Cool GIFs : The Game
A strong proof-of-concept for an idealized VR adventure game that doesn't hold up under serious inspection. Was the best overall package until HL:Alyx came out.
A strong proof-of-concept for an idealized VR adventure game that doesn't hold up under serious inspection. Was the best overall package until HL:Alyx came out.
Ambitious and pretty fun, but has no consideration for motion-sickness and feels kinda janky. The story is lacking (but it is there if you dig for it). Levels, while fun and open-ended, can drag a bit. Still overall a fun time.
Where do I start with Boneworks. This game is by far the greatest example of what the future of VR can hold. While this game definitely requires a strong stomach and well established "VR Legs", if you can provide those requirements, what you will find is one of the most immersive and fun first person shooters I have personally ever experienced, especially for VR. This game goes toe to toe with Valve's far more popular Half Life: Alyx in my eyes. Both games provide a similar gameplay loop, while also offering far different interactivity and immersion. While I could sit here all day and compare the two, I should probably focus on Boneworks for this review.
Immersion: When talking about immersion in a VR game, most people are referring to how life like or believable the game appears. For me, Boneworks excels in using an inverse kinematics body to allow it's player to feel like they are there in such a way that no other game to date on the VR platform truly can. The heaviness of objects and way your simulated body interacts with the world feels so natural and real in most instances, near the later half of the game, I forgot I was even playing VR.
Story: This game has a minimal, but very mysterious and interesting story. From what I can tell, and without spoiling anything, the plot revolves around your character being trapped in a virtual city by some sort of virus that is not allowing the programmers to connect. It is up to you as the last person connected to the game, to reboot it from the inside. This game gets really meta.
Gameplay: This game treads across many classic Half Life style gameplay beats. Excellent FPS gameplay with physics based puzzle solving. The game also proves that not every FPS needs a shotgun. (Though, I would love to see one.) There are plenty of bonus modes and extra content to be found in the game as well, such as a Sandbox mode, Arena mode, and even a Zombies mode that is reminiscent of classic Black Ops Zombies.
Conclusion: If you are not prone to motion sickness, and are fairly comfortable with VR. You have to play this game. This game was literally my life for a month or so, and it needs to be yours too.
Immersion: When talking about immersion in a VR game, most people are referring to how life like or believable the game appears. For me, Boneworks excels in using an inverse kinematics body to allow it's player to feel like they are there in such a way that no other game to date on the VR platform truly can. The heaviness of objects and way your simulated body interacts with the world feels so natural and real in most instances, near the later half of the game, I forgot I was even playing VR.
Story: This game has a minimal, but very mysterious and interesting story. From what I can tell, and without spoiling anything, the plot revolves around your character being trapped in a virtual city by some sort of virus that is not allowing the programmers to connect. It is up to you as the last person connected to the game, to reboot it from the inside. This game gets really meta.
Gameplay: This game treads across many classic Half Life style gameplay beats. Excellent FPS gameplay with physics based puzzle solving. The game also proves that not every FPS needs a shotgun. (Though, I would love to see one.) There are plenty of bonus modes and extra content to be found in the game as well, such as a Sandbox mode, Arena mode, and even a Zombies mode that is reminiscent of classic Black Ops Zombies.
Conclusion: If you are not prone to motion sickness, and are fairly comfortable with VR. You have to play this game. This game was literally my life for a month or so, and it needs to be yours too.
I've still yet to be convinced by VR. If I wanted to slap physics objects around rudimentary rooms, I'd just play Garry's Mod - which doesn't even require you to wear a radioactive death box on your head that melts the brain and churns the stomach.
Boneworks, however, acts as a showcase for the future potential of VR, a fully immersive museum designed around its myriad gimmicks. Your character is fully rigged with an IK collision solver, lending you a sense of physicality as you climb ladders, run into walls, smash open crates with hammers. It's technically very impressive, but I never found it any fun, in fact it just made me feel violently sick. How the hell do I articulate why something clearly very innovative and forward-thinking just isn't working for me?
