Marvel's Deadpool VR is messy, loud, self aware, chaotic, and very fun. Just like Deadpool himself.
Marvel's Deadpool VR is one of those games that makes you stop halfway through and think, wait, how can something be this good and this whatever at the same time? It is a strange mix of absolute VR blockbuster brilliance and oddly dull filler that feels like it wandered in from a different project. Half of it is wild, chaotic, creative, and genuinely jaw dropping. The other half is, well, not that. And yet, the weird duality of it all actually ends up being part of its charm.
This is an original Deadpool story where you play as the man himself, tearing through ninjas, zombies, demons, robots, and whatever other poor creatures the writers decided to sacrifice. The setup is pretty simple. After smashing Flag Smasher across the helicarrier like he owes you money, a portal cracks open and Mojo yanks you into Mojo World. You are now the main attraction in a multiversal reality TV spectacle where your job is to hunt Marvel villains across massive themed worlds, bring them back, and, in between, survive weird game show arenas designed to entertain the universe.
And here is the thing. The “real” missions, the villain hunts, those are incredible. These levels explode with creativity and scale. Every one of the four big villain hunts drops you into a completely different world, from demonic hotels to the Nova Corps space station. They look gorgeous on Quest 3 and they all include unique enemies and set pieces, the type of set pieces that genuinely stick with you. Running, sliding, double jumping, dual wielding, grappling enemies into the air, slashing limbs off, juggling weapons, switching between katanas and guns on the fly, it all just works. When this game cooks, it really cooks.
Then, between these high points, Mojo makes you fight in arena battles. These are 2v2 matches where another Deadpool variant from some universe joins you. Each arena features three rounds, usually themed like capture the flag, hold the zone, grab the Headpool zombie head and feed him chimichangas, escort a Deadpool robot in a payload mission, or straight up kill a bunch of the weird robots Mojo is obsessed with. On paper, they sound like fun distractions. In practice, they all feel like chores and the brain dead enemy AI does not help either. Slow, basic, repetitive chores that feel like padding, especially when stacked against how good the big missions are.
But here is where I think there is more going on. The arenas are structured exactly like multiplayer modes. They are symmetrical, they have game types that feel like PvP knockoffs, and the game is stacked with Deadpool variants, skins, color options, and weapon cosmetics. It feels like they built the skeleton for a full multiplayer update and then never talked about it. Maybe it is coming later. Maybe I am delusional. But designing all these arena modes just as filler would be such a strange waste. If multiplayer actually happens, all of this suddenly makes sense. If not, then yeah, they feel like stuff someone was forced to include to stretch the runtime.
But let's get back to the part that actually matters, the good stuff. The highs. The reason you buy the game in the first place.
Moving around as Deadpool feels great. The movement is fast and fluid and lets you create your own rhythm. You can sprint, slide under things, double jump to close gaps, use your grappling hook to zip across arenas or pull enemies into your blade, and switch between guns and katanas like you are choreographing your own action movie. The combat can become a wiggle fest if you let it, but you do not have to play it that way. If you aim, lean, dodge, block bullets with your swords, pop heads with the pistols, call in your ultimate to finish a group, then yank someone toward you for a final slash, it feels awesome.
The violence is comically exaggerated in a way that fits Deadpool's vibe completely. Limbs fly, heads roll, torsos separate like melons, and it all looks surprisingly clean on Quest 3. The game does take performance hits during big moments because the particle effects explode everywhere, but it never ruined the fun for me. It is pure VR spectacle.
Then you have the special weapons that act like brief ultimates. When you fill the meter, you can grab them, unleash hell for a few seconds, and enjoy watching entire arenas evaporate. My personal favorite is the Gambit card attack, because it makes you feel like a one man fireworks show.
What Deadpool VR does not do however, is give you a unique “Deadpool mechanic.” He does not fly like Iron Man, he does not glide like Batman, he does not have any cool gadgets that open up the game to new mechanics. His whole thing is being basically unkillable and being an insane, hyper competent murder tornado. That is very fun, just not as mechanically distinct as the other big superhero VR games. What is distinct though, is his personality. And Twisted Pixel absolutely nailed that.
