Decided to write a review of Edge of Nowhere, here it is:
Being a new medium VR is desperately looking for great developers to focus on VR titles. Enter Insomniac who has a three game deal with Oculus, their first game is the horror adventure game Edge of Nowhere. This game was kind of looked at as the third party golden child, the game from the great developer that will show how great exclusive VR games can be. Well I feel they failed. Instead this game further leads proof to those that believe that VR games are cheaply made games with terrible graphics and are mostly a gimmick.
Edge of Nowhere is a third person action adventure horror themed game where the camera follows behind the player. There is no camera control, you get to look where you want to see as the world is all around you. For the most part this works great but the effect of watching figures come to life around you like in Lucky's Tale is not as strong. Outside of a few moments it just felt like any other third person game except the screen is on your face. Because the camera is fixed to always being behind the character everything only moves forward, yes you can turn around and run back but the camera stays stuck and the only way to see where you are going is to physically turn around to the point where you can't see your character. Basically it's not designed to go back and because of that there is zero exploration, everything just pushes you forward.
So all you basically do is run forward, jump and climb a lot. Climbing is uncharted and Tomb Raider like with lots of that kind of auto climbing stuff. It does have an ice pick so that you can attach to ice walls, this is taken directly from Rise of the Tomb Raider. Most of the time this is boring busy work but there are a few times where there is some danger requiring some form of actual skill to get through it. I wish there was more of that but most of the time you are just going through the motions.
The other half of the game is the action stealth portion. You have to navigate these ice caverns that are filled with lovecraftian monsters that want to kill you. Each type of monster has a way to detect you; there is the sight monster, the sound monster and those that do both. Your character comes with the ability to pick up a few rocks at a time which he can throw to create distractions or even lure enemies into traps. You also get a shotgun that is supposed to be used in an emergency, which occurs when they see you, once they see you they charge right at you leaving attacking as the only defense. You also have a trusty axe for melee which is good for the smaller enemies and for stealth kills but totally useless against bigger humanoid monsters.
This game does a good job slowly building up the stealth segments into more and more complex rooms. It starts with basic small bug like monsters that you can kill easily with an axe. Some hide in the ceiling meaning you have to look up to see them which is about the only VR centric gameplay mechanic. There are these plants that expand with spikes like a blowfish when you come near them. These are laid out in such a way where they are obstacles in your path which can also be used as traps. When it all comes together and you have multiple types of enemies, blowfish plants and tight areas to navigate the game does shine. There is a steady stream of new enemies for a good chunk of the game to keep these moments interesting but by the last third of the game there are no more new enemies (outside of bosses) and it's just repetition.
The best part are the large setpieces that involve this massive monster which in VR is so impressive to behold. It's a great change of pace and it adds some much needed variety to the gameplay. There are also uncharted like run away from the camera chase moments. There are two boss battles focused on gunplay which is done with motion aiming by using your head, these are pretty damn good. If the shooting was more pronounced I feel they could have had a decent action game. The stealth is so basic there just isn't enough meat there for experimental gameplay.
The story is a big part of it and it's where the VR really shines. Your main character starts to hallucinate and he sees all kinds of visions which put other characters floating around you at times. There are genuine brilliant VR moments that occur, one of my favorite is when a character tells you to turn around and you hear a monster breathing down your neck, you have to physically turn your head to see it, the feeling of fear was real. Also the ending and how it uses VR is just pure brilliance. It's such a shame that these moments are fleeting, the majority of the game it simply feels like VR is a more immersive camera and serves no real purpose.
Edge of Nowhere feels like the first third of a much larger game, by the time it gets going it's over already. When I finished the game on hard my game clock showed 3 hours and 45 minutes. Once you finish there is no reason at all to ever play it again. The gameplay and stealth mechanics aren't deep enough to warrant a second playthrough. Those that like the smaller story centric games may find this worth it, but if you play for the gaming experience this is a way too shallow of a game for $40.
Graphically it is on par with other Oculus developed games like Chronos and Luckys Tale which is to say it kind of looks like early PS3 graphics. There is very little detail on the models, the environments are all bland locations filled with ice. The sound is fantastic, one of the best aspects of VR no one really talks about is how great the surround sound is, it's all around you and really heightens the experience. The voice acting is standard horror game fare, nothing terrible but nothing great either.
Edge of Nowhere is simply a short story driven game with decent stealth action mechanics that never get any depth. If a four hour story driven game is fine with you and you are starved for VR games go ahead and get it. But I expect more from Insomniac, their games are usually a blast to play and offer loads of replay value; it is a shame that didnt translate into this. Its not a bad game, just one that felt undercooked. The other side of the equation is how good of a VR only game is it and even in that regard it kind of fails as the unique qualities of VR only come into play in a few areas. There are better cheaper VR games to play on your VR device.
Score: 5/10
