Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl

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Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl is a single player action game. It was developed by Google Inc. and was released on October 19, 2017. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Pearl VR follows a girl and her dad as they crisscross the country chasing their dreams. It’s a story about the gifts we hand down and their power to carry love. And finding grace in the unlikeliest of places. EMMY AWARD in INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING. OSCAR NOMINEE BEST ANIMATED SHORT.

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Single-Player

Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl screenshot

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95%

Audience ScoreBased on 234 reviews

story59 positive mentions

gameplay1 negative mentions

The story is emotionally impactful, beautifully depicting the relationship between a father and daughter, and often leaves viewers in tears.
The animation and visuals are charming, creating an immersive experience that enhances the storytelling.
It's a free experience that showcases the potential of VR as a medium for storytelling, making it accessible to a wide audience.

Many reviewers argue that it is misleading to categorize this as a game, as it lacks meaningful interaction and gameplay mechanics.
Some users experienced technical issues such as low frame rates and nausea due to rapid scene transitions, detracting from the overall experience.
The short duration of the experience (around 6 minutes) left some players wanting more content and depth.

story
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
39%
3%
The story aspect of the game is widely praised for its emotional depth and engaging narrative, focusing on the touching relationship between a father and daughter. Reviewers highlight the effective use of VR to enhance storytelling, with beautiful animation and music that complement the short but impactful experience. While some note its brevity and non-interactive nature, many agree that it leaves a lasting impression and is worth experiencing.
- “Artwork and sounds are excellent, and the story itself is engaging and touching.”
- “This short experience shows the great capabilities of virtual reality in storytelling.”
- “The story although only a total of 6 minutes long takes you on an amazing, emotional adventure.”
- “The experience left me deeply impressed - even though it only takes you along for a couple of minutes, it had a much deeper impact on me than I thought it would and I was close to tears when the story was over.”
- “It's a non-interactive story about a girl and her father and tells the part of their lives as they grow older from the perspective of inside the father's car.”
- “The story itself is excellent, but the app is in desperate need of optimization.”
emotional
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of this VR experience is widely praised for its profound and touching storytelling, often eliciting tears from players. Users describe it as a heartwarming journey that effectively conveys themes of love and familial bonds, enhanced by excellent artwork and music. Many reviewers highlight the immersive nature of the experience, which deepens the emotional impact, making it a memorable and relatable adventure.
- “Profound, moving, touching.”
- “I cried for the first time in VR.”
- “The immersion really brings the emotional impact home, being right there with the people as the events unfold, watching the man settle down for his daughter to give her a home, watching her grow up.”
music
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
53%
9%
The music in this VR experience is widely praised for its emotional depth and quality, enhancing the touching narrative of a father-daughter relationship. Reviewers describe it as a beautifully crafted music video that effectively combines storytelling with heartwarming acoustic tracks, creating an immersive and atmospheric experience. While some found the music to be merely "okayish," the overall consensus highlights its ability to evoke strong emotions and complement the visuals.
- “This is a sort of music video - exceedingly well done, and... it may make you cry.”
- “So much excellent storytelling and music for such a short piece.”
- “This is a touching little music video (in VR).”
- “It's like a music video, the music is okayish but the narrative is fairly dull with quite a few bits I couldn't understand.”
- “Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl isn't so much of a game as it is an animated music video that you can watch play out all around you.”
- “- generic music”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
31%
19%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their excellent artwork, engaging art style, and vibrant colors, creating a captivating atmosphere. However, some users noted technical issues such as frame drops and fuzzy visuals, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these concerns, the unique art style and animation were highlighted as standout features.
- “A very nice experience with good graphics and animation.”
- “When I first saw the images in the store, I wondered how the art style could possibly translate to 3D, but to my surprise, it still looks amazing and keeps the stylistic charm as well.”
- “It lasts roughly six minutes, but within that time an entire 20 years unfolds before your very eyes, all in bright, captivating colors and a unique art style.”
- “Blocky graphics might be a style, but it detracts from the overall experience.”
- “This video drops more frames on my desktop PC with a dedicated RX 480 graphics card and Oculus Rift than it does on my OG Pixel phone with the Daydream headset.”
- “Graphics seemed a bit fuzzy.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The gameplay is criticized for lacking meaningful interactions and structured gameplay loops, rendering it more akin to an art exhibition than a traditional game experience. Overall, players find it devoid of engaging gameplay elements.
- “There are no gameplay loops in this rejected art school dropout exhibition, no 'gameplay', no meaningful game-like interaction.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players indicate that grinding in the game can be quite demanding, often requiring additional lives to effectively progress.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its emotional depth and creativity, complemented by stunning visuals and an engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- “Emotional, creative, atmospheric, and accompanied by good music.”
- “The visuals create an amazing atmosphere.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report a positive experience with optimization, noting no performance issues and a well-executed story.
- “I didn't encounter any performance issues, and the story is pretty well done.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl is a action game.

Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl is available on PC and Windows.

Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl was released on October 19, 2017.

Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl was developed by Google Inc..

Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl is a single player game.

Similar games include Google Spotlight Stories: Age of Sail, Allumette, TREE, Google Spotlight Stories: Son of Jaguar, Sheepy: A Short Adventure and others.

Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl

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