Deadpool never shuts up. Literally. He talks about everything. Every fight, every enemy, every room, every situation, every loading moment, every random interaction, every button press. He makes jokes at Marvel's expense, at Disney's expense, references Star Wars, Indiana Jones, how Marvel did not allow the use of Ultron cause he is in the "big leagues now" so instead the game got Ultimo, to weird nods to Half Life's tram intro or the Xbox's red ring of death, and a million other things. He talks shit to everyone, breaks the fourth wall constantly, leaves other characters confused, mocks the developers, mocks you, mocks the game, mocks everything. No one is safe. The amount of voice lines is absurd. He truly is the Merc with the Mouth.
Which brings me to something I have to be honest about. Neil Patrick Harris voices Deadpool here and… I do not love it. He is an amazing actor, but his performance is inconsistent. Some lines land well, others sound like he read them with someone pointing a gun at him. He lacks that unhinged, half suicidal, half smug asshole tone that defines Deadpool. Ryan Reynolds obviously owns the role, but even Nolan North's take was sharper and more chaotic. This is personal preference though. I am sure that many players will absolutely love NPH's take.
Now let me talk about the main missions again, because this is where the game hits its peak. The one that stuck with me most is Hotel Inferno, the third big chapter. You go after Mephisto and the level includes a cameo that every Marvel fan will immediately recognize. In the end of that mission it throws you into what might be one of the best VR roller coaster sequences ever made and yeah, it's even better than the one in the opening of the game. I will not spoil it, but prepare your stomach. Plus the dialogue between Deadpool and this other cameo is genuinely hilarious. This is premium theme park level chaos and it made me so so happy.
The boss fights are just as great. Big, dramatic, mechanical, and surprisingly cinematic. They mix QTEs, positioning, dodging, timing, and spectacle in a way that makes them feel massive without losing control or clarity. Every villain encounter feels like an event. Look, I can talk for hours about the cool and wild "balls to the wall" things this game has to offer, but that would be a disservice to you as it would spoil all of the shenanigans you'll get to experience. It's a crazy ride.
If there is one thing I wish the game had more of, it is small VR interactions. The kind of tactile nonsense that makes VR special. Picking stuff up, throwing objects, fiddling with switches, climbing things, testing physics. The game has some, but considering how polished the main missions are, these interactions feel weak. Like someone added them because “it is VR, so we need a VR thing” instead of making them meaningful.
What surprised me most is that the game barely plays with the idea of abusing VR for weird Deadpool gimmicks. It feels like a huge missed opportunity. Imagine pulling the trigger to start a firing, then slicing your arm off and throwing it in the air for it to rain bullets down the enemies. Or cutting your own head off to scout a room. Or teleporting by throwing your arm somewhere. I don't know, just stupid stuff that would totally work in a Deadpool universe. There is one pretty cool VR 4th wall-breaking moment at the end of the game, but I wish there were more.
Once you beat the roughly nine hour campaign, the game is far from over. All those Deadpool variants you meet in the 2v2 arenas are unlocked like Lady Deadpool, Deadpool Kid and Golden Age Deadpool. You can replay missions as them. But they are not just skins. They have unique voices, unique lines that are genuinely hilarious too, and, more importantly, unique doors scattered across levels that only they can open. Those doors hide secret areas, challenges, and collectibles. You also unlock Coolpool after finishing the story, and I will leave it at that.
On top of that, the game is stuffed with different guns and swords with unique effects, tons of cosmetics like color variants for weapons and suits, a ton of unique Deadpool costumes, comic book covers to find and collect and more. Yeah, there's a lot of stuff to do.
So where does all this leave Marvel's Deadpool VR?
Is it VR Game of the Year? Unfortunately, no. Is it the best superhero VR game ever made? Nope, Batman Arkham Shadow still owns that crown. Is it a great VR game overall? Yes, absolutely. It is flawed, uneven, sometimes annoying, but at its best, it is unbelievable fun.
The highs are so high that the middling parts stand out even more. But those highs are so worth experiencing. Marvel's Deadpool VR is messy, loud, self aware, chaotic, and very fun. Just like Deadpool himself. And for me, that is still worth a recommendation. Thanks for reading!
The game was reviewed on a Quest 3 via a promo copy provided by Meta. Marvel's Deadpool VR is available exclusively on Meta Quest.
