Awaken

I like this game, but I can only really recommend it if you like games/experiences like Thumper, Redwood and Fantastic Contraption. Yes, I like it, and I'm going to continue to play it, but in its current status, it didn't completely blow me away, and because of that, and because content is (currently) limited, I think the price is a bit too high. I know that the team is going to add more puzzles, but I hope they will be in different environments as well. So far I've only seen the (minimal) world where the game begins, and then a forest where the puzzles are located. The forest reminds me of Redswood VR, meaning an arty, minimal forest created with Unity (I think). I like these kind of graphics, but it's not for everyone. The music is a similar concept as Thumper (which I also like) : your actions define more or less (part of) the music, so if you get a part of the puzzle right, you continue and you hear extra sound added to the music. The gameplay reminds me of Fantastic Contraption and Bounce, although it seems like this game is made more by artists, and less by engineers, if that makes any sense :) And now the big question... do I recommend it? Well, I certainly do recommend it if you like the referenced games I mentioned. If you don't like any of them, then you probably won't like this one. And if you like some of them, well... then you'll just have to try it out. :)

It's ever unpleasant to give a bad review about a VR game, but like other times before products with flawless 100% positive ratings are not as good as my expectations. In this case, I'm an huge puzzle fan with I suppose all bigger puzzles for VR yet on library and finished, and I like also a lot low poly inspired kind of style. What I like the most is visible even from screenshots: nice abstract style, inspired environments, low poly untexturized assets. What is not working is instead about the game itself. The challenge level and the amount of "brain" needed to solve puzzles is casual at best, I'll rate like Water Bears or even more Carpe Lucem. There is nothing wrong in a low difficulty, it very depends on your expectations and skills, but if I compare this one to Bounce or Slice&Dice (in my opinion the peak in physics puzzle production for VR ) Awaken is so predictable and easy to be boring, I passed 30 stages in 30 minutes and the solution was instantly obvious any single time. Another thing than doesn't work as it should is the engine. Awaken stutters a lot, even if the amount of polygons and filters is around a GearVR standard, I like minimalism in graphics but I don't expect this to run so badly, it struggle even to reach 45fps reprojected. Where performance issues could be solved, this is not my priority in judging a game, especially an early access one. From a puzzle game I expect challenge, variety, lateral thinking, unpredictable problems with unpredictable solutions. A nice style is very welcome, but just over a solid level design. Especially if we consider the price, this could be the most expensive puzzle game available for VR, quality and price cleary doesn't match.

Review updated following second major content release. Video review (and updated) available at end. Was a bit scared buying due to the price, but I'm happy I did. Though it's a bit short at the moment. Pros (Updated as of second content update): Good atmosphere. Nice VR experience. Fun mechanics. Sand-box style. Very satisfying just watching your puzzle solution run if you take the time to make something interesting. Difficulty increases over "main" levels, and more sadistic challenge levels on offer. Content on good trajectory for value for money. Cons (Updated as of second content update): Overly minimalist design at times just feels lazy and unhelpful - still persists. A case of form over function still. The music reference in description I feel is a bit misleading. For a full breakdown of what I thought was most pertinent, check out the video(s): Video review available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTLZE0Q-pc4 New content review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxZteJDSFFM Hope this helps, Rammo.

Je fais cette revue durant l'accès anticipé du jeu pour encourager les détenteurs de VR à acheter ce jeux de puzzle VR, même en accès anticipé. Tout d'abord, l'ambiance est sublime, tant visuelle que sonore, l'immersion dans le jeu est vraiment rapide. Ensuite l'équipe de Dev s'est vraiment concentré sur la qualité des contrôles (Vive pour moi) et je n'ai rencontré aucun problème de contrôle. Et maintenant pour le coté accès anticipé, au moment de ma revue, seul le premier gardien est disponible. Mais les niveaux montrent déjà les possibilités, avec l'éditeur de niveau déjà inclut. Et là un point qui pour moi est positif: on peut partager ses niveaux en les sous-mettant à l'éditeur, avec en plus un petit concours (à la date de ma revue) pour les meilleurs soumissions. J'ai vraiment accroché sur le premier gardien à qui je trouve un air de renard à 9 queues (Naruto). Les animations sont vraiment réussies, et ça fait un plus pour l'ambiance du jeu.

