Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin' Gallery
- October 28, 2016
- Spectral Illusions
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin' Gallery" is a 25-minute VR horror experience for HTC Vive. Armed with a flashlight and six-shooter, explore an abandoned haunted mine while fighting off supernatural enemies. The game features both on-foot and on-rails sequences, and its high-speed, thrilling nature may cause motion sickness for some players. Vive Headset and controllers required. Available for Arcades on SpringboardVR and SynthesisVR.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a thrilling and immersive experience, combining elements of a haunted mine ride with shooting mechanics.
- The graphics and sound design are impressive, creating a creepy atmosphere that enhances the horror elements.
- It's a fun game to showcase VR to friends, with plenty of jump scares and moments that will have players screaming.
- The game is quite short, lasting only about 30-45 minutes, which may leave some players wanting more content.
- There are issues with motion sickness due to the locomotion mechanics, especially during the mine cart sections.
- The reliance on repetitive jump scares can diminish the overall impact and excitement of the experience.
- graphics106 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their quality and attention to detail, creating an immersive and atmospheric experience, particularly in VR. While some users noted that the visuals are not cutting-edge, they still contribute significantly to the game's overall enjoyment, with many highlighting the effective use of lighting and design to enhance the horror elements. Overall, the graphics are considered above average, with a few critiques regarding specific aspects like darkness and movement mechanics.
“The graphics are great, the thrill is great, it's not a long game (about 1.4 hours for both the main game and the miniature train ride).”
“Graphics and atmosphere are beyond any discussion, congratulations to the devs, great job!”
“This game needs more recognition, the graphics are some of the best I've seen in VR and the game runs flawlessly on my GTX 970.”
“I found it weird because the graphics were not exactly cutting edge.”
“Not happy I spent money on this game; very basic and gave me the maddest motion sickness. Didn't last 1 minute after getting on the ride, similar movement to Dreadhalls but didn't affect me like this game, especially in the ride where you have no control of movement, just follow cart movement. Everyone to their own, but I would not recommend this. It would be good if they had a demo to try. Visuals good but movement not good.”
“I do wish the rock-wall graphics and the water had a higher poly count.”
- atmosphere58 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and creepy qualities, enhanced by excellent graphics and sound design. Players appreciate the dark, claustrophobic settings that build tension and deliver effective jump scares, although some feel that the reliance on jump scares can detract from the initial atmospheric buildup. Overall, the combination of sinister ambiance, engaging level design, and a compelling premise creates a memorable experience for fans of horror.
“The overall atmosphere and sound really give a full immersive experience.”
“The immersion and creepy/scary atmosphere is fantastic as you journey through the mine popping off your six shooter at anything and everything as you go.”
“This game starts off promising, but the atmosphere the first minutes builds is quickly ruined by jumpscares.”
“The dark, claustrophobic atmosphere only enhances the tension and dread that you'll be feeling while peeking around every corner and dodging every out-of-the-blue thrown axe that comes at your face from the darkness beyond.”
“Creepy atmosphere with a handful of jump scares thrown in.”
- gameplay54 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is immersive and engaging, featuring a mix of shooting and horror elements, though it is relatively short at around 30-40 minutes. Players appreciate the walking mechanic over teleportation, enhancing immersion, but some experience motion sickness and performance issues. While the game offers plenty of jump scares and intuitive controls, many reviewers express a desire for more complex gameplay and smoother performance.
“Not the fanciest graphics or anything, and not the most complex gameplay, but it is an immersive experience that really hits the spot.”
“However, it is the movement mechanic for me that makes the game so good - I am fed up with teleporting in other games and losing the immersive experience.”
“The game mechanics are very natural and intuitive -- flashlight in the left hand, six-shooter in the right.”
“The game itself is fine for a VR game, but because of the short duration of the experience and its relatively small amount of gameplay, you should consider carefully about buying the game.”
“The bad part of this game is that it does not run smoothly (i7, 16GB RAM, 1060 GTX) and there were several hourglasses during gameplay where my rig was trying to catch up to the game.”
“Graphics are great (for a VR game), sound is intense, but the effects could be a little better (directions are hard to make out), and the gameplay is very simple; also, you cannot save.”
