the best out of these type of games try gorn or blade and sorcery. anyway i hope this game continues to the point were i can change this i will def keep an eye out for it

BLZDPraetorian
BLZDPraetorian

Great game! I did not think this would be so great going in. I like to live Stream on facebook, and found that its pretty fun for me and the viewers! I love that there is a Campaign also, on top of the sandbox options that give it a great replayability! oh and chariot racing! wow. I love it all, and the Early access makes me so very hopeful that this will become an even greater title! if your unsure and think you have enough melee games, no. this one is in its own league. the bugs in this game are usually funny and not game breaking. some moments of "really, that happened?" but again, usually funny, not frustrating. I suggest you get this game!

Kamma Khazi
Kamma Khazi

This game is just pure visceral fun and is up there with my other favourite melee VR game "Tales of Glory". There is just so much more to do than just a pure sandbox arena like Gorn or Blade and Sorcery. You can tell the developer has really used his imagination to come up with some really great ideas to spice things up tigers, crocs, chariots, mythical beasts etc. And the physics while they are not simulator level, there is enough there to make the combat really enjoyable and get your heart racing. I hope there will be more updates to come as this is really greatly game and has a lot to offer. If you want to feel like your in the TV show Spartacus this is the VR game to get.

Batman™
Batman™

It's a good game, I've enjoyed my time in it so far. However, I hope to see legs and arms added in to show better movement with the shadow and to show a proper shadow form of the player as a human male like the rest of the gladiators. It is kind of odd to see a floating body with no legs so it would be nice to see those added in plus the arms. Plus the animations of the player walking around and running. Shields do need a fix so players can put it behind his or her back, atm, it's kind of glitchy. But it's early access, so bugs will come up. Devs, I have faith you will fix these bugs and add in legs and arms for the player's character. I believe this game can reach it's full potential and I really do look forward to the completed version. I do recommend getting it if a Roman Gladiatorial themed game is your type of thing in VR.

Drigzmo
Drigzmo

I will be following this game and the development, but it's not worth it to me where it stands. The concept is okay and there's plenty of systems in place to make a great game, but the combat itself is very clunky and glitchy. I could live with weaker visuals but the gameplay doesn't do it justice. You can accomplish almost the same feeling with Blade and Sorcery with a few mods.

With some more development and tightening of the combat, this would definitely be something to get into. It has all the best parts of Gladiator fantasy, and reminds me a lot of an old ps2 game called Colliseum: Road to Freedom. This game can be like that, but I think it needs more in the way of RPG/simulator mechanics to offset the combat, and combat itself needs to be less buggy. Definitely something to play in the future.

HighTech Redneck
HighTech Redneck

I tried it but It is a less polished less clean less fun version of Blade and Sorcery. It just feels so sloppy and clunky I did not enjoy it. Maybe later it will be smoother but its a no from me.

N00b_Bee_Farley
N00b_Bee_Farley

Why oh why is there not enough buzz about this game? I can't believe it's been here without me knowing. I only found out after trying it on the Oculus Quest 2 and hoped it would be here.
I did not realize how much better the graphics and game play would be here!
Gorn - is like playschool and the movement awkward
Blade and Sorcery - Made me want to hurl chunks!!

DO YOU WANT TO BE A GLADIATOR and NOT GET MOTION SICKNESS? This is it!
I love this game! It's purging and a workout!

Question to Devs: I see your last update was Dec 2019. Please tell us you did not abandon!
This is a great game!!!

Liamsgaming2002
Liamsgaming2002

You know what for only $14.99 this isn't half bad.
Pros-
- Fun
- Good player models and weapons
- half decent limb decapitation
- Good soundtrack when one's present
- Good tracking
- Great archery
- Decent price
- Not as buggy as most early access games
- Smart ai they will dodge very well
- Reminds me of blade and sorcery if it was roman times

Cons-
-Robot voice announcer
- Can only use the touch pad to move the joystick option on my Dell visor headset won't work for this game
- Can't finish the third part of the campaign where you are rope tied in a square wooden cage and forced to use archery as npc's can still walk through the cage and forcing it to be almost impossible to finish it when you have to protect the guys as npc's will walk through and slice you up.

The Joker
The Joker

*****EARLY ACCESS*****
I understand this is early access so I am choosing to explain reasons for certain aspects of the review. I am personally not into this kind of fantasy based, super strength kinda crap. I like things grounded somewhat in reality. But I see potential in the future with some more attention. This is my early first impression review and I do warn it will trigger some "hardcore" schmucks who think this is real combat. I have been training with real weapons the past 8 years as cardio but recently due to work Ive had to transition halfway to VR versions. So I am self qualified to give a proper review.

Pros:
-Its far better than Gorn.
-Its a gladiator simulator.....kinda
-Many weapons and a variety of other equipment to choose from
-Armor durability
-Ability to pillage remains for weapons and armor
-Crowds
-Light hearted dismemberment system

Cons:
-Combat while SEMI fluid is underwhelming
-The combat is not as "realistic" as I was hoping when I first saw this advertisement
-Random Fantasy elements
-Does not capture remotely close to a realistic fighting simulator
-Arenas are so outlandish its insane.
-Mummies, skeletons, Minotaurs? Hone your basic AI for the humans before jumping around the world.
-Launching opponents as if you are a demigod
-Strikes do NOT always land properly
-Shield bash? Forget it. Looks like you can but the actual REACH gets sucked in when you go to swing either weapon or shield.
-Depth of strikes is impossibly short meaning when I swing outwards with a shield or weapon I KNOW how far away it is, yet somehow I must tongue kiss the npc to actually connect the hit.
-Not to be taken seriously
-Seriously the DEPTH OF STRIKES is so aggravating

So if you are into a SEMI Gladiator experience with a crap ton of fantasy elements thrown in, then this is for you. Until someone develops a full fledged Real Gladiator experience based on rough reality, than throwing around miscellaneous crap, your best bet is Hellsplit Arena or Blade and Sorcery. Their combat is far more fluid and strikes properly connect etc.

