RuneSage

Played on the Oculus Rift S. Picked up on the summer sale for for £2.79, definitely worth it, I'd say worth the full price too! I enjoyed drawing the runes out and casting them as spells, as well as combining the different runes you can learn throughout the game. Completed in 7.5 hours. Graphics aren't ground breaking, but the game play is there for me for the price point and and created by a one man band. Few areas where traversing the terrain was a little troublesome using free locomotion, but this didn't bother me at all!

6.5/10 Pros: Good exploration and puzzling Challenges your mind rather than your reflexes Alternative solutions for some puzzles Non-linear puzzling means, you can continue elsewhere when you're stuck Good amount of playtime for the price Cons: Graphics are extremely bland and lifeless Music is mediocre at best (medieval equivalent of elevator music) Collision seemed a little fidgety here and there (on Rift) No real story Overall lackluster atmosphere Many of the spells seem to have no practical use Doesn't make much use of VR beyond gestures

This as not unlike Xing to play in that it is a game you can play at your own pace very good puzzle system . Very good value .definate buy

Very simple but addictive exploration/puzzle game. Its USP is that you cast spells by doing certain gestures and combining this spells is required for solving puzzles to collect all crystals. Positive: + Relaxing gameplay (exploration + puzzles) + Casting spells + Length of the game Negative: - Graphics - I wouldn't call it open world, but it is non linear (you find something so you can continue somewhere else, etc.) - Could contain even more puzzles and less walking All in all a solid, slow paced exploration and puzzle game. Casting spells using gestures is really a nice thing.

I recommend this one, with a caveat- if you have issues with smooth rotation in VR, this one will likely give you problems. I have such issues, but the game was good enough that I kept going for nearly an hour before I tapped out. If snap turning was added, this would be one of the best VR games I have played thus far. I like the rune mechanic, the exploration is fun with neutral (neither great nor awful) visuals, and it's engaging enough that it kept me interested. I'm keeping it in hopes that snap turning will someday be added, or for days when I am super resistant to VRtigo.

I love this game, but it is extremely difficult. Is there a walkthrough or something to make this a little easier?

Let's Play(about 50 first minutes of gameplay) - http://www.htcvivegamereviews.com/all-video-list/wizards-puzzles-runesage-vr/ Original Review - http://www.htcvivegamereviews.com/all-review-list/magic-runesage-review/ RuneSage is a puzzle game with elements of magic and its own dedicated lore upon the story. It is clear that developer had a lot of interest in trying to make it a multi-dimensional game by taking the effort to put scrolls and story elements throughout the game. When it comes down to it for me though – I find it slightly too tame to really recommend to hardcore gamers but I could see recommending to a new player to VR or someone wanting a more relaxing experience. RuneSage makes no claims of having much action or combat, in fact the description on Steam itself clearly states “Please note that RuneSage is not (yet another) fast paced generic action VR wave shooter. There are no monsters to kill. You are never “in danger”. RuneSage is deliberately a more gentle experience; a magical “scavenger hunt” designed for those wanting to explore an immersive open world, discovering its secrets at their own pace.” This is true and I can vouch for it. I think it reveals to myself how much “danger” or “stress” elevates gameplay to myself while the lack of it quickly makes me feel bored. If you’re someone who doesn’t like “danger” or “losing”, this is likely more up your alley than myself. Let me talk about what I did enjoy about RuneSage – for starters, I like how the adventure and goals is laid out in front of you at the start of the game. It’s clear you have to gain crystals of the elements and save the world. I actually really liked the progression system and the map in the mage village which showed what was going on and where your adventure would take you. I also would like to give a thumbs up to some visuals I saw – the cave looked great! The interaction of spells and utilizing runes with your wand is actually very natural and reminded me a bit of Okami for the Wii(the drawing part if you know what I mean). So if you’re someone who really likes puzzle games(without danger or timers or losing), this might be up your alley. It doesn’t have the flash of something like Talos Principle or the atmosphere of some of the VR Escape Room type games but it does seem to have a lot of content for a game that starts at $9.99 for when this review is written. For me personally, I still have to settle with a rather modest score when it comes to “rating” RuneSage. There was something unrewarding about solving the puzzles which I did feel while playing some of the other purely puzzle games(a genre I don’t usually delve into) – I felt like Pavlov’s Dog without the bell.

Very fun Puzzles and a big world to explore. You will spend a bit of time in mazes though.