Edge of Nowhere Review

The call of The Great One.

When I sit down to play a game in VR, I never expect that I'll last for more than an hour at a time. Headsets aren't seamless, and the experience of being enveloped in a game can be physically taxing depending on how it utilizes the hardware. When I played Edge of Nowhere, I never felt compelled to quit or take a break. It strikes a natural balance, leveraging VR's inherent sense of immersion to evoke emotional reactions, while delivering its gameplay in a familiar and intuitive manner. This is a four-hour experience that you play in one sitting not because it's hypothetically better that way, but because it successfully commands your attention from beginning to end.

Your troublesome journey takes place in Antarctica, where you're on a rescue operation in search of a missing scientific expedition. After your plane crash lands, killing your pilot and leaving you to fend for yourself, you have no choice but to trudge into the unknown, following the trail of gear left in the wake of the missing party. With this setup, it makes sense that Edge of Nowhere is linear; there's no time to waste in a harsh environment when lives are at stake.

The crew you're searching for was led by your former mentor, Professor Edwards, who believed that Antarctica would not only contain evidence of ancient undocumented lifeforms, but that they were still there, thriving in the shadows. The backstory is told through intermittent hallucinations, potentially brought on by the head injury you sustained during the plane crash. During these moments, you witness memories of Edwards' failed pleas to the scientific community, and of Eva, your wife and fellow scientist, who daringly stood behind Edwards' unpopular theory. As you soon discover, they were onto something.

Your search begins on top of the arctic ice sheet--you slide down snow-packed slopes, leap across fields of glaciers, and cross crumbling, rudimentary bridges. But you quickly find your way underground, into the den of the foretold ancient beasts. Little by little, you grow increasingly aware of monsters lurking on walls and ceilings, scuttling out of sight just before you can get a good look. In these moments, the benefits of VR are immediately apparent. Edge of Nowhere is a third-person experience, but being enveloped in a headset, cut off from the real world, makes the sense of being consumed by darkness and tight-spaces feel eerily convincing.

If you're a fan of sci-fi horror films from the '80s, you'll pick up on details that recall James Cameron's Aliens--creatures unfurl from egg-sacks in rooms bound by mysterious, organic architecture. Similarly, the arctic setting and the few monsters that appear vaguely human will bring back memories of The Thing. When the horrific elements underground overlap with the protagonist's hallucinations, Edge of Nowhere can be a truly disturbing experience that's made authentic through its use of VR.

There's no turning back.

Despite being overwhelmed by fear and doubt, you aren't helpless thanks to your shotgun and a reliable throwing arm. Edwards' ancient creatures rely on sonar and their sense of hearing to track prey. By throwing rocks that you find on the ground, you can trick them into chasing false targets, allowing you to sneak by undetected. Flee too fast, and expect to be tailed by every monster in the room. This occasionally turns into a riveting chase sequence, with monsters nipping at your heels as you bound across ice that shifts and breaks underfoot. Get caught, however, and the fastest monsters will murder you instantly. If running isn't an option, you can kill most enemies with a well-placed shotgun blast--you aim the reticle effortlessly using Rift's positional tracking--but you won't have enough ammo to do so consistently.

When I can't pick up a cache of shotgun ammo lying in an abandoned camp because I'm already carrying four shells--hardly a lot by anyone's standards--I'm brought back to reality.

Because you're only allowed to carry four shotgun shells for most of the game, practically every monster encounter is a stealth puzzle by default, where your shotgun--or your relatively weak ice pick--is a last resort. When I'm sliding off of cliffs and have to catch myself on a wall with rickety climbing gear, I buy into the thrill. When I'm descending into otherwordly environments, confronted by mangled corpses dangling from ceilings and massive, alien entities, I'm on edge. But when I can't pick up a cache of shotgun ammo lying in an abandoned camp because I'm already carrying four shells--hardly a lot by anyone's standards--I'm brought back to reality; I'm playing a video game that unreasonably limits my abilities in order to inflate tension. Realizing this, stealth quickly becomes the least enjoyable aspect of the game.

Baby, it's cold outside.

