Giant Celebration

[h1] Experienced on the Oculus Rift with Touch Controllers [/h1] So we've had a few HOGs in VR, but this is the best HOG (hidden object game) in VR so far. This game actually takes advantage of VR and the sense of scale to enhance the gameplay. You can be a giant and quickly move and get a quick bird's eye view of the world to quickly catch easy to spot hidden objects or become as relatively small as one of the persons in the diorama and get an up-close view to better see hidden objects nearby. The cool thing is that when you get near several objects, you get to hear the sounds that they would be making. Even though the graphics are not the best, this gives the dioramas a little bit of life. This also get you the extra motivation to seek out new events. For example, putting the band back together and then hearing them rockout. Once you find all the objects and also put together some objects, you get a firework show for your efforts. Your time to find the hidden objects is recorded. Locomotion is either by teleportation or free movement. Resizing (from giant to small or vice-versa) can be done manually or is automatically done depending on where you traverse. There are currently 4 dioramas to explore, each with 3 levels of difficulty. I found Dioramas 3 and 4 to be more interesting to look at and explore than the first two. I did have fun. While I did enjoy the artstyle, I would have preferred a more detailed graphics style where each human is an individual. I enjoyed the game mostly because it is a relaxing game. Something to get lost in, while you bump into the hidden objects. The hidden object objective is shown on your wrist if you press grab button on the Oculus and you can even have the game hint, where it just basically shows you where the hidden object is. I'm not sure this game would work as timed competition, given it's static and artsy nature. [b]Rate 6/10. I docked the score a bit because in my opinion, it is priced too high given the content. There should be more dioramas at the current price point.[/b]

Disclaimer: I received a code for this game because I'm friends with one of the devs (thanks Pete!) That aside, I think Giant Celebration is a really interesting, meditative experience. The little worlds they've created feel like frozen memories, and it's genuinely fun to explore them. If you're into chill games and you like VR, you'll enjoy this. Scaling up and down is trippy, and gives the game a unique vibe. I love that they added coins to look for as well (would love to see more hidden secrets like this). Stoked to see where they take this concept going forward.

I'm glad to play a VR game using scale as an essential mechanic. It's really rewarding to hunt for specific characters and items and watch them come to life with animation and sound. Also, I like that you have some options for locomotion. I can't wait to play more and see the 'sets' come to life as the game develops.

Very mellow and relaxing hidden object game where you explore various levels looking for different objects and people. Basic concept that is fun in its own right but then they add the scaling mechanic where the player can shrink down very tiny and get to places they couldn't before, like Ant-Man! Really fun to explore the levels and have to play with your scale to find everything, makes you think in a different way. Also always appreciate a VR game where I can play at any pace I want, which this definitely is. Good buy, I am enjoying it and there is always more stuff to find!

Full disclosure, I got my key for free as a beta tester. Here's my honest opinion based on my time with this game. This is the perfect game to play with kids or your family. With so many action shoot-em-ups out there, it is refreshing to be able to explore and chill with this little gem in the rough -- It's early access, which means the team is still working on it, but this game is solid for an early access title. I wasn't sure about the visual style at first, but the choice to focus complexity on object density instead of texture detail works well for this style of gameplay. it allows the player to focus on the puzzle elements instead of getting lost in a bunch of superfluous details. There are a lot of visual "80's movie moments" and easter eggs peppered througout the levels. Give it a try... I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I look forward to seeing how Giant Cranium expands this idea!

The problem I've had with the VR games I've explored is that many of them are too frenetic. Before my Rift, I liked problem-solving games, not so much the FPS. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy Halo and the like. I just like to chill most of the time. GC is great for that - low pressure, with a lot of content. The scaling view is spectacular, and the hidden object environment is large and varied. Movement and view-change are smooth and seamless. Controls are pretty intuitive. The only con I could find was the music. I like an option to turn off background music, and didn't find that here. Overall, I'd give it an A. It's well worth the price!