Bootstrap Island
- February 22, 2024
- Maru VR Productions
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Bootstrap Island is a single-player Simulation game that offers an exceptional roguelike survival experience in a beautifully rendered 17th century setting. With dynamic, physics-based gameplay and randomized resources, every player's experience is unique. As you progress, unlock new resources and uncover the island's secrets in this compelling, consequence-based narrative."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features stunning graphics and immersive environments that enhance the survival experience.
- The mechanics of breaking coconuts, building fires, and using weapons are satisfying and realistic.
- The developers are responsive to community feedback and have made improvements, such as extending the day length.
- The day/night cycle is too short, making it difficult to gather resources and explore before nightfall.
- There is a lack of inventory management, forcing players to carry items in their hands, which can be cumbersome.
- The game can feel repetitive, with a limited variety of activities and challenges, leading to a grindy experience.
- gameplay77 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this game showcases a mix of innovative mechanics and frustrating limitations, with many players noting its potential hindered by repetitive loops and short day cycles that restrict exploration. While the core mechanics are praised for their realism and depth, issues such as poor controls, lack of inventory, and a stressful pace detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game is considered engaging and immersive, particularly in its early access state, with hopes for future content and improvements.
“This game is loads of fun, realistic gameplay, interesting challenges, and a master class in the genre.”
“Even in its early state, it's beautifully polished and atmospheric with a fun main mechanic of daytime exploration and nighttime defense.”
“The mechanics are incredibly ingenious for the most part and it'll definitely become one of, if not my favorite game in the future.”
“A promising game held back by frustrating mechanics.”
“The gameplay loop is that you make a fire, sit in a corner, then do it again because the days are maybe 5 minutes long, so you can't explore, which is counterintuitive.”
“Not fun, especially since the gameplay itself is so repetitive and boring; all there is to the game is figuring out how to survive the night.”
- graphics60 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics in this VR survival game are widely praised for their stunning detail and immersive quality, often described as some of the best seen in VR. Players appreciate the realistic environments, vibrant lighting, and impressive physics, although some report performance issues and lag, particularly on lower-end hardware. Overall, the visuals significantly enhance the gameplay experience, making it a standout feature of the game.
“The graphics are truly insane; if you have the computer to run it, the graphics in this game are truly mind-blowing, especially for a VR game.”
“The graphics are gorgeous, and the VR physics in this game are really good.”
“The graphics are some of the best I have seen in VR.”
“Some graphics options would be nice; I hated the blurriness in the distance. LODs were good though.”
“Way too laggy; I had all my graphics on the lowest with a 3060 Ti and it was still unplayable.”
“There are some FPS problems, for example at night when there are creatures, but it also gets worse as you play. Things like bodies, charcoal from burnt wood, coconut shells, and burnt food never despawn, causing a lot of lag even on the lowest graphics.”
- story44 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed feedback, with many players praising its immersive and intriguing narrative, while others feel it lacks depth and content, especially in its early access state. Some users highlight the engaging lore and character commentary, which enhance the experience, but there are calls for more story elements and progression. Overall, while the potential for a compelling narrative is recognized, players express a desire for further development and content expansion.
“Great game! Love the detail, love the graphics, and love the story. This is the best game I have ever played.”
“This game is insanely underrated just because it's in VR. If you're at all interested in a high-performance, insanely realistic-looking VR survival game with in-depth mechanics, unique enemies, and an actually interesting story and setting, this is the game.”
“Amazing game! I love how the story expands as you discover the world. The commentary is great as well and adds a slight humor to the game but doesn't break immersion. This is my favorite VR game and easily in my top two.”
“The game is in early access and the story does not go very far yet.”
“Realistic and good physics and mechanics in the game, really enjoyed it, hope more content would be added in the future as I thought there wasn't enough story and things to do in the game.”
“I think this game would excel with more story, what's the deal with the volcano?”
- optimization15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including long load times and stuttering, even on high-end hardware. While some users appreciate the stunning graphics and potential for optimal performance with certain VR headsets, the overall consensus is that the game is hindered by poor optimization, making it difficult for a majority of players with standard VR setups to enjoy. Many are hopeful for future performance patches to address these concerns.
“This game is insanely underrated just because it's in VR. If you're at all interested in a high-performance, incredibly realistic-looking VR survival game with in-depth mechanics, unique enemies, and an actually interesting story and setting, this is the game.”
“Stunning graphics and great optimization with some good physics.”
“Fortunately, the game uses OpenXR and will provide optimal performance no matter if you use Index or Meta HMDs.”
“If you pick up a coconut or stab a crab or walk 5 steps, I hope you're ready to pay the punishment of sitting on a load screen of 5 minutes. Great game, but absolutely terrible optimization that doesn't allow 95% of people with affordable VR setups to play. Absolutely do not recommend.”
“Performance on my 4070 Ti is not great; even on low settings, it stutters every half minute or so. Over time, it gets worse and worse until the game crashes out around the 3-hour mark.”
“Also, this game needs to do a lot more optimization. I have above minimum requirement specs, and there is no way this is running on minimum.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 88 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and polished design, creating a tense and thrilling experience during both daytime exploration and nighttime defense. While some players note that the graphical fidelity may not match AAA titles, the sense of discovery and engaging locations more than make up for it, contributing to an overall captivating ambiance.