Disappointing as this habit may be, Edge of Nowhere doesn't allow for lingering feelings. It keeps up a rapid pace, shifting between storytelling, stealth, and action set pieces. The process of going underground, surfacing, and reliving the past through troubling visions grows familiar, but you learn to appreciate each beat for what it offers. On top of the ice, you can take comfort in the blue skies and timid wildlife as you leap and bound, free from the threat of enemies. On the other hand, you begin to anticipate the weirdness that awaits you underground, which pulls you into intoxicating despair. Above all else, the air of uncertainty that plagues the antagonist's state of mind gets under your skin and keeps you hooked. The more you learn about the past, the more doubts you have about the present, resulting in an increasing number of haunting visions and unanswerable questions.

Edge of Nowhere is a model example of how to integrate traditional gameplay into VR.

At the end of my journey, I was gripped by what I had seen, and thoroughly impressed by how it unraveled before me. Edge of Nowhere is a model example of how to integrate traditional gameplay into VR, striking a wonderful balance between showcasing the capabilities of Rift and delivering engaging action. Familiar though the challenges may be, they're made exciting by stirring set pieces and surprising visions, both of which are amplified in VR. Insomniac Games has a storied history that includes many beloved games and franchises, and with Edge of Nowhere, that legacy grows stronger.

Excubitor Review

God save the Antares!

Excubitor is one of the more clever takes on old-school, top-down shooting we’ve seen in some time. After a few minutes with the game, its mix of classic arcade-style gameplay with modern tower defense mechanics seems so logical, you’ll wonder why there haven’t been more attempts at this cross-genre combination.

Across four planets and over a dozen levels, players must pilot their upgradeable Hammerhead ship to hold back waves of drones, protect their mothership, and build up defenses. Similar to games like Kingdom Rush or Defense Grid 2, the giant maps feature numerous spots for building a variety of towers. As in a standard tower-defense game, Excubitor gives you a moment at the beginning of each level to lay down your defenses and then (usually) a short period of rest between waves to build more towers, upgrade current towers, or dismantle unneeded structures.

The difference between this and the average tower-defense game is you control your ship directly at all times. You can’t rely entirely on automated weapons, especially when the action heats up; there’s a frenetic pace to the game that frequently requires you to be in two or three places at once. This is especially important to remember when it comes to the Antares--your mothership. While the Hammerhead can be regenerated if it gets destroyed, once the Antares is destroyed, it’s game over.

There are plenty of layers of strategy to manage in Excubitor, and they keep you on the edge of your seat. Building up defenses around the Antares is almost always the top priority since it can be quickly overwhelmed if you aren’t paying attention. Having to focus on defense creates a welcome and different feel compared to traditional 2D shooters, where you simply scroll forward while destroying everything you can. With nine distinct types of towers to build, there's ample room for experimentation to see what weapons work best for any given situation.

These towers range from anti-air missiles and machine-gun batteries to EMP pulses that slow ships down, and even a powerful laser weapon that bounces from enemy to enemy. Building anything requires power, however, which can be problematic. You’ll start each level with a certain amount of construction energy, and you can earn more by building a generator. But you have to sacrifice space typically reserved for turrets to do so. Balancing your defense with the need for more power is a constant battle, lending Excubitor a spare, but effective bit of resource management.

Maps also contain elements that can potentially help stem the tide of overwhelming enemy forces. Levels often feature environmental hazards and traps like huge fuel tanks that can be destroyed to create a circle of fiery death, mine-throwing plants to help beat a giant boss, and other interactive tools of destruction. It’s a nice addition to the game that allows for consistently satisfying destruction.

But Hammerhead remains your best weapon through the game. This spunky little ship can be upgraded from top to bottom and supports a variety of weapons systems. There are 17 in all, many of which are unlocked over time. The ship has two weapons slots to outfit with disparate items Standard machine guns and rockets are effective standbys, while the shotgun-like weapon provides a satisfying sense of power at close range. The more sci-fi weapons, like the multi-targeting Tesla coil, feel ripped straight out of classic shooters like Raiden. Flame and ice throwers are a creative touch that let you simultaneously freeze and fry when both are equipped, which is terrific fun if only for short-range use. Your ship can be upgraded to be tougher, faster, and more offensively effective as well, and all weapons can be further enhanced with three or four tiers of upgradeable options.

