Last week at San Diego Comic-Con, I surprisingly got to play way more VR games and experiences than I had expected. While some of the bigger names that had been announced included Marvel Powers United VR, which had lines congesting the show floor, other titles were in a separate offsite location that had been designated for VR games and experiences. One of those titles was a very charming physics based puzzle game called Bounce.
Created by Steel Wool studios, Bounce challenges the player with figuring out how to get our little round shaped friend from point A to point B in one action using ramps, trampolines, pipes and other tools. Early on players will be tested for learning the mechanics of each tool and using them to the best of their ability. Once the player has hopefully gotten the hang of the mechanics, they add a new layer of depth. And that are the objects in the environment that will move to obstruct your path, which will then test the player’s skills when it comes to timing.
My time with Bounce was sadly limited due to having other appointments lined up in my day. However, it is definitely one of the games that naturally brought a smile to my face as I warped around the level collecting tools and adjusting them repeatedly to guide my little friend to safety. The physics in Bounce are amazing, to say the least. Each action in the game plays out just as it would in real life, I had to estimate in my head how far each ramp would throw my round friend and how the angle would affect its trajectory.
Bounce is a puzzle solver’s paradise. And while the early stages are often solved in around 5-15 minutes, the later stages have had some players stumped for multiple hours at a time, according to Steel Wool. The beauty of Bounce’s difficulty is that it’s all relative. While some players may struggle, others will breeze through it. And it’s all depending on their ability to recognize patterns and utilize the tools placed in front of them efficiently. Bounce and its excellent Portal-esque puzzle-solving gameplay have me eagerly waiting for its full release.
Bounce currently has no official release date. But there is a demo available to download via Steam for both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
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