Nature Treks VR
- May 4, 2017
- John Carline
Get on Steam"Nature Treks VR" is a virtual reality exploration game that allows players to discover and relax in various natural environments, such as islands, forests, and oceans. With a variety of wildlife and weather conditions, players can customize their experience and find tranquility in soothing surroundings. The game also includes a meditative soundtrack and interactive elements to enhance the immersive experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Beautifully crafted environments that provide a relaxing and immersive experience.
- Offers multiple options for changing weather and time of day, enhancing the meditative quality.
- Great for showcasing VR technology to newcomers, with a peaceful atmosphere and calming music.
- Lacks sufficient content and interactivity, leading to a quickly repetitive experience.
- Graphics and animations can be low quality, with issues like animals clipping through objects.
- Controls can be confusing and unintuitive, detracting from the overall experience.
- music88 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as soothing and relaxing, enhancing the immersive experience of the various environments. However, many users expressed disappointment with the repetitive nature of the tracks across different settings, wishing for more diverse and contextually appropriate music selections. Additionally, there are requests for better sound design, options to adjust music volume, and the ability to incorporate personal music tracks for a more customized experience.
“The music is soothing and not distracting, and if you simply want to hear the sounds of nature, the music can be turned off.”
“Beautiful selection of natural places, calm and relaxing music, tons of stuff to interact with.”
“The music is the cherry on top of the cake, really zen and perfect to just chill.”
“And each of the environments all get the same music... it's fine music but I was really hoping for more appropriate selections for each world, such as more oriental sounding music for green bamboo, etc. The sound design needs a lot of work; pretty much all the sounds need to be replaced with much better and longer loops that are more appropriate for the environment they are meant to emulate.”
“The sound design is pretty bad as well—the sound effects sound very stock and 'flat,' and the music gets too loud or annoying at times (I had to turn it off entirely).”
“The music soundtrack that is added can be toggled off - I would have preferred to have an option to reduce the music volume so that the other sounds of birds etc. are more prominent - though if you wish you can always play your own music in the background at a different volume (via your PC music app, not related to this app).”
- graphics85 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful environments and immersive sound, while others criticize the poor animation quality and graphical glitches, particularly with animals. Many users note that while certain scenes are visually stunning, there are inconsistencies in detail and clarity, leading to a lack of realism. Overall, the graphics are seen as a highlight for some, but disappointing for others, particularly in comparison to other VR titles.
“Wonderful graphics, immersive sound.”
“The graphics are beautiful and there are many scenes to choose from.”
“The graphics: as I said before, they're breathtaking and some of the best in VR right now.”
“The graphics are either vague, coarse or just cartoonish and the animation is ridiculously crude and stuttery!”
“Far from immersing you in a realistic virtual environment, you are an observer of poorly imagined, badly animated graphical scenes that disappoint rather than amaze.”
“In the island scene there are graphics missing for the flowers, they show up as ghost images with no color or details.”
- story14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game lacks a traditional story or quest-line, offering no goals or objectives, which some players appreciate for its relaxing nature. While the controls can be challenging initially, users eventually adapt, finding it suitable for unwinding rather than engaging in a narrative experience. Overall, it serves as a chill VR environment rather than a story-driven game.
“There is no goal, objective, or story, and I absolutely love that.”
“This is where you go to relax before your next mission in the next action game that you play on your PC or the next diaper you change in real life.”
“It has no story and barely anything to do, but if you want to just chill in VR and relax, then you found your 'game'.”
“There is no goal, objective, or story and I absolutely love that.”
“It is not a game in the story/quest-line sense.”
- atmosphere14 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its calming and immersive qualities, enhanced by high-quality sounds and impressive lighting. Players appreciate the ability to toggle time and weather settings, which further enriches the experience of exploring nature and observing wildlife. Overall, it is recommended for those seeking a relaxing virtual reality environment.
“Relax and explore as you surround yourself with nature, observe animals and take in the atmospheric sounds.”
“The atmosphere is so calming and truly feels like you're there.”
“I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a relaxing VR atmosphere.”
- optimization12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews; while some users report smooth performance even on minimum spec PCs, others experience significant frame drops on systems that meet the recommended specifications, indicating a need for further optimization. Additionally, there are suggestions for improvements that could enhance immersion without compromising performance. Overall, the graphics are generally well-optimized, but critical performance issues persist for some players.
“The graphics are well-optimized.”
“Firstly, for anyone concerned about comments that it is not smooth - I have a minimum spec PC (FX8350 CPU & R9 290 graphics) and so far I have seen no stuttering or audio issues.”
“Critical performance issues (massive amount of dropped frames) on a computer that meets spec, badly needs optimization.”
“Critical performance issues (massive amount of dropped frames) on a computer that meets spec, badly needs optimization.”
“If they could at least linger for a little while, and 'fade' over time (as to not kill performance), it would help with immersion.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Nature Treks VR is characterized by its lack of traditional mechanics, focusing instead on exploration and immersion in serene environments. Players can freely navigate beautifully designed maps, but some feel it lacks structured gameplay, reducing it to a visual experience rather than a game in the conventional sense. Overall, the emphasis is on enjoying the tranquil settings rather than engaging in typical gaming challenges.
“Nature Treks VR removes all the distractions of modern gameplay and allows me to enjoy serene worlds.”
“Love the new environments and free motion mechanics.”
“This isn't a game, there's no gameplay, it's just a bunch of maps you can walk around and say 'wow' and you will say wow!”
“I mean, even World of Warcraft just put the same mechanic into its game, where there's an item you pick up that spawns butterflies which come land on you.”
“This isn't a game, there's no gameplay, it's just a bunch of maps you can walk around and say 'wow' and you will say wow!”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for having numerous bugs and glitches, including problematic controls and visual errors such as animals walking through trees and inappropriate seasonal graphics. While some players noted minor issues, the overall experience is marred by these stability concerns.
“Terrible controls that hardly work, very buggy.”
“There are some graphic glitches and slightly blurred areas.”
“There are some small glitches/visual errors like animals walking through trees, but that is about it.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is heavily criticized, with users feeling that it exploits players by offering little value in return for their money, especially given the lack of updates since 2018, leading to perceptions of it being abandonware.
“The last time this festering turd of an experience was updated was in 2018, so it's basically abandonware now, with the idle dev doing nothing more to earn the money he is scamming out of poor saps like me who got drawn in by the advertising hype.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is impacted by the perceived size of the animals, which some players feel diminishes their connection and realism, as they compare them to real-life experiences at a local zoo. This discrepancy can lead to a less immersive emotional experience for players who have a strong frame of reference for the animals' actual sizes.