“Even in its early state, it's beautifully polished and atmospheric with a fun main mechanic of daytime exploration and preparation and nighttime defense.”
“While the graphical fidelity may not rival that of its AAA counterparts, the palpable sense of atmosphere and the thrill of discovery more than compensate for any visual shortcomings.”
“Fantastic locations, graphics, and atmosphere, and quite a challenge!”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is generally described as buggy, which is expected given its early access status. While some users report minor glitches that do not significantly detract from the experience, others experience more severe issues, particularly with compatibility on lower-end systems like the Oculus Quest 2. Overall, the game shows promise but requires further optimization to enhance stability.
“You need the highest-end VR and PC just to walk in the game. I have a high-end PC and an Oculus Quest 2, and my game just glitches out every half a second. If this is a problem with compatibility, please make it playable on Quest 2.”
“Update 2: This game has a really cool feature where it puts you back at the start every time you finally get it running, and that's coupled with an even cooler feature where the game freezes and then you have to relaunch it.”
“The graphics and physics are great, but it can be buggy (early access).”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game is noted for its effectiveness, particularly during tense moments, such as when enemies attack, enhancing the overall atmosphere. However, some players feel that the soundtrack could be improved to elevate the gaming experience further. The transition in music signals changes in gameplay dynamics, indicating when combat is over, which adds to the strategic elements of the game.
“To put it simply, if there are enough beasts, the music kicks in (which is really good for some reason) and they start dive bombing you, avoiding the fire as much as possible.”
“As soon as you hear a change in tone of the music, it means the combat is over. Even if the enemies are still in front of you, you can just drop your weapons and get moving.”
“Overall, it's a good game, but soundtracks would make it much better.”
“I will say that once you learn to make the fire before the scary music starts playing, you've mastered the most lethal part of the game.”
“Also, every night after about two nights, you'll get attacked and it will play battle music. However, if you have a fire, the beasts will rarely actually run at you and attack. Even then, you can't really fight back as far as I could tell; I loaded like five shots into one of those bat things and it didn't seem to affect it at all. They'll only attack you that one single time.”
“As soon as you hear a change in the tone of the music, it means the combat is over, even if the enemies are still in front of you. You can just drop your weapons and get moving.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is seen as a mixed bag; while it has a solid foundation and an engaging gameplay loop, many players find it lacking after the initial hours, particularly those who are not inclined to play in hardcore mode. A score of 7/10 reflects this sentiment, suggesting that improvements are needed to enhance long-term engagement.
“The gameplay loop and replayability is amazing as well.”
“Replayability - 7/10”
“The game has a really good foundation to build upon, but right now it has very low replayability after the first few hours, especially for people who don't normally play hardcore mode in games.”
“The game has a really good foundation to build upon, but right now it has very low replayability after the first few hours, especially for people who don't normally play hardcore mode in games (for example: if you die, you lose your character and have to start over).”
“The lack of variety in gameplay makes it hard to find reasons to replay the game after completing it once.”
“Once you've experienced the main story, there's little incentive to dive back in, as the side quests feel repetitive and uninspired.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often feeling like a chore due to the need for constant resource management and preparation for survival. While the game's realism is appreciated, many users express a desire for additional features like multiplayer and farming to enhance the experience and reduce the grind.
“The 'rogue-like' approach, food/drink, and day/night cycles just make it a grindy chore - die a lot (put in hours), and you can have equipment!”
“It's just tedious moving like a football field's distance then having to prepare for night or auto death.”
“These are definitely weapons VR could only do correctly without it just being a tedious and long animation.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a strong concern among users regarding monetization, with many fearing that the developers may prioritize profit over quality, labeling the game as a potential cash grab similar to others in the VR market. There is skepticism about the game's future and its likelihood of achieving a full release.
“Hopefully the devs keep going and don't just cash grab like all the other VR devs.”
“I hope this is not just another VR cash grab that is plaguing the VR marketplace.”
“This is a pure cash grab; it will never see the light of day in a full release. How do I know?”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional response to the game, often feeling frustration and helplessness due to gameplay mechanics that lead to challenging situations. Despite these difficulties, the emotional weight of the experience is significant enough that many find it deeply affecting, even leading to tears, yet they still consider it worthwhile.
“This game makes me want to cry myself to sleep every time, but it's worth it every time.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is subtly woven into the narrative and commentary, enhancing the experience without detracting from immersion. Players appreciate the lighthearted moments, such as amusing interactions like hitting a funny dog with a rock, which contribute to the overall enjoyment of the game.
“Amazing game! I love how the story expands as you discover the world. The commentary is great and adds a slight humor to the game without breaking immersion. It's amazing that the devs listen to the players. I have not died so far and have enjoyed every thrilling second of it. I absolutely recommend buying it, even in this earlier stage of the game. There is so much to discover and do. This is my favorite VR game and easily in my top two. Most definitely recommend buying it, as long as your specs are good enough to run the game.”
“10/10 hit a funny dog with a rock.”
