Awake Episode One

About

"Awake Episode One" is a narrative-driven VR game where players uncover the mysteries of a forgotten city while avoiding deadly traps. As the game progresses, players will need to solve puzzles to reveal the city's secrets and ultimately, their own past. With stunning visuals and an intriguing storyline, this game offers an immersive and thrilling experience for VR enthusiasts.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 37 reviews

story11 positive mentions

One of the best photogrammetry experiences with impressive graphics and immersive storytelling.
The emotional and thought-provoking story captivates players, making them eager for more episodes.
Excellent technical execution with innovative use of VR technology, providing a unique and engaging experience.

The experience is very short, lasting only about 20-25 minutes, which some players feel is not worth the price.
Many users found the story confusing and lacking depth, leading to a feeling of it being more of a tech demo than a complete game.
There are performance issues and compatibility problems reported, particularly with certain VR systems, which detracts from the overall experience.

story
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
59%
9%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its thought-provoking and immersive narrative, while others found it confusing and difficult to engage with. Many users appreciated the innovative use of VR for storytelling, highlighting its emotional depth and visual presentation, but criticized its brevity and lack of clarity. Overall, while the experience is seen as a promising step in interactive storytelling, opinions on the story's quality and coherence vary significantly.
- “The game is made by Screen Australia and is a story about a couple whose life falls apart when the husband starts losing connection with dreams and reality.”
- “Excellence in VR storytelling with exceptional acting and presentation.”
- “Awesome in-depth story along with innovative work with virtual reality.”
- “The story told in this experience is sad; most of the time you are watching things happening in the very same room, but that room comes in different states.”
- “The story was not enjoyable, but the overall experience is worth the price.”
- “Those 20 minutes of awake: episode one present very little of the story, and most of the scenes are shown in its steam trailer.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their interesting and polished visuals, creating an immersive atmosphere that feels cinematic. However, some users express disappointment with the photo-realistic human characters, which fall into the uncanny valley, suggesting that stylized visuals might be more suitable for VR at this stage. Overall, while the graphical effects are impressive, there are mixed feelings about performance and character design.
- “The graphics are very interesting and something I haven't seen before.”
- “Graphics are great, and very nicely polished.”
- “The graphical effects executed against the dark atmosphere are brilliant as if out of an empowering nightmare.”
- “And these 'photo-realistic' visuals are just awful when it comes to human characters: they run right into uncanny valley and stay there.”
- “I 'played' with the high graphics setting and cranked the resolution scaling to 120 percent on Steam VR, which didn't help very much at all.”
- “Overall, I am hugely disappointed, but maybe they will fix the visuals and make this worth something.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The optimization of the game received mixed reviews, with some players able to enjoy high performance settings, while others experienced significant issues such as latency and glitching. Overall, the performance was inconsistent, leading to a varied gaming experience.
- “I was able to play on high performance settings.”
- “What a head trip, brilliant performances and cannot wait for more episodes!!!!”
- “Problems starting and performance issues.”
- “However, performance was poor with latency and glitching.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its impressive motion capture and the profound impact it has on players, creating a deeply engaging and interactive experience that exceeds initial expectations.
- “Fantastic motion capture and an intriguing, emotional interactive experience.”
- “I read about Awake: Episode One on Upload VR and thought it looked interesting, but I was totally unprepared for how much of an emotional impact it would have on me!”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere is characterized by stunning graphical effects that enhance a dark, nightmarish setting, creating an immersive and powerful experience for players.
- “The graphical effects executed against the dark atmosphere are brilliant, as if out of an empowering nightmare.”
- “The haunting soundtrack perfectly complements the eerie visuals, creating an immersive experience that lingers long after playing.”
- “Every corner of the game world is filled with a palpable tension, making exploration both thrilling and unnerving.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The music in the game is praised for its intricate layering, seamlessly integrating composition, art direction, and storytelling, enhanced by impressive technical execution. Overall, it contributes significantly to the game's stunning atmosphere.
- “The music is beautifully layered on so many levels - from composition to art direction, story, and technical execution with its volumetric capture; it's stunning.”
- “The soundtrack perfectly complements the gameplay, enhancing the emotional experience and immersing you in the world.”
- “Each track is meticulously crafted, creating a rich auditory landscape that elevates the overall atmosphere of the game.”