Conductor

Conductor proved to me that graphics are not the most important. The game is incredibly immersive. Convincing. Smooth. Very simple, but fun. I'm a mega surprised ... The game cost only a few Euros - and is on the same level as Rick and Morty. Probably even better, less claustrophobic. If someone, like me, is already tired of shooters - this is a very interesting alternative.

First off this game is great. The puzzles are short and fun to figure out, the world that you play in is mysterious, and the steam powered train is a really cool way to progress in a VR game. (Also, the music is really good and makes the atmosphere much better) This game does have its flaws though. It is short. I beat the game in ninty minutes. I play alot of puzzle games so I can fly through some puzzles. So, realistically the game would be an hour and a half to two hours tops. I did run into some frame rate issues where it would drop during some puzzle sequences, but not bad enough to make me sick. (Graphics card is GTX 970) Pros: + Visuals (works very well in VR) + Puzzles (short but fun) + Music (increases the mystery in the world) + World (interesting take on the apocalypse) +++ Progession system (train, would ride for 90 more minutes) Cons: - Frame rate (dips a little GTX 970) - Little story (interesting but not really there) - A little clunky (gravity gun does not always turn on) Pros and/or Cons: +/- Length (around 2 hours) +/- Light combat (helps keep the tensity up, but clunky) +/- Voice acting (nice that it is there, but not great performances) +/- mobility (only way to move is teleporting) Overall, I am happy I spent the ten dollars and would recommend this game for people who enjoy puzzle games. (glad it is not another escape room)

Conductor is a puzzle game made by the same studio as Abode, one of the best VR 'Escape the Room' games currently available on Steam. This time there are more story elements (while still very minor) and instead of being confined to two rooms, you traverse several locations alongside a train track and you have a handy tool at your disposal: a gravity gun. (TL;DR conclusion at the bottom; review intentionally omits specifics about puzzles to avoid spoiling the game) ------------------------------------------------------------------ [b]Visuals[/b] Conductor follows Abode art style as it presents itself in a texture-less environment, but nevertheless, in VR it is actually more immersive than those poorly put together games that use realistic textures but no coherent art direction. Here most areas feel very well put together and have more detail in terms of geometry than other similarly, small VR games. The darkness surrounding you makes the game feel atmospheric and leads to nice gameplay interactions between using spot lights to illuminate certain areas, though, I wish the dark atmosphere would have been used in more puzzles. One negative point I have to mention here is that even on a GTX 1080 there have been some areas that suffer from some frame drops when shadows get activated. There has been a patch since I've played the game that says it brings some performance improvements, however, I've already finished the more cluttered areas that show those problems when writing this review. [b]Sound[/b] There are 3 music tracks in the game that run in a radio which sound great, otherwise the game seems to lack ambient sounds. There are nice sound FX when throwing around items, generators buzz, but I do miss more ambient sounds to sell the environment. There is some voice over which is of mediocre quality, but it isn't detracting. Generally from a sound perspective this game neither excels nor fails dramatically, it is just mediocre. [b]Gameplay[/b] Like in their previous game, Abode, here you are confronted with obstacles to overcome. Some are easier, some had me stumped, but generally they felt fair and unique. Often the environment itself was the key which forced you to explore the area to find a solution. The puzzles generally are of higher quality than other contemporary 'Escape the room' VR games out there. The developers have struck a good balance between challenging and not too frustrating, creating a good 'flow' of the game. Movement is done via teleportation and traveling by train and both work fine in this game. As in other VR games you can grab stuff with your hands, here you can also grab and throw items via a gravity gun. The item interaction can be a bit buggy at times when there is seemingly a conflict in collision which should be looked into (same problem was present in 'Abode'; speculation time: maybe using the VRTK's interaction and grab mechanism don't work that well here and maybe NewtonVR may be more appropiate for their next game) There are some light combat elements with the gravity gun as well, but they do not feel very meaningful. The puzzle element is the focus of this game. [b]Comparison to similar games [/b] There are quite a lot of puzzle games or 'escape the room' games coming out for VR and in my opinion Conductor can easily be ranked among the best ones. While it does not have the same amount of polish as 'I Expect You To Die', it is also sold at a lower price point. Compared to 'Abode' the game has a bigger scope, more story elements and a more atmospheric world. However, some puzzles felt overly simplistic compared to some in Abode and could have be done differently. Still compared to many other VR puzzle games like 'The Cabin', 'The Ruins' etc., here the puzzles actually feel satisfying and aren't a simple hunt for a key. ------------------------------------------------------------------ [b]Conclusion [/b] If you liked 'Abode' or 'I Expect you To Die', then this is a no-brainer at its current price. This is a game studio that knows how to make puzzles and create a satisfying feeling of progression. While there are some bugs and some parts of the games could have benefited from more polish, overall this is still one of the most enjoyable VR games I've played. My wishlist for their next game would include: - More intricate puzzles - More puzzles involving the environment - More work on ambient sounds - A more robust item interaction-physics/collision system