The closest comparison I can think of for Boneworks is when you switch to the first person camera while driving a car in a game. Yeah, it's more immersive, but,,, why the fuck would I ever do that. The less is more approach; omniscient camera, invisible player character, and floating disembodies hands is a nicety that eliminates the laborious "realistic, immersive" elements and allows me to focus on the game. If you focus too hard on the game part of Boneworks, it's just some toys strewn around barren environments. We've been talking about the "potential of vr" for fucking years, do something good already.
Boneworks, however, acts as a showcase for the future potential of VR, a fully immersive museum designed around its myriad gimmicks. Your character is fully rigged with an IK collision solver, lending you a sense of physicality as you climb ladders, run into walls, smash open crates with hammers. It's technically very impressive, but I never found it any fun, in fact it just made me feel violently sick. How the hell do I articulate why something clearly very innovative and forward-thinking just isn't working for me?
The closest comparison I can think of for Boneworks is when you switch to the first person camera while driving a car in a game. Yeah, it's more immersive, but,,, why the fuck would I ever do that. The less is more approach; omniscient camera, invisible player character, and floating disembodies hands is a nicety that eliminates the laborious "realistic, immersive" elements and allows me to focus on the game. If you focus too hard on the game part of Boneworks, it's just some toys strewn around barren environments. We've been talking about the "potential of vr" for fucking years, do something good already.
the video game equivalent of thinking about whether or not you could rather than if you should
yeah, i sure hope they do
good game
10+ hours of headache hell and VR jank. Unbearable fucking game, only ever made it so far because of the occasional moments of pure joy that it would sparsely shit out in the midst of repetitive combat, bland puzzles, a lifeless and empty world, and the most unbearably inconsistent VR interaction. Wanna reload?Oops, you dropped your fucking mag on the floor despite putting it perfectly on your side like you always do. Wanna put your weapon on your back? Oops, you threw it on the floor. Wanna grab a barrel and use it to climb somewhere? Nah, the barrel is too heavy, matter of fact everything is too heavy, fuck you. Wanna go through another waist-high gunfight with enemies that DON'T have physical interaction with the world? You don't? Too bad, here's your 18th fucking gunfight. Wanna make a jump to grab onto a ledge? starts laughing like a psychopath you fucking idiot. you stupid fucking moron.
yes of course its a technical masterpiece in ways, yes theyve done a lot of crazy fucking with to make this game work out but its still full of shit that clearly cant be tuned well enough to work without a hitch. yes its crazy that a team of 20 people put this together but i dont give a shit about indie game feats, celeste was made by two people and it sucks dick. i only care if the game is good, and this game isnt good.
yes of course its a technical masterpiece in ways, yes theyve done a lot of crazy fucking with to make this game work out but its still full of shit that clearly cant be tuned well enough to work without a hitch. yes its crazy that a team of 20 people put this together but i dont give a shit about indie game feats, celeste was made by two people and it sucks dick. i only care if the game is good, and this game isnt good.
I wasn't too involved in the actual story, but the emphasis on the physics, and how creative they allow you to be with each area made this game one of the best VR experiences out there imo.
The most ambitious VR title as of writing, with pros and cons. It'll get you sick faster than any other game on the market, but it's worth sticking around for the sheer excitement that comes with the new technology at play.
I wish all of VR was as good as Boneworks, then maybe I wouldn't feel like VR was still a joke
This review contains spoilers
silly guy ford goes on cool journey through the iphone and then gets shot and dies
I actually really like this but it's absolutely feast or famine: the moments when it works are genuinely next-generation levels of interaction and the sense of presence when fighting is superb. On the flip side, everything to do with your arms and legs is just irritating; as much as I loved being able to haul myself around there were too many times where an arm would get trapped or a foot would refuse to move up when hauling myself a ledge, or it'd decide that I didn't move an item close enough to a holster so it drops on the ground (and I don't notice until two minutes later!).
The final area in particular is a perfect mix of that; some ideas which, while they may have been done before, really feel much better for being in VR, followed up with some irritatingly scruffy puzzling.