Levels are also packed full of goodies to find. Every destroyed drone and building provides the currency necessary to buy and upgrade new weapons between levels, and there are specific caches that can be activated for other bonuses. Many of these bonus stores require you to hold your position for a period of time, so there’s a trade-off between focusing on your primary objective and sticking it out for more collectables.

Levels are designed to force players into risk/reward situations, where frequently crossing from one end of the map to the other is a necessity. Backtracking isn't tedious because there’s enough exploration and action in each level that it feels almost like a roller-coaster ride. Certain objectives might be in one corner of the map, while the Antares is on the opposite side and potential riches can be scattered anywhere in between--all while multiple waves of enemies are approaching.

These planet excursions each end with a boss battle--nail-biting events that require the precise use of towers, environmental traps, and speed. Since you’re simultaneously trying to destroy a giant mechanized terror and keep the Antares alive, boss battles feel like wars of attrition. You’ll constantly be trying to whittle down the boss spacecraft’s defenses, wait for its weak spot to appear, and damage it. There’s also the added complexity of rushing around to rebuild destroyed defenses and, most importantly, keep the mobs of drones from overwhelming the Antares. Even on the normal difficulty setting, these boss levels are trying, frantic exercises, but beating them is immensely satisfying.

Fast action and strategy define Excubitor, and the smartly-designed levels and customization options encourage experimentation with the different weapon load-outs. Excubitor is a great action game that deftly mixes two distinct genres into one great new flavor.

The Way Review

Time to resurrect my dead wife.

A lone man stands tall among hundreds of gravestones. His hunched shoulders and back, and the slight grimace on his face indicate the burden of impending peril. He grabs a shovel and starts digging. You can spot an intimidating city skyline in the distance, with gloomy clouds suffocating the sky. Eerie, synthetic piano notes play in the background. “Her grave..,” the man whispers. He quietly moves through the cemetery, beginning his tumultuous journey to discover a way to bring back the dead.

What is the meaning of life, and how far would you go to hold onto your loved ones? The Way asks these two age-old questions throughout its intriguing narrative. The premise is simple and familiar, but The Way sprinkles enough clever story beats and surprises to avoid predictability. The beginning chapters show promise, offering inventive puzzles that make great use of your character’s strengths and weaknesses. These obstacles require patience, thought, and the ability to accurately retrace your steps. The puzzles during the game's opening hours range from simple tasks, such as deciphering riddles and acquiring precious passwords, to unlocking hidden doorways and passageways in dangerous locations. Early on, you sneak into a security building crawling with deadly robots and cameras armed with lasers. Avoiding the detection while crawling through vents and hitting switches makes for thrilling James Bond-esque moments.

All your character can do at this point in the game is jump, crawl, and fire a gun--if he has one. It’s this simplistic approach that makes The Way a momentarily delightful experience. One early challenge requires you to find a way to disable streams of water so you can reach your destination. There are curious, bright green numbers placed above each stream. Switches that stop water from flowing are hidden in a different room, and also have the same numbers. I had to figure out in what order to hit the switches based on their placements above each stream. It took some time to solve, but it felt gratifying when I finally did.

The Way unfortunately devolves from this type of level design in favor of mundane trial and error. Where the earlier puzzles give subtle clues, later obstacles offer almost nothing in the way of hints or direction. You’ve no knowledge to refer to, and you end up stuck on a puzzle that can only be solved through banal repetition.

The Way further discourages you when it combines these poorly-designed obstacles with haphazard mechanics. At one point you acquire the ability to use a shield that deflects laser beams. The shield, when deployed, is difficult to wield with skill, and it has to recharge between uses. One of the worst puzzles in the game tasks you with precisely deflecting lasers with your shield towards small tiles in order to create a complicated circuit. This took me an hour to solve due to the cumbersome nature of the shield, and because I had no clue which tiles to hit first. This bogged down the game's swift pace. From then on, the puzzles grew progressively more boring and confusing. Thankfully, the story and characters are fascinating enough for you to keep playing.

A beautiful, happy moment.

