Euclidean is an interesting idea, but one that relies heavily on the Oculus Rift to make it more engaging than it would otherwise be. Cool concepts and unique visuals help to prop up what is otherwise a somewhat simple, shallow experience.
For one, I think Euclidean hurts itself with some expectations that do not entirely line up with the game. It sells itself as a horror video game, but it is something else. That is not to say there is no tension delivered - there are some spooky, eerie moments the way games like Bioshock or The Last of Us can have scary moments without being what I would consider horror games. Euclidean however, is not anywhere near the caliber of those two aforementioned games, because it is a far more shallow experience.
Here your character is continually falling through one veil after another, dodging things on the way down. Clearly Euclidean was built with VR in mind, and to that end the visuals while nothing terribly exciting do deliver the immersion one is looking for. By contrast without the Oculus, there is almost nothing for Euclidean to hang its hat on. It is a dull, lifeless affair on a monitor, so make sure you are getting this for virtual reality. The sound of whispered voices in your ear as you continue to descend past monsters, debris, buildings and more. The idea is that you are dodging all of these items as long as possible.
The biggest issue is that the controls are pretty sluggish. That is fine I suppose - those are the 'rules' of the game and I adapted to them quickly enough. The only other interesting 'power' is the ability to momentarily phase through creatures (don't try to phase through a solid building. Trust me on that), and this prompts a short cooldown until you can tap that particular ability again. The slow, lazily drifting controls would make you feel that this is in fact a slow game, yet I seldom found myself just soaking in the strangely lit environments because doing so would almost inevitably mean I slam into something and die.
Each stage ends with a beacon at the bottom of the drop. It is a lonely, solitary experience with nothing but the strange denizens to accompany you on the way down. Fog obscures what is coming at you and helps to create the only real sense of unease beyond the voices mockingly whispering at you during your descent.
And... that is really all Euclidean has to offer. It is a somewhat short experience that is cool, but quite limited. It has a low budget price however, making it a more palatable option for owners of virtual reality, but really doesn't have much of anything to offer for those sitting behind a standard monitor. It is a short game - really a sitting or two and you know what you are getting from it - but it is a creative game that builds tension, even if it doesn't offer much in the way of replay value.
Game Information
PC - Oculus Rift
Developer(s):
Alpha Wave Entertainment
Publisher(s):
AAD Productions
Genre(s):
Action
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
None
Source:
Provided by Publisher
Article by Nick