Overall, it's both extremely easy and difficult to recommend. If you're interested, definitely give it a go, and if it literally makes you vomit (as it may well do) then remember you can refund. It's an unpolished glimpse into the future and there's a reason I literally played the last 4 hours without stopping even for a break.
The final area in particular is a perfect mix of that; some ideas which, while they may have been done before, really feel much better for being in VR, followed up with some irritatingly scruffy puzzling.
Overall, it's both extremely easy and difficult to recommend. If you're interested, definitely give it a go, and if it literally makes you vomit (as it may well do) then remember you can refund. It's an unpolished glimpse into the future and there's a reason I literally played the last 4 hours without stopping even for a break.
(knock, knock, knock) "Penny?"
"Yes Sheldon?"
"Boneworks"
"Yes Sheldon?"
"Boneworks"
i love this game and speedrunning it is pretty fun
👍
One of the most fun VR games, not to mention ambitious. The story is a little confusing and unclear, but that didn't ruin the game at all for me, game's not super story driven or anything. The physics is super interesting and with climbing, it allows for open-ended exploring of its levels to find secrets or alternate ways to solve puzzels. I always find something new when replaying this game, and its always fun to go back to the story mode or the arena modes.
Innovative, a fantastic game for vr but not quite a very compelling game overall. That said this is still a must for any vr library.
Boneworks is fully physics based and is fun to screw around in but once you've played 5 or so hours of it, you've essentially seen most of what it offers.
This game is made for vr "veterans" meaning it can be pretty unforgiving for people who haven't yet become accustomed to vr.
Boneworks is fully physics based and is fun to screw around in but once you've played 5 or so hours of it, you've essentially seen most of what it offers.
This game is made for vr "veterans" meaning it can be pretty unforgiving for people who haven't yet become accustomed to vr.
This game takes everything you knew and thought about what a VR game could be, and makes it real. Having every level be a huge jungle gym where everything is climbable allows for the unique gameplay styles and puzzles. For someone just looking for shooter, the campaign and alternate modes have you set with some of the best feeling gun mechanics in VR. But for those really looking to push the boundaries of VR and see everything this game has to offer are rewarded with fun areas to explore and awesome rewards for those willing to find and unlock them. Just be sure to have your "VR Legs" down, or not be prone to motion-sickness as this game only supports locomotion movement and can be physically draining in long play sessions.
good game, could have more sandbox elements
Absolutely fucking jank, but also some of the most fun I've had in a game in a long time.
What will definitely be viewed in the future as outdated junk, is for right now the solution to the other half of VR's problems. It's hard to talk about this game without speaking of Half Life Alyx, because of how directly intertwined they are. Alyx is obviously the more refined, and at times more fun experience, but Boneworks came with the promise of "the best VR guns," and it definitely delivered. Boneworks is probably one of the only two games that are able to successfully give the player a body without it feeling janky 24/7, the other being Blade and Sorcery, and the 80% of the time was Boneworks promise of a physics based VR shooter works, it is mind-blowing, and filled with "I can do that?" moments.
It's SUPER fun and definitely a must buy for anyone with a VR headset. This is VR done right and I can't wait to see more from the studio. The story and ending left much to be desired though.
I'm guessing this is a lot better with an index. Boneworks was physically uncomfortable for me, not because of the motion but because there's no toggle for holding items and weapons so I was stuck holding 2 trigger buttons on one and sometimes both controllers for extended periods of time which was hard on the hands. The physics are impressive but I spent more time struggling with them to solve puzzles than being immersed. The melee combat felt awful and the combat encounters were generally bland. The levels overall didn't really have much spark to them but the music was nice.
This review contains spoilers
Boneworks is one of those games you've heard about if you look into VR. You'll hear things like "immersive" and how it is "one of the best vr games ever made" and you probably have heard it a lot considering this is one of the first VR games of its kind.
I will give credit where credit is due: it is extremely ambitious for it's time and is very unique. I love the music (ESPECIALLY the museum tune) and somewhat love the theme, but let me explain my gripes.