Seems that each of these games has something the other lacks. You guys need to work together to develop something perfect. Your arena crowds and monetary system with the armor and shopping, perfection. The combat of Hellsplit arena is LITERALLY perfect. The Blade and sorcery dismemberment system is something every vr game needs to incorporate.

So I can say you should buy this as I think they will continue to develop it further and hopefully they listen to the reviewers in some aspects.

MacK56
MacK56

Game is abandoned. Physics is lacking. Blade and sorcery, Tales of Glory, or Legendary Tales will get you your fix.

AcidBurnz85
AcidBurnz85

For all those saying this is the best fighting game mechanics they have seen in vr. three words blade and sorcery.

The Jizzler
The Jizzler

The enemies spawn outside of the map 90% of the time, the sword fighting sucks. They haven't updated since 2019

Prince Vegeta
Prince Vegeta

It looks promising but ultimately i'm gonna have to say no for now. There is a ton of physics jank, movement and collision bugs, and many other problems. There are some good ideas here but unfortunately it's hard to recommend an early access game from 2016 especially when the last update was 2019.

Half-Bit
Half-Bit

Incredibly awesome game! I really had a lot of fun with this one, but it IS mostly in short bursts. The enemy AI are pretty simplistic. It doesn't take long to just concentrate on a few tactics and then you've got it made. There is several weapons to choose from, but honestly, I was pretty happy with a sword and shield. Trying other weapons just felt more like a quick novelty to me. This game will make you sweat and is very easy to get into. I will say, like any VR game, make sure you have plenty of space.

Recon141
Recon141

Crippling lack of updates - nothing since 2019 and looks to have been abandoned.

ghostlykiller456
ghostlykiller456

i like the atmosphere but im more of a gorn and b&s guy

BillyBozarth
BillyBozarth

Game is abandoned. Physics are awful. The dev has lied numerous times in the community promising to update game years ago but yet nothing. Refund for me.

WIZZ_KID_666
WIZZ_KID_666

its a great game. the gameplay is awesome. but god these guys ruined it all by not adding adding keybind settings

Treebs
Treebs

Game has been in early access since 2016 and has not received an update since 2019. Devs abandoned it to focus on the quest version.

Sebastianos Ionnides
Sebastianos Ionnides

I do really love this game, Its sad the developers just stopped and vanished. its still fun as is and if on sale, get it. its sword physics are great and its really fun to go play in all the arenas.

it could have been a lot better though.

IronbugVR
IronbugVR

You are the Gladiator

Feel the power of the crowd cheer as you walkout into the arena. You pump your arms up and down, revving up the crowd. You are pumped and ready for the match, you are a gladiator. Your opponent appears, a rush fills your body as you charge into battle. You swing and chop of his head. The crowd is up and cheering, wanting more. Will you give it to them or become just blood in the sand?

Gladius is an immersive gladiator game. You are fighting for coin, fame and your freedom. You start the game as a slave. You must fight your way through the ranking system to number one, Thunder God.

You will do this through two different game modes with a variety of weapons at your use. There is Arena and Campaign mode.

In Arena mode, you will fight in a variety of different arenas against man and beast as the crowd cheers you on. Its a last man standing event, so make every swing and parry count.

In Campaign mode, you will have ranks (days) to complete and survive. You will be in a bunch of different fighting areas, with different weapons and objectives. You will be fighting man, beast and even the undead. As you move up through the days, you will earn coin and move up in rank to earn your freedom.

Your cell acts as your main hub, where you can check on your progress, which game mode you want to play, and visit the weapon smith for new weapons. From here your adventure awaits.

As a gladiator you are given a large selection of melee weapons to pick from and buy. You also have the option of using a bow and different shields and helmets. As you fight and you win over the crowd, they will reward you with, food and weapons in between fights. The more blood you shed and dismemberment you do to your opponent, the more the crowd will love you. Pump your arms and excite them, give them a show, and they will reward you.

The combat system feels great in the game, from blocking, parrying and swinging, you will be drawn into the game. Makes for a good workout as well.

I have played many combat games like this, but none as immersive and with goals. If you want to feel like you are Russell Crowe from the movie Gladiator look no further.

You will feel the gladiator in you, you will make the crowd love you, and make some heads roll.

Capitan Cairl Blandford
Capitan Cairl …

Just purchased this game. I love. It, Multiplayer online is a MUST

Trixster2K
Trixster2K

love it
its gory manic sometimes beyond crazy and overwhelming
but its also frustrating when things go wrong or you die close to the end of a level due to some miss read attack or something
there are a few bugs here and there but it amazing fun and i really like it
needs more content and the mod system back would be nice
also definitely needs multiplayer
for the money very much worth it