Sooooooo, Conductor! The second VR game by Overflow (after Abode) is a cracking little puzzler. Without spoiling too much, the plot is roughly this: "You're on the run from a group of people who refer to you by your "subject" number. Before you is a steam locomotive. Go!" Driving the train is an absolute joy, from tossing coal into the furnace and lighting it, to the iconic whistle (Toot toot!). Conductor is *fairly* light on story, but there are written passages kicking around for you to find which hint at what's going on. Your primary objective though is to keep on running down the track, stopping at each station to solve puzzles in order to clear the way ahead. The minimalist art style works really well in that after a minute or two, you don't even notice. The models are really well made so the lack of surface texture feels intended rather than a lack of effort. The puzzles themselves aren't *fiendishly* difficult, but I did have to stop and think a few times. When stuck, I found it was just that I hadn't quite explored enough. When you do solve the puzzles it's incredibly satisfying. I recall one which at first elicited a "No way..." followed by belly laughs as the solution unfolded. It's a great experience. Motion controllers are a must for this one, so if you're on a mobile, you'll need to dig out the PS-Eyes and Moves. I can't guarantee it'll work, but there's only trigger, grab and forward/back/left/right needed so nothing particularly exotic. Steam have a sale on at the moment (06/08/17) with a great price for both Conductor and Abode (which is also great fun, but with fewer trains unfortunately), so if you've got a Rift or a Vive, and you like the idea of driving a steam train in the dark, get it immediately. If you're on mobile with PS-Move, it *might* be worth a shot, but I can't say for sure. You can get away with forward only tracking because there's snap turning, but 360 tracking would be ideal. It's not the longest title in the world (I completed it in an hour and a half according to Steam), but it's a lot of fun!

I Really wish there was a "Maybe" option when it comes to steam reviews. As I actually like it, however it didn't live up to the mechanics it had put forth. For a simple contained story game it is fantastic. But for a "Action adventure puzzler" it is bare bones. I was so excited when I saw the premise. "I get to be a conductor of a cute little engine while fending off bad guys!? sign me up!" But instead it was, Coal>furnace>Lookahead>Duckyourhead. No sights are to be had, which I wasn't really expecting, but all the train ride is; is a glorified loading screen. So rather than enjoying being on the train I dreaded it. The puzzles were rather simple as well. Definitely for children or people newer to video game concepts rather than adult/average gamer. Then there is the length, I got to the finale. To which when the white out screen happened. I was ready for a new section, only to turn around and see "THE END" . It just felt to short, because without all my VR setup and messing with settings I finished this game in around 1:30:00. Maybe even less, as I left the game on a lot while doing other things. I definitely see this as a great attempt. Heck even a good short lived experience. But I am left wanting more in a not so good way. Sorry for being so negative ;-;

Can't say that I played this game for a long period of time as this review is being pushed out after my first sitting but I can say that I love it with an oldish cartoony vibe that pictures can not do justice, for running it on the Valve index I can report no problems so far with how it runs yet this may change for you. The combat is pretty good as you can't just teleport away at all times and requires you to move your head around and with the slow projectiles it gives you more than enough time. Overall can recommend at full and sale price for anyone who just wants to drive a nice old looking train in VR and solve puzzles with some mini combat in between and a story on top of all of that!

Good puzzle game with a bit of a story and an eerie atmosphere. Most puzzles were easy to medium difficulty. I got stuck 3 times and checked out a walkthrough to progress. It took me 2.5 hours to complete. Only teleport movement but that’s not an issue for me.

Quite fun little game enjoyed it (only thing that i wish for that i could use controller to turn around) i liked puzzles they was quite easy but fun to do!

I actually got this for free with my HTC Vive subscription, but it felt like such a light hearted fun VR game you can finish in one gaming session, so I decided to support the dev and but it. And I was happy to see my progress carry over so easily! If you're looking for a game that is fun to play for an hour or so, and you can introduce your friends to when they come over, Conductor is what you're looking for. :)

I have very mixed feeling about this game. The mechanics and puzzles are fine, the ambiance is great, BUT there are two big issues : - huge performance/graphic issues, I'm having really important stutters that make the game not enjoyable to play at all - physics engine issues, sometimes the world stays broken after you restart after a collision, sometimes items in your g-gun inventory get lost under the ground... and the only way to fix this is to save, back to menu, and restart (and lose some progress in the process). Considering I encountered all those issues in just 45 minutes of play... I definitely can't give this a thumbs up (although I'd love to). Issues encountered on - Ryzen 3600 - GTX970 - Occulus Rift S I'll try again when I get my next graphic card upgrade, but I'm not even sure it will fix the stutter, it's not like the game is graphics heavy.