Boneworks feels like somebody went knee deep into the process of making one of the best games, but then got ripped out halfway through. Music, sounds, physics, and environments for the time in VR was a HUGE leap forward at the time but overall there is so much jank that occurs and essentially has this game be obliterated by the passage of time.
First off, physics. Some of this is fun, like when you shoot enemies (probably the most satisfying killing of NPCs with guns in VR to date.), but that is essentially it. For a VR game with both physics-based exploration and physics-based puzzles, it horrendously flops at both of those.
Movement is by far some of the worst in any VR game with the player almost sliding when walking which leads to super infuriating moments. Walking is way too inconsistent and you feel like you can't really stop in time and running practically makes you drift like a car going 90 MPH. Another stupid piece of the movement system is climbing. I love climbing in VR, but this is horrible at it in every sense. Your hands somehow feel like they suddenly gain 20 pounds each when you try to climb, and pushing yourself onto platforms you are on is HORRIBLE. No attempt at an explanation is even MADE at pulling yourself up and you basically have to figure out it exists on your own, and to top it all off, it is so janky that you assume that it is impossible at first. You have to push your hands INTO the surface you are trying to get on and put your hands down near your legs which makes you look like a total jackass.
Meanwhile, the physics also fuck up with the puzzles by taking those controls and weird physics quirks and making them front stage with moving big ass boxes that you cannot carry because they added way too much weight on like 80% of every interactable object in the game. They are so infuriating that they have made me drop the game on multiple occasions.
Melee combat is abysmal. Enemies can put their hand forward and do like 30 damage to you while you throwing a full on rear hook but instead your hand hits nothing and then lightly taps the enemies head and other completely random inconsistencies.
The guns are not satisfying to use at all. The pistols do fucking nothing and feel weird. The MP5K is maybe one of the worst controlling VR weapons ever. Imagine this: MP5K with a vertical foregrip that you can grab, right? Well when you hold the back of the gun AND the foregrip at the same time and point it somewhere like you would with any gun, the front end of the gun faces LEFT and you have to essentially move the entire front end right just to hold the gun straight. It's a joke how this made it into the game.
All the "recoil" in the game is the gun playing a really over the top animation just to literally go right back into place. It is super hollow and once you notice it, it makes the game that much more not immersive.
The story is so sad because if this game was truly finished, it may be one of the coolest combined with the environments. You play as some dude who wants to be immortal in game I think so you lock yourself in your office and cause a security breach and random YouTube looking people don't know it's you and give you tips on how to fix the breach not knowing it is you causing it. You fight super shitty hologram enemies in the same encounters over and over just in new locations until you find a big sphere and, for the first time in this game, do something cool with loading, positioning , and firing cannons while fighting zombies and then you get put into a place with weird NPCs that are basically just you and then fight zombies in a gladiator pit and then get challenged by the king so you go into his castle and fight him yourself and become king. You go into the back room and get the first cool item, a gravity gun, and then open a door by lifting it with a chain that you position using said gravity gun and then leave the chamber and fight some enemies with the cool new weapon when in reality you can just skip it entirely. Like climbing? No? Cool, climb a super long ass ladder and open another chamber where a screen shows a cinematic of you in your office getting raided while you have the VR headset still on and then you shot in the back of the head by some dude, but apparently you won cause you get to be immortal in game.....
Notice how I just jump from one thing to the other? That is not me omitting parts of the story, it's me literally explaining it. It sets itself up to have a super cool dynamic where you play as a dude playing in VR but it's so far from feeling like that, I forget that it is even the story. The story's pacing is so bad that it feels like parts of it just got cut out entirely. It is so disengaging and half baked that I'd just rather stick to sandbox from the get go.
Unfortunately, you can't just hop into the sandbox, which is arguably the best part of this game. You have to play the campaign and do dumb shit to unlock it, and then to even get ITEMS and NPCS you have to play the campaign and either throw your weapons into a pot or go OUT OF YOUR WAY to search for hidden NPCs to unlock them.
