Swinging around like Spiderman in virtual reality, it’s probably the perfect virtual reality scenario for many. Despite the fact that our beloved Spidey isn’t represented in VR yet, the developers of Windlands have brought the gameplay of swinging around from Point A to Point B in a virtual environment. Windlands is a first-person platformer specifically built for virtual reality, but you could also describe it as a game where you mostly explore. You’ll find my thoughts on this cool VR game below.
Preface and storytelling
The amount of virtual reality games is quickly increasing, both on PlayStation 4 with PSVR and PC with headsets such as the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. There haven’t been many superhero games where you can swing around from one place to another, but that’s definitely something that Windlands can do. With a tractor beam, you’re tasked with the objective to explore a deserted and ruined environment, high up in the skies. One wrong step and you’ll fall into an endless and merciless void.
From the very first moment, you’ll be warned that Windlands is a pretty intense virtual reality experience. Luckily, the developers have foreseen a number of ‘comfort’ options to prevent motion sickness as much as possible. It depends on person to person if you’re really going to feel any effects of this. Personally, I haven’t had any motion sickness while playing Windlands, but it’s most definitely one of the more intense and compelling VR experiences today. The feeling of swing around in Windlands is shockingly realistic. If you’re sensitive to this, you’ll definitely want to adjust the many safety settings. The high intensity can be seen as a positive or a negative, but I certainly didn’t mind.
Regarding the storyline, there are definitely a few narrative elements spread out here and there and the main plot is that an ancient civilization that once flourished is no more. Storytelling is fairly simple and the player knows what to do, but it’s clear that the developers have prioritized gameplay above storytelling, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Gameplay
As mentioned above, the comfort settings of Windlands are quite extensive. For example, you can enable a transparent cage around you in order to eliminate strafing. The developers definitely made tons of efforts to make sure everyone would feel comfortable playing their game – which will definitely come in handy for some.
In Windlands, you’ll discover a ton of environments that are being shown in a colorful and mostly low-poly style. In terms of the color palette, the first few levels will probably remind you of Minecraft but the game’s unique art style becomes clearer in later levels.
There are a few crystals that you’ll have to collect and with the help of a beacon in the sky, you’ll also know where you need to go. Of course, you’ll have to find a route yourself to make it to the beacon and collect as many crystals as possible along the way. You’ll definitely be swinging around a lot if you want to collect them all.
In terms of controls, Windlands is fairly simple. You can look around and move freely with a regular gamepad or a motion controller such as PS Move or the Vive/Rift controllers. The triggers activate the grappling hook. Of course, you’ll be looking around you constantly and you’ll have to launch the grappling hook on places where’s there sufficient support. You’ve probably done it before hundreds of times in other games, but the fear of falling in VR is exponentially greater. And if you’re afraid of heights, good luck with that. Missing with the grappling hook doesn’t have too severe consequences as you’ll just respawn at the nearest checkpoint.
When you progress through the game, you’ll notice that it gets tougher to reach certain spots. For example, you’ll have to time your momentum swings more precise and there’s also plenty of walljumping present. There are many different routes you can take in order to reach an objective, which ensures that Windlands never feels linear. Admittedly, finding this route may take a while, even with the beacons.
Windland’s campaign takes around five hours to complete before you see the credits roll. There are, however, a number of collectibles spread throughout the three large worlds and the game also features a couple of time-based challenges. In terms of replay value, the developers have certainly made sure that there is some stuff to go back to after you complete the game – but you’ll most likely restart the game anyway because the amazing feeling of swinging around never bores.
Graphics and audio
As I've mentioned above, Windlands has a low-polygon art style and it works wonderfully. The game’s atmosphere is fun and vibrant. On PS4, the game looks sharp and there’s not much to complain about the environments as well. The game does miss a few details and textures here and there, but generally, Windlands holds up pretty well. The graphics are accompanied by a calm, but certainly fitting soundtrack.
Conclusion
Windlands is without a doubt one of the most immersive and intense VR experiences currently available. The game doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but rediscovers the swinging gameplay and manages to translate it pretty damn well in a first-person virtual reality jacket. The storytelling isn’t overly exciting or extensive, but the gameplay more than makes for it with a very high amount of fun. Players who are sensitive to motion sickness will be pleased to know that Windlands offers extensive settings to make sure everyone can enjoy it.
Windlands is available for PS4 (PSVR) and PC/Steam (HTC Vive, Oculus Rift). Image sources: official Steam page.
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