GOLEM Review for PlayStation VR

VR is a part of gaming that is always fighting an uphill battle. Many people do not see the appeal of virtual reality, and others do not see enough quality experiences out there to make an investment. As such, I have always been on the lookout for new VR experiences to sink my teeth into, because I am one of those who believes that VR is an absolute worthwhile experience in any capacity. That is why I was very excited to get my hands on developer Highwire Games’ Golem, a game in development since the very beginning of PSVR. This game was custom-built for the device, and had plenty of time to get everything polished and ready to go. While the game looks incredibly beautiful, that just happens to be the only good part about this uncomfortable, simple virtual reality title that left me wanting to stay away rather than pick it back up.

Golem is a game about a disabled boy who gains the ability to control these massive golems. With his power, he explores the ruins of an ancient city and battles all sorts of dangerous creatures. Much like other family-based indie experiences such as Concrete Genie, Golem is a small game with a lot of heart. The story is serviceable enough, but nothing to really pay that much attention to. Where the game really shines is the aesthetic.

Golem is a beautiful game. It may not compare to regular video games’ standards, but for virtual reality, it is one of the most graphically stunning games I have ever played. The amount of detail in the landscapes and character models, the brightness and contrast, it is all really well done, and very surprising for an independent developer. This game was definitely put together very well in terms of graphical fidelity.

However, Golem’s charm quickly fades as the gameplay begins. There are two insanely large problems with how Golem functions. First off, movement in the game requires you to tilt your head forward. While they warn you against tilting too far forward, the PSVR’s limited tracking capabilities require you to often overexaggerate in order to have your character actually move, resulting in an extremely uncomfortable craning of the neck while you move at the speed of a snail throughout the world. Secondly, this game has given me the worst case of motion sickness I have ever had in VR. I cannot play this game for more than half an hour before I have to stop from nausea, even with Comfort Mode enabled. As pictured above, it just makes everything wonky, reducing your visibility to less than half of the screen. So not only are you being nauseated, but you can barely even tell where you’re going. I felt no sense of relief from the Comfort Mode versus the regular mode (which only makes the FOV bigger when moving), only more frustration when trying to figure out where the game wanted me to go.

Both of these annoyances combine to make the most uncomfortable experience I have ever had in VR. It was so slow and difficult to progress in the game that I just had no will to play it whatsoever. The combat is also very shallow and basic, and so there was just no incentive for me to bear the discomfort. It feels as if Golem was a glorified tech demo meant to show off the PSVR’s capabilities that came three years too late. But moving around by essentially using your neck is a terrible way to use virtual reality. My neck hurts just writing about it.

There’s really no reason to purchase this game; it is a pretty looking game, that much is for sure. But it does nothing to innovate in the VR space, and it is just way too uncomfortable for even those with iron stomachs. Maybe if the gameplay itself were more engaging, I would recommend suffering through it, but the game just is not that. It is a 2016 game that never came out, and they did not want to waste the money, so they gave it a fresh coat of paint and shipped it anyway. But to be frank, maybe they should have moved on. It is not a terrible game by any means; it is just not worth all of the discomfort and sickness that comes with it.

Verdict

Golem is a beautiful game that really shows off some beautiful scenery. But it has an ugly heart, riddled with severely uncomfortable controls and boring gameplay. The story is there, but not enough to bust through the game’s numerous caveats. It is just not worth it to suffer through the neck pain and motion sickness to play this game, and I would not recommend it to anyone looking for something new from virtual reality. I appreciate the dedication the developers went through to release this game, but in its current state, it is flat out unplayable.

Check Out the Golem Trailer:

Golem is available exclusively for PlayStation VR at North American retailers including GameStop, Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for $39.99.