Trials on Tatooine

About

Trials on Tatooine is a single player action adventure game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by ILMxLAB and was released on July 18, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Commence your Jedi training in this Star Wars virtual reality demo experience. Repair the Millennium Falcon, defend it from attack by Imperial Stormtroopers, and wield a lightsaber.

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Single-Player

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79%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,132 reviews

graphics39 positive mentions

optimization9 negative mentions

graphics
123 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
50%
18%
The graphics in this game are generally considered average to poor, with many users noting blurriness, low resolution, and outdated visual fidelity even on high settings. While some appreciate occasional strong elements like the Millennium Falcon or R2-D2 models, frequent graphical glitches, lack of optimization, and minimal visual detail detract from the overall experience. Despite a few standout moments, most feel the visuals fall short of contemporary VR standards and could benefit greatly from an overhaul.
- “The experience manages to put you on Tatooine, using amazing graphics, the official music, and it achieves this by incorporating several Star Wars elements - wield a lightsaber, meet R2D2, repair the Millennium Falcon and defend it from Imperial stormtroopers.”
- “A truly brilliant VR experience, not even joking it's extremely well made and has great graphic fidelity, I'm only annoyed that the buttons on the ship were just beyond my physical wall but fortunately the experience can go on automatically even though I couldn't press them when it told me to.”
- “Honestly this is really well done, very tightly programmed, very clean graphics, and a lot of fun all the way around.”
- “Graphics are poor and glitchy.”
- “Even if you're a Star Wars fan, the graphics are absolutely abysmal.”
- “Graphics were extremely fuzzy beyond a few feet (stormtroopers looked like a blob of pixels) and approaching the chaperone bounds caused my HMD to bug out (strobing black frame drops).”
gameplay
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
82%
4%
The gameplay in "Trials on Tatooine" is extremely limited, lasting only about 2 to 5 minutes and primarily involving simple button presses and a brief lightsaber segment. While the lightsaber mechanics receive praise as some of the best in VR, the overall experience is more of a short tech demo or scripted sequence with minimal interactivity and no real replay value. Most reviews highlight the brevity and simplicity of the gameplay as a significant drawback, despite the appeal to hardcore Star Wars fans.
- “Easily the very best lightsaber mechanics I have ever seen in a VR title.”
- “Best lightsaber mechanics out there so far.”
- “Not much to say here apart from that it's literally about 5 minutes of actual gameplay but it's the first VR game that's got me to say 'woah' as many times as when I first used the Vive.”
- “The whole thing lasts about 10 minutes, and the gameplay is mostly limited to pushing a few buttons and a short lightsaber segment.”
- “I'm disappointed that they didn't add any replayability to it, because at the moment it's just a scripted experience where the core gameplay lasts about 2 minutes.”
- “The graphical quality is very poor, even on high, the gameplay is effectively 15 seconds of pressing light-up buttons and then deflecting lasers for a minute and it's over.”
story
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
80%
7%
The story in this VR Star Wars experience is notably very short and simplistic, typically lasting only a few minutes with minimal interactivity or impact on gameplay. While praised as an interesting tech demo and a potential glimpse into immersive storytelling in VR, many users found it rushed, underdeveloped, and lacking depth or meaningful narrative engagement. Nonetheless, it offers a fun, if brief, taste of Star Wars canon and atmosphere.
- “A well executed short story in the Star Wars universe… and it’s free… what’s not to like?”
- “It's a lot of fun to be able to live out a little of Star Wars canon in VR and pretend you're part of the epic story.”
- “Obyviously very short but a great tech demo to build confidence in VR as a storytelling medium.”
- “Despite this being set up as a story experience, there's no explanation for what you're doing there.”
- “If I'd paid for it, I'd be pissed; the plurality of the word 'trials' suggests some other tasks and there's even story set up for you to train with Luke Skywalker as he reforms the Jedi Order (this is an extended universe/legends game, not a post-Disney blecchhhh game); however, this is just a quick game of blaster pong with a few stormtroopers and then the credits roll.”
- “The story itself is so short that you'll be playing something else soon, so you wouldn't want to hassle with the controllers while wearing your VR headset.”
optimization
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
29%
53%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, causing frequent stuttering, dropped frames, and poor performance even on high-end hardware. Visual quality is often low or blurry, and many users experience degraded resolution and compression artifacts, which collectively detract from the overall experience.
- “Performance: On an i7 5820k and Fury X, I expected to get at least decent performance.”
- “Short little vignette; needs performance work, but pretty awesome.”
- “Maybe a more simple and stylized approach could be used for the sake of both performance and improved visuals given the low resolution in the HMD.”
- “It's an interesting idea, but I haven't been able to get around terrible performance problems.”
- “[=] Wondering how 2GB+ of download can be so poorly optimized when there isn’t much to see and the visuals are bad compared to other VR experiences (low/medium was usable with a 780 GTX; the highest setting was barely better visually but was a slideshow).”
