The Shore VR

About

The Shore VR is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Ares Dragonis and was released on February 14, 2022. It received negative reviews from players.

"The Shore: Awake VR" is a narrative-driven, exploration game set in a mysterious coastal town. Players uncover the story of a missing child while navigating surreal landscapes and interacting with ambiguous characters. It's a hauntingly beautiful journey that questions reality and explores emotional depths.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

37%

Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews

story4 positive mentions

gameplay5 negative mentions

The game features a beautiful atmosphere and stunning visuals, effectively capturing the Lovecraftian theme.
Exploration is rewarding, with many Lovecraftian artifacts and a rich story that immerses players in the mysterious island setting.
Despite its flaws, some players found enjoyment in the game, appreciating its potential and hoping for future updates to improve the experience.

The VR implementation suffers from significant technical issues, including constant stuttering, poor controls, and bugs that make the game frustrating to play.
Many players reported that the game is unplayable on various systems due to crashes, frame rate drops, and unresponsive mechanics.
The lack of intuitive controls and guidance leads to confusion, making it difficult for players to interact with the environment and progress in the game.

gameplay
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
47%
33%
The gameplay of this VR title has received significant criticism for its poor mechanics and lack of optimization, particularly in combat and puzzle elements, leading to a frustrating experience for players. Many users feel that the game requires substantial improvements and polish to meet modern VR standards, with some expressing disappointment in its simplistic gameplay and technical issues. While the atmospheric elements are appreciated, the overall execution has left players wanting more depth and functionality.
- “So focusing on polishing VR game mechanics over combat could have made more sense for such a great atmospheric composition.”
- “Gameplay is very simple.”
- “They will most definitely need the time to mold this assortment of poorly functioning mechanics into a video game.”
- “The big downside is the terrible implementation of some of the VR game mechanics and puzzle-related mechanics.”
- “Then there are two combat sequences featuring the worst combat mechanic I have ever experienced in a VR game.”
- “Pretty bad VR mechanics for what is to be expected on a VR title today, also spatial audio levels were all over the place. I can't really speak for the story because I was simply not able to endure the horrid gameplay.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The game's story is praised for its immersive and realistic Lovecraftian elements, creating a deep sense of horror and insignificance that enhances the VR experience. Players feel actively engaged in the narrative, which is rich and well-written, with numerous nods to classic Lovecraft works. However, some users noted that gameplay mechanics and technical issues detracted from their overall enjoyment of the story.
- “I believe this game could be one of the strongest candidates to represent how realistic immersive storytelling can be elevated to the highest level in VR.”
- “The story, the look (not just graphics-wise but the absolute horror and insignificance that every Lovecraftian creature makes you feel), and the fact that it is not just a spooky walking simulator like a lot of recent horror releases such as Amnesia: Rebirth.”
- “I felt like I was part of the story, not just playing it.”
- “If you go in expecting any sort of AA or AAA gameplay mechanics and a long story, you're going to leave a real negative review.”
- “Pretty bad VR mechanics for what is to be expected on a VR title today; also, spatial audio levels were all over the place. I can't really speak for the story because I was simply not able to endure the horrid gameplay.”
- “The story is well-written.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
77%
8%
15%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised, particularly in VR, where it delivers an exceptional and immersive experience enhanced by its visual style, music, and creature design. While the Lovecraftian theme is effectively conveyed, some players feel that the game lacks polish in mechanics, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. Despite these issues, the game's ambiance and ability to evoke a chilling, isolated mood are consistently highlighted as standout features.
- “The atmosphere is exceptional, especially in VR.”
- “After the updates, the game shows its true potential; it has great atmosphere and really delivers the Lovecraftian theme in the right way. I love the fact that you can collect information and read the backstories of those who ended up on the island.”
- “The theme music and the voiceover style perfectly complete the mood within a realistically isolated atmosphere.”
- “It has a chilling atmosphere and a fitting soundtrack.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
33%
42%
The optimization of the VR version of the game is widely criticized, with users reporting significant technical issues such as stuttering, inconsistent performance, and poor visuals compared to the flat-screen version. Many players find it frustratingly unplayable, citing severe frame rate drops and nausea, and call for urgent improvements from the developers to enhance the overall experience. Despite its potential, the game currently suffers from a lack of optimization and polish, leaving players disappointed.
- “I'm running a Cosmos Elite with Index controllers on a 1080 Ti and I've never had a VR performance issue before, even when running much better looking games.”
- “Interestingly, I got better performance with the Index, where resolution 300% worked relatively fine, but even with supersampling 2.5, the CV1 was challenged, providing 45 fps.”
- “Overall, this is a great Lovecraft VR experience already, even if it's in early access.”
- “Terrible optimization, inconsistent performance, fps dips, very nauseating, cannot play longer than 10 minutes.”
- “The constant stuttering makes it unplayable.”
- “This game has the potential to be a top tier VR experience, but with its awful controls and terribly optimized game, it's anything but that.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
28%
27%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the visuals and sound design as impressive, while others criticize the VR implementation for poor performance, low-resolution textures, and various bugs. Although the aesthetic aligns well with the Lovecraftian theme, many players feel that the graphics do not significantly improve upon the original version and suffer from technical issues that detract from the overall experience.
- “Great graphics and sound design.”
- “Currently I am impressed with the visuals, the sounds, and the overall idea and usage of the mythos.”
- “Graphics are awesome, mostly.”
- “I was looking forward to seeing this in VR, but the visuals are worse than on flatscreen and the performance and controls are awful.”
- “The graphics are virtually the same as the original, just now in VR, but the frame rate is what really destroys this game on top of the other bugs I forgot to mention, like misaligned hands.”
- “There were some issues with graphics settings, low-resolution textures, textures not loading, random crashing, invisible walls, lack of interactivity with the world, and a couple of others.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant bugs, visual glitches, and frame rate issues that detract from the overall experience. While some players find the exploration aspect enjoyable enough to overlook these problems, others describe the game as a "buggy mess" that is currently unplayable. Overall, players are advised to be prepared for troubleshooting and potential frustration due to the game's instability.
- “Very buggy and frame rate problems.”
- “But this is unbearable in the amount of lag spikes, glitches with the hands and just not a fun experience for your eyes.”
- “I realize this is an early access release and the developers have stated they are working hard to address issues, but this is currently a buggy, completely unplayable mess right now.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The music in the game is highly praised for creating a dense and immersive atmosphere, effectively complementing the visuals and enhancing the overall mood. Reviewers highlight the chilling soundtrack and voiceover as standout elements, contributing to a realistic and isolated experience, despite some criticisms regarding the game's polish and VR implementation. Overall, the music is considered a significant strength, with many rating it exceptionally high.
- “The theme music and the voiceover style perfectly complete the mood within a realistically isolated atmosphere.”
- “The visual style, the music, the atmosphere, and creature design are all top-notch.”
- “Yes, it's clearly unfinished and unpolished right now, but the environments, the soundtrack, the monsters, and the general feeling of it is amazing.”
- “It has a chilling atmosphere and a fitting soundtrack.”
- “very dense atmosphere, accented by music and creepy sounds.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally engaging, likening its mysterious atmosphere to that of "Lost," which enhances their sense of immersion and connection to the narrative.
- “The game made me feel like I was in an episode of 'Lost,' with so much mystery on the island.”