Compatible with Vive, Oculus Rift, and Index.
Paper Beast, the acclaimed VR ecosystem sim from Another World and From Dust creator Éric Chahi, will be making its way to PC this “summer” following its PSVR debut earlier this year.
Developer Pixel Reef describes Paper Beast as a “dreamlike odyssey” through a “wild simulated ecosystem, born from lost Internet data”, which, in more practical terms, manifests in several forms. Central to the experience is the more traditionally structured Adventure mode – focussed on overcoming obstacles by engaging with the fascinating creatures that inhabit its surreal world – and that’s accompanied by a freeform Sandbox mode, enabling players, in their digital omnipotence, to sculpt the terrain, manipulate the weather, and interact with flora and fauna.
“It’s transformative,” wrote Eurogamer’s Christian Donlan in his Essential review, “a game for your inner Attenborough…There will be a hurdle to get across in the landscape, and there will be creatures nearby creaturing about. This is my favourite moment of each sequence, I think, working out where I want to get to and what’s blocking me, and then just watching the wildlife, waiting for its patterns and moods and talents to make sense.”
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“Because it’s VR,” he continued, “you really live with these creatures. They are right there in the same space as you. When they’re tethered and you free them, you’re really the one doing the freeing. When you’re up high and the path is treacherous, it really feels treacherous. This is a landscape full of fantastical surprises, but VR helps to make it feel substantial and convincing.”
If you’re a PC VR player who’s been eyeing up Paper Beast with some degree of jealousy since its PSVR release earlier this year, your patience is about to be rewarded. Paper Beast will be available through Steam, Oculus, and Viveport when it comes to PC this summer, and will be compatible with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift/Rift S, and Valve Index.
