New Heights: Realistic Climbing and Bouldering
- July 7, 2023
- Wikkl Works
Get on Steam"New Heights: Realistic Climbing and Bouldering" is a game that brings realistic climbing and bouldering challenges to life with over 120 routes across European locations. Made by real climbers, the game features physics-based mechanics that simulate balance and grip, providing an immersive and thrilling experience. Players can elevate their skills and feel the adrenaline rush as they tackle tough climbing and bouldering problems in stunning real-world locations.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a highly realistic climbing experience, closely mimicking real-life climbing techniques and body movements.
- Players find the gameplay engaging and challenging, with a variety of routes and climbing mechanics that provide a rewarding experience.
- The developers are responsive and actively working on updates, showing promise for future improvements and additional content.
- The controls can be awkward and imprecise, leading to frustrating gameplay moments, especially with stamina management and limb movement.
- There are significant issues with texture correlation and hold detection, making it difficult to identify usable grips on the climbing surfaces.
- The game is still in early access and suffers from bugs and optimization problems, which can detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay46 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its engaging climbing mechanics and realistic physics, offering a rewarding experience once players overcome the initial learning curve. While the controls can feel clunky and the UI is criticized, recent updates have introduced enjoyable features like the dyno mechanic, enhancing the overall fun. However, some players find the ragdoll mechanics frustrating and believe that improvements, such as a 3D perspective, could further elevate the gameplay experience.
“Gameplay is engaging and the physics make a lot of sense, which are really good points for a sim like this.”
“Amazing climbing mechanics, never seen before; this game is unique in its genre.”
“The core gameplay mechanic is extremely rewarding - finally completing a long challenging route without falling is one of the best computer game experiences I've had.”
“It's not even fun for what it is (i.e. a boring arcade non-simulative climbing game), because it's literally unplayable, ragdoll gameplay sucks (terrible design choice), and cherry on top is the annoying voice of the completely unnecessary narrator.”
“So on a basic level, the mechanics resemble real climbing with a decently fun implementation, although there are a few big holes in the controls (like not being able to move limbs in/out) and the UI is incredibly clunky.”
“My main grumble at the moment is with the 'ragdoll' mechanics.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their quality, especially in ultra settings, with impressive photogrammetry scans of real rock faces enhancing the visual experience. However, some users note a lack of detailed graphical settings and optimization issues, suggesting that the visuals could be more realistic given the game's climbing focus. Overall, while the graphics are decent for an indie title, the climbing mechanics are highlighted as the main attraction.
“The graphics (in ultra at least) are amazing.”
“The graphics and sound, in my opinion, are decent enough for an indie climbing sim, but I think the real selling point of this game are the climbing mechanics and the photogrammetry scans of actual rock faces.”
“Also tried it on my Steam Deck, runs smoothly on low graphics settings.”
“Graphics-wise, there should be better optimization, but I have faith that this will come sooner than later.”
“There are no detailed graphical settings.”
“The graphics should look more realistic, especially since it's only a climbing sim.”
- stability12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is currently in early access and is reported to be quite buggy, with frequent glitches that can detract from the experience. However, many players find the bugs amusing and believe the game has a strong foundation, expressing hope for future improvements and additional content. Overall, while stability issues are present, the fun factor remains high.
“Still very buggy but very fun nonetheless.”
“Game is early access and it fairly often shows, but thankfully the glitches are generally very funny.”
“On the downside, there are some glitches.”
- optimization12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many users noting issues such as unoptimized graphics and occasional lag spikes. However, some players report stable performance on lower settings, particularly on the Steam Deck, suggesting that improvements may be forthcoming. Many believe that with better optimization, the game could achieve a much higher rating.
“Could be 10/10 after better optimization and more challenges.”
“Performance wise I run this on Steam Deck and it runs steady at 40fps on lowest.”
“Also tried it on my Steam Deck, runs smoothly on low graphics setting.”
“Very unoptimized and rare but random lag spikes.”
“Bad optimization.”
“Performance-wise, I run this on Steam Deck and it runs steadily at 40fps on lowest settings.”
- story6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is seen as promising, with potential for deeper exploration through larger mountaineering quests and equipment management. However, players express frustration with the current mechanics, particularly how stamina drains during decision-making, which detracts from the overall experience.
“Hoping it develops in terms of larger mountaineering quests with equipment and backpacks, but yeah... it's good.”
“That's a different story.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game largely stems from its physics engine, which leads to awkward and hilarious character positions during gameplay. The early access status contributes to frequent glitches, but these are often perceived as entertaining rather than frustrating, enhancing the overall comedic experience.
“I almost fell out of my chair laughing when I ended up in a figure 4 move on the 2nd training climb! LOL.”
“This happens because the engine has to measure the rock and your own body, which creates some really awkward and funny positions as well.”
“The game is in early access and it fairly often shows, but thankfully the glitches are generally very funny.”