- story42 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game features an intriguing story that unfolds as players progress, transitioning from a seemingly simple carnival ride to a darker narrative filled with atmospheric elements and jump scares. While some players appreciate the backstory and thematic depth, others feel the plot is basic and requires effort to uncover, with mixed opinions on its overall complexity and engagement. Despite its brevity, the story enhances the gameplay experience, making it more than just a shooting gallery.
“It's a great VR horror game, with an interesting story.”
“At first, the main game mode appears to be a simple carnival game on a mine cart, but then it takes a very dark turn (the real story), which is where the real fun begins, so don't exit quickly thinking the game is just a dull riding game.”
“You have a good back story, atmospheric setting, a great shooting gallery introduction, a truly excellent mine train ride, and a few scares and surprises along the way.”
“There is a story here, but you have to want it.”
“They fleshed out this theme park and story, but it ended up being just 30 minutes of copy-paste scares (like, 100 times).”
“It doesn't have the RPG element and story that some other games do, but it's non-stop fun.”
- replayability40 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find value in completing challenges or watching others experience the scares, many note a lack of significant replay value due to static gameplay and limited choices. Completionists may enjoy hunting for collectibles, but the absence of scoring systems or varied levels detracts from the incentive to replay. Ultimately, it serves well as a one-time experience or a fun demo for friends, but it may not hold long-term appeal for solo players.
“You can also find skulls scattered across the game, which gives some replayability for completionists.”
“This game is an amazing jump scare game, got me a good few times... it's definitely worth the money even on the replay value it gets you again and again, plus watching friends and family jump is always fun.”
“There's some replayability, and I guarantee you will have a ball watching other people play it!”
“Once done, no replay value.”
“Also almost 0 replayability because this is a rail shooter, without score or achievements, no choices, so why play it again?”
“No replay value I'm afraid :) get Serious Sam VR for that!”
- optimization12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's optimization appears to be inconsistent, with some users experiencing smooth performance on higher-end setups, while others report stuttering and lag, particularly during specific scenes. There are suggestions that the code may require further optimization to alleviate CPU strain and improve overall smoothness, especially for configurations that are not specifically supported.
“The game seemed to be well optimized when played with HTC Vive on a mostly up-to-par PC.”
“I didn't have any performance issues on a 1080 SC.”
“It might be because of the stuttering effects during cart riding scenes; it's not laggy, just not smooth.”
“Perhaps the code needs to be optimized to reduce CPU strain when loading data.”
“Oh, almost forgot, this game was not supposed to be optimized for WMR, just Oculus or Rift, but I took a chance and it played on my Reverb G2 just fine.”
- emotional10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report a strong emotional response to the game, experiencing feelings of nostalgia and fear that evoke childhood memories. The immersive mechanics, particularly the flashlight's erratic behavior, contribute to a sense of anxiety and discomfort, leading to moments of crying and screaming. Overall, the game effectively elicits intense emotional reactions, reminiscent of thrilling experiences from youth.
“I cried, screamed, and lost my lunch, just like I was 12 again!”
“I cried out a few times like a little girl!”
“Made me feel like I was at Disney without a doubt.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is praised for its blend of realism and comedic elements, effectively incorporating funny and cheesy horror clichés alongside genuine scares. Players appreciate this balance, noting that it enhances the overall experience without causing motion sickness.
“Really realistic and funny.”
“Loved it - some good scares, some funny/cheesy horror clichés, and I didn't feel motion sickness like I do on roller coaster games.”
- stability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability with impressive performance and visuals, showing no judder even without reprojection on an RX480. However, some users have noted that the object-picking physics are inconsistent and exhibit bugs.
“It runs great and looks great, with zero judder even with reprojection off (RX480). I'm very impressed.”
“The object pickup physics seem to be off and are a bit buggy.”
“The object pickup physics seem to be off and are a bit buggy.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is characterized by an eerie atmosphere that enhances the overall experience, effectively complementing the consistent jump scares and surprising moments. This combination contributes significantly to the game's immersive and unsettling ambiance.
“The eerie music and consistent jump scares really bring this game home.”