An immersive puzzler. The concept is simple: get the ball in the hole. But the atmosphere and presentation is so polished that it feels like much more. There's only 30 levels right now. But more are sure to come. I can't wait to see more content arrive.

强烈推荐！真正称得上是艺术的VR游戏！玩游戏的同时在创作音乐！一个字形容就是：美！ 表面上看起来好像就是一个普通的休闲益智游戏，单看视频也不能感受到这游戏的美妙，只有在自己亲自玩后才能感受到这游戏的独一无二的美感，可以说是与音乐结合得最好的一个VR游戏。 游戏玩法虽然简单，就是通过不同的工具把小球送到洞里（类似的VR游戏还有Bounce），小球进去后会再出来一个球，然后你拍打这个球，这球就会飞出去撞到钟上发出声响，慢慢地完成30关后就会唤醒沉睡中的动物。但那些工具同时又相当于乐器，小球碰到那些工具不同的地方会发出不同的声响，这些声音连同你瞬移时的声音和背景音乐结合起来，再加上美丽的环境，相当于在创作一件艺术作品！ 88元看起来比较贵，这么少人玩可惜了，要不是这次打五折，就这么错过了一个好游戏。游戏现在有两个世界，总共60个关卡，完全值这个价了。玩了一个多小时通关了第一个世界的30个关卡，就这一个世界我都觉得值88元了，因为感觉实在太美好了，很少有VR游戏有这样的体验。最后，再强烈推荐！

I do love physics puzzle games, and currently this one is my favorite. The ball physics are smooth and reliable, and the surroundings are minamalistic, but pleasant. The standout on the surroundings is of course the animal whose attention you continually get more of as you solve puzzles. The items you use and interact with all have a decent amount of detail, nothing feels like placeholder art, unlike SO many VR games currently. There are small touches that most devs just don't deal with, like "what happens when you get too close to an object"? In Awaken, it sort of melts away so you don't have it blocking your entire field of vision, yet you're completely aware that the object is still there. The spheres emit light that reacts beautifully with nearby objects, which helps everything feel more...real. I purchased the game during a sale, when the devs released the second island, doubling the number of puzzles from 30 to 60. I'm quite pleased with the content for the price I paid, although the non-sale price is a bit steep for the two islands. When they add in a third, then yes, the full price would easily be justified. There's also a level-making area, but the devs are trying a LITTLE too hard to make the game text-free, and it's incredibly confusing. Hopefully they'll sort that area out later. Another VR game I love, Cloudlands Mingolf, thrives on its amazing level editor, and I'd love to see this game with piles of user-generated content as well.

Nach ca. 30 Leveln und ca. 1 3/4 Stunden Spielzeit ist leider schluss mit lustig, man hat zwar noch den Level Editor aber die Story ist dann leider vorbei ich hoffe es kommen noch mehr Level.

《Awaken》是一款非常漂亮的解密VR游戏。之所以能使用上“漂亮”这样的形容词，非常归功于游戏整体环境的塑造。画风，建模到最终呈现给玩家的印象，都与美非常靠拢。游玩时会让人想起《纪念碑谷》这款游戏。游戏的音乐也不错，悠扬舒缓，美的环境加上美的音乐使得整个游玩感受都相当舒畅。 不过，《Awaken》的缺点也是显而易见的。首先是价格，目前游戏售价高达88元，相对一般只有二三十元的VR游戏而言，游戏有点太贵了。其次就是内容，玩家玩的慢一点，整个游戏时长也差不多在一个小时左右。高昂的价格与简短的游戏内容形成强烈的反差，所以游戏的性价比很一般，当然如果玩家对于游戏美妙的氛围塑造十分钟爱的话，那也不妨一试。 原文地址：http://www.83830.com/game/201702/173227667.shtml 更多VR游戏评测：http://newgame.83830.com/

I expected this game to be soothing and calming, but all the bugs make me want to trash my controllers on the wall, starting the game starting without sound (has to be started as admin, remove headset, turn screen on, click, turn off screen, put headset back on), and the ingame bugs.