The Climb - Oculus Quest
6The Climb
Crytek
Oculus Quest
This is a brilliant idea for a game and makes full use of the freedom a wireless headset affords you. Lets be honest there are one or two glitches in The Climb, the scenery whilst beautiful, the scenes are not as stunning as say in Real VR Fishing, at times your hand will glitch through a hold just when you least need it to and often when hanging from and overhang the screen will blackout because your head is encroaching into the scenery.
But then you get into the gameplay, the first ledge you look out from and then up at the route you need to travel, reach for the first grip and enjoy every second you are climbing. As you get braver you find yourself taking risky short cuts, the down side being that you will need to chalk your hands more often, or of course, you will fall and ruin your clear run.
There are there three locations, each with three increasingly more difficult climbs. The ascent feel immense at times, the routes sometimes feel like you are in a Bond movie and the reward at the end is the fantastic view and a set piece worthy of the climatic finish to an ascent.
The routes on the rock faces are easily marked with white lines, as you progress from easy, medium and finally hard climbs you will find gaps between grips, meaning reaching further away from safety or a leap of faith and there are a few. Every so often you will come across a clip which you are automatically attached to and can take the time and safety to chalk your hands ready for the next section. There are additional hazards, such as ledges with rock debris to be cleared, poisonous plants and crumbling grips. All of which adds up to a tense and adrenalin pumping experience.
Once you have played each of the levels you can go back to find alternate routes and secrets, oh yes on the majority of the climbs you will find hidden items to collect and then it is all about speed runs to beat your quickest time and those on the world leaderboard.
This is a great and unusual VR experience that won't be for everyone, those with a fear of heights will definitely not enjoy this, others will be annoyed by the visual clipping or constant shaking of the hands, but those that want to try something new and original will find a unique gaming experience.