It’s been a while since I’ve jumped into the VR section of the gaming world, I think this is in no part due to the fact that BoneLabs was quite the disappointment to me personally, so I’ve been more choosy about what to go hands-on with.
Well, leave it to Habbie147 to say the magic words, “Vertigo 2 is the other Boneworks,” to get me curious enough to be VERY interested in Vertigo 2 but so much so that it gave me a reason to finally purchase and play the original Vertigo… well, the remastered version of it anyway.
I’ve been a little hesitant to get into Vertigo. Mostly because it seems to always be out of the price range that I would like a shorter VR game to be. Coming in at 3.7 hours with my first-time completion (and not much desire to return) for the price of $25 just seems to be a bit of a stretch when you can get very replayable (or just straight-up longer) games for $20 or less these days.
Well, lately I’ve had less free time than I have ever had in my life, and now I want to play the sequel, and my stupid brain says I MUST play the first game to properly experience the second. Needless to say, It all came at a good time for Vertigo Remastered because I picked it up, had a great time playing it over a couple of days, and, well, ultimately I now am recommending it.
Vertigo Remaster is an adventure shooter with light puzzle elements and is largely influenced by the likes of Half-Life. You can feel the Valve inspirations at every turn, with quippy dialogue, elevators separating loading zones, a facility that deals with interdimensional stuff, and uh, guns? The plot also closely resembles Half-Life, where you’re trying to escape a super sciencey interdimensional laboratory of sorts, and it seems a lot of the tropes throughout your journey to escape it are lifted right from the fever dreams of old Valve employees.
I don’t use the comparison to insult the game’s creativity, but rather the opposite. I think the parallels are done in a unique enough way that Vertigo’s identity is wholly its own. The comparison to Valve in this review serves to show how high I consider the quality of Vertigo to be in its set pieces, design, and gameplay.
I can’t comment on the context of what “Remastered” means when next to Vertigo, as I never played the original, so you may look at another review if you’re curious about that. What I can say is that there are sections that are indeed visually impressive (within the confines of the art style anyway) and that I had a pretty fun time the whole time I was playing.
I think it is worth mentioning that the gameplay does feel a bit dated… this could be a positive, neutral, or bad thing depending on what you’re expecting and what you’re used to. It’s not by much, but if you’ve played a VR game recently you’ll more than likely feel those rough edges of simpler times at the back of your mind, even if you can’t quite describe why. I recommend going in with that expectation and you’ll be fine. It didn’t bother me, but I think it’s worth mentioning for those wondering about that aspect of the game as it is a remaster of an older game.
Overall, I did have a lot of fun playing Vertigo Remastered while it lasted, and I think it’s beyond impressive that such a small team was able to create such a rich AAA feeling experience back in the original release of Vertigo. I beat the game in 3.7 hours over 3 play sessions which I did in the end believe was wholly fair for the experience I got. I think if you’re looking for a short adventure in VR, I would definitely recommend this as an option for you. Maybe you’re not quite ready to buy it like I originally was. But should you feel the need to play a short little adventure game with a lot of heart—definitely come back to experience Vertigo, as I feel it is worth it.
If you liked this review, consider visiting my website. Thanks!
Well, leave it to Habbie147 to say the magic words, “Vertigo 2 is the other Boneworks,” to get me curious enough to be VERY interested in Vertigo 2 but so much so that it gave me a reason to finally purchase and play the original Vertigo… well, the remastered version of it anyway.
I’ve been a little hesitant to get into Vertigo. Mostly because it seems to always be out of the price range that I would like a shorter VR game to be. Coming in at 3.7 hours with my first-time completion (and not much desire to return) for the price of $25 just seems to be a bit of a stretch when you can get very replayable (or just straight-up longer) games for $20 or less these days.
Well, lately I’ve had less free time than I have ever had in my life, and now I want to play the sequel, and my stupid brain says I MUST play the first game to properly experience the second. Needless to say, It all came at a good time for Vertigo Remastered because I picked it up, had a great time playing it over a couple of days, and, well, ultimately I now am recommending it.
Vertigo Remaster is an adventure shooter with light puzzle elements and is largely influenced by the likes of Half-Life. You can feel the Valve inspirations at every turn, with quippy dialogue, elevators separating loading zones, a facility that deals with interdimensional stuff, and uh, guns? The plot also closely resembles Half-Life, where you’re trying to escape a super sciencey interdimensional laboratory of sorts, and it seems a lot of the tropes throughout your journey to escape it are lifted right from the fever dreams of old Valve employees.
I don’t use the comparison to insult the game’s creativity, but rather the opposite. I think the parallels are done in a unique enough way that Vertigo’s identity is wholly its own. The comparison to Valve in this review serves to show how high I consider the quality of Vertigo to be in its set pieces, design, and gameplay.
I can’t comment on the context of what “Remastered” means when next to Vertigo, as I never played the original, so you may look at another review if you’re curious about that. What I can say is that there are sections that are indeed visually impressive (within the confines of the art style anyway) and that I had a pretty fun time the whole time I was playing.
I think it is worth mentioning that the gameplay does feel a bit dated… this could be a positive, neutral, or bad thing depending on what you’re expecting and what you’re used to. It’s not by much, but if you’ve played a VR game recently you’ll more than likely feel those rough edges of simpler times at the back of your mind, even if you can’t quite describe why. I recommend going in with that expectation and you’ll be fine. It didn’t bother me, but I think it’s worth mentioning for those wondering about that aspect of the game as it is a remaster of an older game.
Overall, I did have a lot of fun playing Vertigo Remastered while it lasted, and I think it’s beyond impressive that such a small team was able to create such a rich AAA feeling experience back in the original release of Vertigo. I beat the game in 3.7 hours over 3 play sessions which I did in the end believe was wholly fair for the experience I got. I think if you’re looking for a short adventure in VR, I would definitely recommend this as an option for you. Maybe you’re not quite ready to buy it like I originally was. But should you feel the need to play a short little adventure game with a lot of heart—definitely come back to experience Vertigo, as I feel it is worth it.
If you liked this review, consider visiting my website. Thanks!