Boneworks is the best VR game I've played so far.
While I bought VR to play Half Life: Alyx, Boneworks has proven to be the game I enjoy the most. It has a barrier to entry however, you need to be accustomed to playing smooth locomotion games and you have to have a strong stomach, especially the first few times. When I got Boneworks first I played for 30 minutes and spent 2 hours feeling like I was going to throw up. After playing other smooth locomotion games and playing for a little bit here and there my motion sickness was gone. I've not experience sickness in any other VR game. It's unique to Boneworks because your player model is a physical item in the world, there's slight head-bobbing, small tilting and bumping effects on the camera, basically a bunch of micro-movements that makes your brain feel weird, more than most titles that have you as a disembodied head and arms.
If you can get into it though what you get is a very fun game, the combat is the best part. There is a huge variety of weapons to use, knives, axes, pistols, rifles, baseball bats, swords, etc. The guns almost rival H3VR for their weighty feel and action, especially the glock, I'd ignore everything else and just have two glocks on me at all times because it was so much fun to use. Melee weapons hit well and carry a good amount of weight, though the game could do with even a basic gore/dismemberment system. The biggest issue with combat is two handed weapons; I've yet to see a VR game do them right. Anything that requires two hands to hold feels too light and bouncy, the swings are inconsistent, aiming with a rifle can be a pain, ultimately I found one handing these weapons while not great was easier than using both hands. Another issue with combat is that there is not much variety in the enemies, they're great targets but that's it, nothing ever feels too challenging, I wish there were enemies that would try to flank you or hide behind cover, or enemies that had armour perhaps, it can get repetitive after a while.
The campaign is very heavy on platforming. At first I hated it, but as it went on I didn't mind it so much, what's disappointing is they hide ammo crates in hard to reach spots but I never felt like I had to try and get them, even collectables were never worth the effort, I'd rather just press on and get into the next fight. They need to make exploration more rewarding, especially for the amount of real world physical effort that goes into it sometimes.
The world is very bland in Boneworks too, I get the aesthetic they are going for and it makes sense for the games story but you could show me a screenshot from 5 or 6 different levels and I probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart. There is fun world building all over the levels but it just feels like a decoration you take note of and pass by. It never pulled me into the world.
The game still gets updates and a big one is due soon which hopefully adds more guns and levels. I may sound like I am pretty harsh on this game but it's because it's difficult to explain what's so good about it, out of all the VR games I've played it just feels the best and the most fun to run around in, there's nothing more to it than that. The issues I have with the game don't ruin it for me but I would like to see improvements. I would highly recommend it. Also Arena mode should be available from the get go, easily the most fun part of the game but it requires you to beat the story mode.
While I bought VR to play Half Life: Alyx, Boneworks has proven to be the game I enjoy the most. It has a barrier to entry however, you need to be accustomed to playing smooth locomotion games and you have to have a strong stomach, especially the first few times. When I got Boneworks first I played for 30 minutes and spent 2 hours feeling like I was going to throw up. After playing other smooth locomotion games and playing for a little bit here and there my motion sickness was gone. I've not experience sickness in any other VR game. It's unique to Boneworks because your player model is a physical item in the world, there's slight head-bobbing, small tilting and bumping effects on the camera, basically a bunch of micro-movements that makes your brain feel weird, more than most titles that have you as a disembodied head and arms.
If you can get into it though what you get is a very fun game, the combat is the best part. There is a huge variety of weapons to use, knives, axes, pistols, rifles, baseball bats, swords, etc. The guns almost rival H3VR for their weighty feel and action, especially the glock, I'd ignore everything else and just have two glocks on me at all times because it was so much fun to use. Melee weapons hit well and carry a good amount of weight, though the game could do with even a basic gore/dismemberment system. The biggest issue with combat is two handed weapons; I've yet to see a VR game do them right. Anything that requires two hands to hold feels too light and bouncy, the swings are inconsistent, aiming with a rifle can be a pain, ultimately I found one handing these weapons while not great was easier than using both hands. Another issue with combat is that there is not much variety in the enemies, they're great targets but that's it, nothing ever feels too challenging, I wish there were enemies that would try to flank you or hide behind cover, or enemies that had armour perhaps, it can get repetitive after a while.
The campaign is very heavy on platforming. At first I hated it, but as it went on I didn't mind it so much, what's disappointing is they hide ammo crates in hard to reach spots but I never felt like I had to try and get them, even collectables were never worth the effort, I'd rather just press on and get into the next fight. They need to make exploration more rewarding, especially for the amount of real world physical effort that goes into it sometimes.
The world is very bland in Boneworks too, I get the aesthetic they are going for and it makes sense for the games story but you could show me a screenshot from 5 or 6 different levels and I probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart. There is fun world building all over the levels but it just feels like a decoration you take note of and pass by. It never pulled me into the world.
The game still gets updates and a big one is due soon which hopefully adds more guns and levels. I may sound like I am pretty harsh on this game but it's because it's difficult to explain what's so good about it, out of all the VR games I've played it just feels the best and the most fun to run around in, there's nothing more to it than that. The issues I have with the game don't ruin it for me but I would like to see improvements. I would highly recommend it. Also Arena mode should be available from the get go, easily the most fun part of the game but it requires you to beat the story mode.