Well I'm definitely impressed _
Here's the full video of that entire run. You can get a good feel for my strategy, just keep moving forward and no sharp turns to double back (so you don't get eaten). Constantly shift direction to keep the blockers off my line and no slowing down or stopping to collect the one or two particles you miss. I'd be interested to know if this is how you intended the game be played on survival.
https://youtu.be/oa28ZfubAKk
My full impressions: I love the premise of the game, it was executed well. Great amount of humor, albiet my high school CS teacher would murder you for being "Unprofessional" (the frown face for no rank on a level). The game is challenging but not difficult once you truly learn the mechanics, but I could see how some would get frustrated if it never clicks for them. I like the change of pace between survival and exploration levels. Survival gives you a real sense of urgency and fear, going for a high score becomes a lot more complex endeavor. The idea that you need to identify specific structures as being the most likely spots of energy adds a fun mechanic, in VR it's very fun searching your entire field of view for these structures. That being said there is way too much pop in and not being able to see particles until you are close enough really hinders your ability to know if it's a structure you've been to or not already (and you have to assume using the energy to get there is worth it without knowing how many particles are actually there). I had trouble in the water level seeing the red particles in the background (I have mild color blindness), I'd stick with blue particles for all levels, whatever has the most contrast (not just the brightest). The game does control like a dream though, being chased by 4-5 blockers at a time and weaving in/out while collecting particles is a rush. Fast camera is literally a must, I'd almost default it to that for the survival levels. Setting your position up to be on a line that allows you to collect the majority of the particles in one pass is a must. Heading directly into a cluster doesn't always make sense, picking off half by choosing a smart line then doing a large loop around worked out best to avoid hostiles. The shockwave mechanic was never used by me, the ability to knock enemies off by clipping then against a structure was a better method when score chasing since the penalty for a shockwave was 50pJ. It'd be interesting to charge this shockwave another way, like absorbing 200+pJ gets you a free shockwave...
Make the leaderboard searchable for your score and who is around you, the game begs you to chase a high score but only lets you see your number rank and the top three. What will it take to get me from 7 to 6? The bonus levels were a great treat, humorous, thoughtful, and relaxing, I'll hunt down the rest of those Easter eggs
A lot of these are minor quibbles, they didn't hinder my experience, but I could see how some, like the pop-up could totally ruin it for another if they were already frustrated. It definitely isn't forgiving while you are still unsure of the mechanics.
But loved it, best VR game to me that allows full 3D movement. Ultimately both relaxing and intense game all packaged into one. Ooh and the soundtrack is great as well! There's something for everyone here.
