HOMEBOUND
- February 16, 2017
- Quixel
Homebound is a virtual reality experience best saved for the daredevils and veterans of VR. Its controls are clunky, it has a habit of leaving you spinning in the most gut-wrenching of ways with little to no warning, and its story mode instructions can be frustratingly obtuse. That said, it gives you the opportunity to experience life on a space station, and gazing out the viewport can be a shockingly powerful experience. It's difficult to resolve these dichotomies, but at the end of the day, I felt that the experience it offered was more than worth its $8.99 price tag.
Get on Steam"Homebound" is a single-player Action game with stunning graphics, built for next-gen VR. It supports both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift with motion controllers or gamepad. Experience 3 levels of intense gameplay, from deep space to Earth, in a race against time. A perfect blend of visual beauty and thrilling action, with Time Attack mode for added replayability.
Reviews
- The graphics are stunning and visually immersive, making it one of the best-looking VR experiences available.
- The game has a unique concept and potential for an engaging experience, especially for VR enthusiasts.
- The developers are responsive and actively working on updates to improve the game, showing dedication to its development.
- The control scheme is poorly designed, leading to frustration and motion sickness for many players.
- Gameplay is very short, often lasting less than 30 minutes, with minimal interaction and unclear objectives.
- Numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with hand tracking and object interaction, significantly detract from the overall experience.
- graphics29 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics in the game are frequently praised as stunning and immersive, with many reviewers highlighting the beautiful visuals and attention to detail. However, there are notable criticisms regarding performance issues, such as lag and camera shake, which detract from the experience. While the graphics are often described as some of the best in VR, the gameplay mechanics and controls are seen as significant shortcomings that hinder the overall enjoyment.
“The graphics are stunning, but the GUI is cluttered and difficult.”
“Great experience, amazing graphics and well thought out execution.”
“The visuals are absolutely stunning, the concept feels original and leaves you craving for more.”
“And let's be honest here: pretty graphics do not deceive over missing content and lack of quality!”
“The controls are horrible, the lights and graphics feel like they're burning my retina.”
“Graphically a mess and I'm running an i7 / GTX 1070 with everything overclocked.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for being inconsistent, with users reporting numerous bugs, particularly with controls and object interactions. While some glitches may be addressed in future patches, the overall experience is marred by sluggish and unreliable mechanics, especially when using VR equipment like the Oculus Rift.
“Besides the fact that this game has a runtime of less than 15 minutes, I expected the controls to be functional without glitches or getting stuck in walls. The sound is a mess as well.”
“Played with Oculus Rift; the touch controllers are still super buggy.”
“The interaction with objects and the environment is still really buggy and sluggish.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the VR game is criticized for having broken mechanics and objectives, leading to a frustrating experience, despite its appealing visuals. While some users find the gameplay entertaining, others report severe issues like camera shaking and poor control, suggesting that significant improvements are needed for a better experience.
“The gameplay works great and the voiceover is quite entertaining.”
“When I first played this game, the head-turning mechanic was terrible.”
“Gameplay is almost non-existent.”
“If you don't, then you should probably run away from this one (unless the devs patch it up a lot) - it shakes the camera intensely for most of the gameplay.”
- story5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being minimal and lacking depth, with some reviewers noting that it primarily revolves around simple tasks like "press the button." While the immersive setting and visuals are praised, the overall narrative experience is deemed weak and underwhelming.
“It's so immersive both in the storytelling and setting, I'm personally blown away by it.”
“This experience lasts no more than 25 minutes; visually it looks great, but unfortunately the control scheme is awful and the plot, as far as it has one, is minimal.”
“As the game is an experience, the story of 'press the button' is really weak.”
“Check out mission ISS (Oculus Home) or ADR1FT instead.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highlighted by stunning graphics and immersive audio, creating a believable and engaging experience that can evoke strong emotions. While many players appreciate the visual and auditory elements, some feel that the overall atmosphere, though enjoyable, lacks depth and is somewhat limited in scope.
“Graphics are stunning, the audio is really believable, and I have to admit, my palms got a bit sweaty during the atmospheric level.”
“A fun and atmospheric (although short) experience with some really nice visuals and sound.”
“It does look nice and has a good atmosphere, but that's about all it has going for it right now.”
“The graphics are stunning, the audio is really believable, and I have to admit, my palms got a bit sweaty during the atmospheric level.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the game world.”
“Despite the potential, the atmosphere fails to evoke any real emotion or tension, making the experience feel hollow.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users report that the emotional impact of the game is significant, with one player noting it induced feelings of sickness and disorientation due to the VR mechanics. This suggests that the game's immersive experience can evoke strong physical and emotional reactions.
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly at maximum settings with 2x supersampling on high-end hardware, such as the 980ti and i7-3930k.
“The game runs smoothly at max details (2x supersampling enabled) on my 980 Ti and i7-3930K.”
“I was impressed by how well the game optimized for my mid-range setup, delivering a great experience without any lag.”
“The optimization is top-notch; I can play at high settings without any frame drops, even in intense scenes.”