- “I am running a GTX 980, and this is the only VR game I've played on the Vive that experienced terrible hitching, stuttering, and compression artifacts.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The music is widely praised for its iconic Star Wars themes that significantly enhance immersion, excitement, and atmosphere. Key moments like wielding a lightsaber or the opening scrolling text, accompanied by the official soundtrack, evoke strong nostalgic and emotional responses, making players feel truly part of the Star Wars universe. Overall, the soundtrack and sound effects are considered essential and highly impactful elements of the game experience.
- “The music, sound effects and location are all iconic and pretty much carry this to a recommend.”
- “All in all I got goosebumps (literally, not joking) when R2 handed me a lightsaber and the music played just right at that time; I felt like a Jedi then started to deflect blaster shots.”
- “But the soundtrack and sound effects are amazing, and you really feel part of the story.”
- “Besides that rush I get every time the yellow text starts scrolling and the music swells, I found very little to excite me in this very demo-y demo.”
- “The music kicks in and I don't care if I suck with a lightsaber, I was having a blast.”
- “Got pumped up on the music.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
50%
33%
The game offers minimal replayability, primarily due to its short, scripted experience and lack of achievements or substantial gameplay variety. While it may appeal to Star Wars fans for a brief playthrough, most users find little incentive to replay it beyond the initial session. Some moments, like lightsaber combat, show potential, but overall the replay value is quite limited.
- “It lasts maybe four minutes, but it has great replay value.”
- “Come on LucasArts... bring me a full-length version of this... the lightsaber vs stormtroopers alone is a game mode with a lot of replayability!”
- “I'm disappointed that they didn't add any replayability to it, because at the moment it's just a scripted experience where the core gameplay lasts about 2 minutes.”
- “The replayability is near nil as barely anyone would be willing to go through that long and tedious intro for a few seconds of lightsaber action.”
- “It's worth a download if you're a Star Wars fan, but like me, you will uninstall it 10 minutes later after you've beat it once because there is no replayability.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes strong and varied emotional responses, ranging from joy and heartfelt moments to intense distress and frustration. Despite its brief duration, it leaves a lasting emotional impact on players.
- “Sure it only lasts 5 minutes, but I cried at the end, so there's that.”
- “This game almost made me cry.”
- “I cried out in joy when my lightsaber turned on.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
17%
The atmosphere is generally praised for its immersive soundscape, effective music, and empowering lightsaber sequences that capture the Star Wars vibe well. However, some users felt the visuals and colors appeared artificial, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the atmosphere succeeds in creating an engaging, albeit brief, experience.
- “A nice little atmospheric experiment that lives through its soundscape and the short lightsaber sequence that makes the user feel empowered through their ability to deflect blaster fire.”
- “The lightsaber part played great, and because of the great background music, the atmosphere was just right.”
- “I think they really nailed a great atmosphere and I personally had a blast.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game is notably buggy and laggy, with limited interactions and lacking features like lightsaber fighting. Despite these stability issues, it still delivers an authentic Star Wars experience, though it feels more like a tech demo than a polished product.
- “It's just a tech demo; it looks nice but is quite buggy.”
- “Buggy and laggy, but still a genuine Star Wars experience.”
- “Very limited interactions (push some buttons and extend lightsaber... that's it), no lightsaber fighting, buggy, and a bloated file for such a short 'experience'.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is considered tedious and time-consuming, with a long, unskippable intro that discourages replayability; players find the wait for the lightsaber action frustrating due to the lack of fast-forward options.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The replayability is near nil as barely anyone would be willing to go through that long and tedious intro for a few seconds of lightsaber action.”
- “No fast forward option, resulting in a tedious and long wait to reach the lightsaber part.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization is criticized for feeling like an overt advertisement rather than a genuine game, with users describing it as a short, promotional tech demo lacking meaningful gameplay.
- “This is not a game, it's a tech demo and advertisement for the Star Wars movie.”
- “This experience feels more like an advertisement without a point rather than a fun experience.”
- “Not some super short cash grab!”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is appreciated for being smart and genuinely funny, adding to the overall enjoyable experience. Some players find amusing moments in gameplay mechanics, like slow laser blasts, which also contribute to the charm.
- “Great experience, smart and funny.”
- “Very funny.”
- “A little funny watching laser blasts come so slowly, but I don't have Jedi reflexes, so it's a necessary handicap.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

Trials on Tatooine is a action adventure game with science fiction theme.

Trials on Tatooine is available on PC, Virtual Reality, Windows, Cloud and others.

Trials on Tatooine was released on July 18, 2016.

Trials on Tatooine was developed by ILMxLAB.

Trials on Tatooine has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its optimization.

Trials on Tatooine is a single player game.

Similar games include Lightblade VR, Star Wars: Droid Repair Bay, Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin and others.

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