Sairento VR lets you step into a pair of cybernetic ninja shoes to run, dash, and triple jump through arenas full of bad guys. A calming synth soundtrack puts players in a near-meditative state, slicing through wave after wave of stone sumos, zombie shogun, and more. The game keeps growing too, now with its first paid DLC pack.
If you just dove into our Sairento review, you might be interested to know there’s a ton of content to explore. I’ve reviewed the weapons pack, and gotten a glimpse at the new avatar. If slicing and dicing is your preferred workout routine, read on to see how your missions are about to get a lot more interesting.
New Weapons DLC
Three new weapons make their debut in this DLC pack, and at $4 I say this is worth it for fans of the game.
Kusarigama
This is the Japanese equivalent of a ball and chain, with a weight attached to one end and a sickle to the other. Traditionally, Kusarigama users would wrap an opponent’s sword up with the weighted end of the chain, then rush them down with the sickle to end the fight. Sairento’s Kusarigama is more like a ranged weapon.
It has a slow and powerful windup, but covers very wide arcs. It’s pretty tricky to aim, so stay maneuverable if you want success with this weapon.
My advice is to slide into a group of nasties, slice and dice, then jump away and toss the sickle into the fray while you’re safely perched on a nearby wall or ledge. This way, you get a second swipe at those you might have missed. Just remember to throw it in arcs for maximum destructive potential.
Kigiri Claw
Yes! Sairento has finally made you Wolverine (or Vega, if you’re a Street Fighter fan like me). This weapon checks every box:
- Looks cool
- Slices up bad guys
- Shoots claws
Wait, shoots claws? Eject claws to function as a basic ranged attack, but you only get six shots before you need to reload. Be careful!
Here’s my opinion: the claws are fun to use in theory, but their short range makes it a challenge to pull off consistent kills at higher levels of infinite mode. By the time you’re close enough to do damage, you’ve taken quite a bit more than was worth it.
Arm yourself with a good sidearm and make sure you pick your engagement spots. It’s helpful to have a wall or a second story/level you can quickly leap to after your initial engagements. The claw has to be fast to be effective, and firing the claws will require reloading. Practice with the claw a bit. It’s not as easy as you might think at higher difficulties.
The good news is that the claws are the most physical workout in your arsenal, so I hope some of you will try them out. I think you will be satisfied with how they feel.
Slugger
The Slugger is my least favorite weapon in the bunch, but not because it’s a bad weapon. Of all the weapons in DLC, it felt like this was just “another gun” if that makes sense. With such a diverse selection of melee weapons, guns feel stale in this game. But, the Slugger’s saving grace is that it requires finesse.
The Slugger’s heat management system ensures you must rely on burst fire, as opposed to indiscriminate stopping power.
My advice is to arm yourself with a sword on your primary hand, or your melee weapon of choice, and a slugger on your offhand. When I loadout with the Slugger, I pair it with the Kusarigama or the Shuriken. I get the stopping power I need in a pinch, but I can rely on the weapons I want to use because of how they feel.
New Avatar
Available on public test branch, the new avatar is a stalwart looking gentleman named “Hiro”. He’s not different from Chaiko in any noticeable way, just a different avatar to give players some choice.
Here’s a sweet gif of him in action with the Kusarigama!
Final Thoughts
I don’t know if Mixed Realms is trying to recreate Ninja Gaiden Black (kudos to anyone who remembers that game) in VR, but they are definitely succeeding at it. The difficulty feels spot on when turned up high, maneuverability is tight and responsive, and the scrambles are fast and frantic. When playing, my heart rate frequently spikes above 100 the more I use melee. Enemies swarm me, so I’m never out of targets either.
The endless modes added a ton of depth to Sairento’s already arcade-style gameplay, and these new weapons open up some interesting gameplay opportunities. The Kusarigama is especially unique, as you can use it to deflect or slice bullets at range.