The best part of this game literally is only accessible if you play the worst part of this game, and with all the technical blunders of this game, I'd say if you want to play a good sandbox play B&S or H3VR. Should you want a good story game play Half Life: Alyx. These games are more developed and are part of the reason why this game should be slid under the rug of "cool games in theory, time to move on."
I will give credit where credit is due: it is extremely ambitious for it's time and is very unique. I love the music (ESPECIALLY the museum tune) and somewhat love the theme, but let me explain my gripes.
Boneworks feels like somebody went knee deep into the process of making one of the best games, but then got ripped out halfway through. Music, sounds, physics, and environments for the time in VR was a HUGE leap forward at the time but overall there is so much jank that occurs and essentially has this game be obliterated by the passage of time.
First off, physics. Some of this is fun, like when you shoot enemies (probably the most satisfying killing of NPCs with guns in VR to date.), but that is essentially it. For a VR game with both physics-based exploration and physics-based puzzles, it horrendously flops at both of those.
Movement is by far some of the worst in any VR game with the player almost sliding when walking which leads to super infuriating moments. Walking is way too inconsistent and you feel like you can't really stop in time and running practically makes you drift like a car going 90 MPH. Another stupid piece of the movement system is climbing. I love climbing in VR, but this is horrible at it in every sense. Your hands somehow feel like they suddenly gain 20 pounds each when you try to climb, and pushing yourself onto platforms you are on is HORRIBLE. No attempt at an explanation is even MADE at pulling yourself up and you basically have to figure out it exists on your own, and to top it all off, it is so janky that you assume that it is impossible at first. You have to push your hands INTO the surface you are trying to get on and put your hands down near your legs which makes you look like a total jackass.
Meanwhile, the physics also fuck up with the puzzles by taking those controls and weird physics quirks and making them front stage with moving big ass boxes that you cannot carry because they added way too much weight on like 80% of every interactable object in the game. They are so infuriating that they have made me drop the game on multiple occasions.
Melee combat is abysmal. Enemies can put their hand forward and do like 30 damage to you while you throwing a full on rear hook but instead your hand hits nothing and then lightly taps the enemies head and other completely random inconsistencies.
The guns are not satisfying to use at all. The pistols do fucking nothing and feel weird. The MP5K is maybe one of the worst controlling VR weapons ever. Imagine this: MP5K with a vertical foregrip that you can grab, right? Well when you hold the back of the gun AND the foregrip at the same time and point it somewhere like you would with any gun, the front end of the gun faces LEFT and you have to essentially move the entire front end right just to hold the gun straight. It's a joke how this made it into the game.
All the "recoil" in the game is the gun playing a really over the top animation just to literally go right back into place. It is super hollow and once you notice it, it makes the game that much more not immersive.
The story is so sad because if this game was truly finished, it may be one of the coolest combined with the environments. You play as some dude who wants to be immortal in game I think so you lock yourself in your office and cause a security breach and random YouTube looking people don't know it's you and give you tips on how to fix the breach not knowing it is you causing it. You fight super shitty hologram enemies in the same encounters over and over just in new locations until you find a big sphere and, for the first time in this game, do something cool with loading, positioning , and firing cannons while fighting zombies and then you get put into a place with weird NPCs that are basically just you and then fight zombies in a gladiator pit and then get challenged by the king so you go into his castle and fight him yourself and become king. You go into the back room and get the first cool item, a gravity gun, and then open a door by lifting it with a chain that you position using said gravity gun and then leave the chamber and fight some enemies with the cool new weapon when in reality you can just skip it entirely. Like climbing? No? Cool, climb a super long ass ladder and open another chamber where a screen shows a cinematic of you in your office getting raided while you have the VR headset still on and then you shot in the back of the head by some dude, but apparently you won cause you get to be immortal in game.....
Notice how I just jump from one thing to the other? That is not me omitting parts of the story, it's me literally explaining it. It sets itself up to have a super cool dynamic where you play as a dude playing in VR but it's so far from feeling like that, I forget that it is even the story. The story's pacing is so bad that it feels like parts of it just got cut out entirely. It is so disengaging and half baked that I'd just rather stick to sandbox from the get go.