The small handful of characters you meet along your journey are all eccentric, and play a vital role in the plot. A group of barbaric, colorful villagers you encounter in an ancient village wear strange masks, and can’t speak English very well. You also partner up with an orange behemoth-like creature nicknamed “Tincan.” The highly detailed, pixelated settings and character models, and the synth-like sci-fi musical score further enrich the excellent worldbuilding and storytelling. No environment or level looks the same, from decaying graveyards and ancient caverns, to sunny sand-swept deserts and bright green forests.

Making your torturous, long trek across planets and galaxies to discover the key to the afterlife can be fascinating. It's a psychological examination of the human spirit and mind, and what we’re truly capable of when we can’t accept our losses. You have to spend several hours solving frustrating puzzles to see it through, but The Way’s poignant story is worth the occasional struggle.

The Solus Project Review

The tribe has spoken, it's time for you to go.

The Solus Project is a survival game with a mysterious story to tell. You play as an explorer who crash lands on an alien planet during a search for mankind's next home, and with your survival on the line, you have to traverse a strange, deserted world and find a way to communicate with other voyagers. Along the way, you discover the land isn't as benign as it first seemed; it houses numerous dark secrets. It's an interesting premise that's ripe for excitement and intensity; however, it doesn't come together in a satisfying story and is rarely, if ever, engrossing.

The world you're stranded on is bleak and desolate, and the area you explore is a collection of islands, so much of what you see are coastal areas with beaches and large cliffs. You'll also explore creepy caves, which are nigh impossible to navigate without a source of light. The environments don't look particularly outstanding, but some of the weather effects can deliver moments of awe. The first time I saw a tornado, I was left with my mouth open in astonishment. The weather can be daunting and dramatic, assisted by music that swells and crescendoes with the wind. Tornadoes are joined by meteor showers and lightning storms, but the danger of the extreme conditions was moot--it wasn't hard to avoid death at the hands of the vicious weather.

The story is delivered through brief and infrequent monologues, and through stone tablets that your computer-like device translates. Much of the storytelling is also conveyed through audio logs your protagonist records. But despite the fact that you come across notably crazy sights, your character almost never acknowledges them when delivering her verbal assessments, focusing instead on minor, seemingly mundane details.

While there isn't any combat to speak of, you are in a constant battle to survive, and it's crucial that you stay on top of your hunger, thirst,fatigue, and body temperature. You regain health by sleeping or consuming special items. Monitoring temperatures is a critical task as it's easy to succumb to hypothermia or heat stroke, which can quickly put your life in jeopardy. With the right supplies, you can generate heat or cold as needed. Despite having to manage a host of physical conditions, survival comes easy as long as you pay attention, which unfortunately undermines any feelings of desperation the game attempts to evoke.

Your primary objective during missions is typically to get from point A to point B, and though you regularly come across puzzles or obstacles, they're usually easy to resolve. You have access to tools that can help you complete certain puzzles, like a hammer that can break down walls or a teleport device that shoots discs you can teleport to. Some puzzles can be solved through remembering patterns, while others require you to use the teleport device. However, my solutions often felt like I was cheesing my way through the game. In a lot of cases, I would hammer the jump button to slowly but surely make my way up a mountain or constantly shoot the teleporter discs until one finally made it through a crack or over a wall, which would allow me to teleport to them, then move on. Instead of feeling smart after solving a puzzle, I felt like I achieved the solution by pushing on something over and over until it worked.

At least the game's extreme weather conditions look awesome.

Sometimes you're left to explore rather than chase a distinct objective, and this isn't immediately a bad thing, but The Solus Project does little to inspire you to roam the planet's open spaces. At best your curiosity is rewarded with supplies, tools, or slight stat improvements. I never found myself struggling to survive, so many of these items ended up sitting in my inventory. There are times when you come across items that seem initially useful--like a rope that can be used for climbing--but you may never find a practical use for it. The Solus Project pushes you to explore, but it fails to reward your efforts in meaningful ways.

The Solus Project tries to bring story and survival together in an engaging way, but it ultimately falters in this attempt. It has moments of wonder, but they're divided by what is mostly monotonous wandering from place to place. It's a disappointing game with a lot of missed potential, and it doesn't convey a good story or the rewarding feeling of surviving against the elements.