[h1]Played On: [b]HTC Vive[/b][/h1]
Welcome to Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin' Gallery, the 25-45 minute experience that takes you on a hellish ride and stroll through an abandoned and decrepit tourist attraction. First discovered in 1851, the Black Rock Mine was converted to this wacky tourist attraction in the 1950's, and after a string of accidents, disappearances, and deaths, it closed its doors in the 1990's. Armed simply with a flashlight and a six-shooter, your goal is to make it out of the mine alive, all the while a crazed murderer is lurking around in the pitch blackness, traps are primed and ready to gut you, and your unstable surroundings are constantly threatening to cave in.
The adventure begins with some pretty underwhelming on-rails mine cart action, with players shooting at stagnant targets while dodging some obstacles, but things get pretty crazy fairly quickly from thereon out. For the sake of not spoiling the fun, let's just say that this seemingly on-rails shooter soon goes off the rails and leaves you completely and utterly alone in the deep, dark, narrow, crumbling caverns of the Black Rock Mine. All the while you're being hunted down by something, or someone, who will stop at nothing to end your life.
As far as VR horror goes, Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin' Gallery is a really unique release. It's filled with cheap, campy scares that somehow manage to be effective over and over again. It shares a lot of similarities with any given '80s slasher flick, but most notably My Bloody Valentine. You're pretty much guaranteed to go into a full-on sweat as your blood runs cold and that ever-familiar chill creeps up your spine. The dark, claustrophobic atmosphere only enhances the tension and dread that you'll be feeling while peeking around every corner and dodging every out-of-the-blue thrown axe that comes at your face from the darkness beyond. Aside from the barrage of scares, you'll also have to be cautious of the many traps laid out, waiting for you.
While most of this title is spot-on perfect in every way, it does have its share of problems. First and foremost, the really annoying and immersion-breaking "waiting for application to respond" issues; this is when Steam VR cuts back to its plateau loading screen between Home and the game that you're trying to play. This happens frequently, and just to make sure it wasn't my PC having some kind of one-off problem (i7-6700k with a GTX 1080, so it's not a standard problem) I did check the Community Hub and it seems to be a persistent issue since launch. The second biggest concern is the laser dot on the six-shooter that disappears when it's on an actual target. This is especially confusing if there are multiple targets in the same area; you just have no idea what you're aiming at.
Despite its technical shortcomings, Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin' Gallery is a fun and terrifying VR horror experience that any lovers of the genre should give a chance; especially if you have a soft spot for '80s slasher films. Aside from its main campaign, it also has a "miniature ride" that's a short rollercoaster ride where you can shoot stationary targets and glow-in-the-dark skulls (a staple of the main campaign, too) while enjoying a twisted take on a popular children's story. Those with sensitivity to flashing lights should not buy this title, however, since there are in-your-face strobe effects. Additionally, people that get motion sickness easily may find the mine cart ride portions to be unsettling, as they deal with a lot of fast twists and turns.
[h1]Rating: [b]4.0/5.0[/b] - Excellent, highly worth playing.[/h1]
The VR Network [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33182845-The-VR-Network/]Curator[/url] | [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/thevrnetwork]Group[/url] Click for More
The Horror Network [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/28221963/]Curator[/url] | [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/thehorrornetwork]Group[/url] Click for Gore