Unfortunately, you can't just hop into the sandbox, which is arguably the best part of this game. You have to play the campaign and do dumb shit to unlock it, and then to even get ITEMS and NPCS you have to play the campaign and either throw your weapons into a pot or go OUT OF YOUR WAY to search for hidden NPCs to unlock them.
The best part of this game literally is only accessible if you play the worst part of this game, and with all the technical blunders of this game, I'd say if you want to play a good sandbox play B&S or H3VR. Should you want a good story game play Half Life: Alyx. These games are more developed and are part of the reason why this game should be slid under the rug of "cool games in theory, time to move on."
Game spends half its runtime trying to narratively justify its unironic use of dev textures.
Yes, running, jumping, and climbing are all very fun. It feels devilishly cheeky to use the hooked end of a crowbar to climb into those advantageous spots.
However, considering the game is a level-based shooter, this game has some painfully uninspired level design and worst of all boring shootouts. I would feel bad insulting a game with such a small dev team, but considering the first two hours of the game are a museum dedicated to how much "cooler this game is compared to every other VR game" it left a sour taste in my mouth that was only perpetuated by the poor design. If you're going to talk the talk, please make sure you can walk the walk.
However, considering the game is a level-based shooter, this game has some painfully uninspired level design and worst of all boring shootouts. I would feel bad insulting a game with such a small dev team, but considering the first two hours of the game are a museum dedicated to how much "cooler this game is compared to every other VR game" it left a sour taste in my mouth that was only perpetuated by the poor design. If you're going to talk the talk, please make sure you can walk the walk.
really fun for a first playthrough, but doesn't have too much replayability. i do get on sometimes just to beat fords to death again though
If I were making this review on time, I'd tell you it's definitely not Half-Life 3 but it sure has the vibes. However, HL: Alyx happened after that so I get to call it "Half-Life Adjacent" now.
BONEWORKS is special that it tries to do full physics in VR, and it's absolutely a great time so long as you play along with the game and follow the movements. Carry large boxes like you would in real life, slowly pull yourself up from a crowbar onto the top of a warehouse rack, hit the funny zombie with the back of your gun.
However, sometimes the physics are to the detriment of the game - edges of platforms feel impossible to climb up more often than not even after several calibrations (there's whole videos and guides dedicated to climbing up a ledge right) and the game feels a little heavier and sluggish than it should sometimes, but if you get used to it and play through like you would in real life, BONEWORKS is a hell of a good time.
While BONEWORKS has a sandbox and arena mode, if you want to stylishly destroy waves of enemies I'd point you the way to Blade & Sorcery instead. The single player story is where BONEWORKS excels for this one.
BONEWORKS is special that it tries to do full physics in VR, and it's absolutely a great time so long as you play along with the game and follow the movements. Carry large boxes like you would in real life, slowly pull yourself up from a crowbar onto the top of a warehouse rack, hit the funny zombie with the back of your gun.
However, sometimes the physics are to the detriment of the game - edges of platforms feel impossible to climb up more often than not even after several calibrations (there's whole videos and guides dedicated to climbing up a ledge right) and the game feels a little heavier and sluggish than it should sometimes, but if you get used to it and play through like you would in real life, BONEWORKS is a hell of a good time.
While BONEWORKS has a sandbox and arena mode, if you want to stylishly destroy waves of enemies I'd point you the way to Blade & Sorcery instead. The single player story is where BONEWORKS excels for this one.
Take a fantastic mechanic, the whole physical body thing.
And then put it into one of the most generic campaign designs. You can quite literally finish this game by only running towards every enemy with your fist out which instantly kills them. Not to mention nearly every enemy is identical and lacks any real ai.
Overall one of the most disappointing VR games to date.
And then put it into one of the most generic campaign designs. You can quite literally finish this game by only running towards every enemy with your fist out which instantly kills them. Not to mention nearly every enemy is identical and lacks any real ai.
Overall one of the most disappointing VR games to date.