Mount Wingsuit is one of those games that is fun in short spurts, but feels more like a tech demo for what VR can do than a full fledged game. I enjoyed it, and the price is budget and matches the content pretty well. With the proper expectations set, I found this to be a positive experience more often than not.
It is clear that the visuals were designed with virtual reality in mind. There are some nice options in there to help make sure the visuals are pretty comfortable, but in the end you are simulating a lot of fast, long falls. And crashes. While the player doesn't look terribly gruesome post crash, I will admit that there are still times in cringe and close my eyes moments before my character makes an unpleasant-sounding impact with a hard surface.
The game's premise is simple, but enjoyable. You start from a variety of different drop points (which you can unlock more of as you play, along with acquiring different types of wingsuits) and sail down the side of mountains, playing through a variety of different tasks. Maybe you just want to explore, looking for a landing pad someplace while taking in the lovely scenery. Maybe you want to take on over/under challenges where you have to weave up and under various obstacles.
Of course just sailing at a steady descent would make for a pretty bland experience, so I appreciate that the game gives you some variety. You can earn more points by hugging it close to the mountain and or pulling off successful flips and barrel rolls. I am not going to lie - doing one of these too close to a surface can be pretty disorienting. Also, trying stupid tricks probably caused three quarters of my deaths in this game, as the change in angle can often cause you to lose control of your character, quickly careening towards the ground without any real opportunity to pull out of it. The survival mode deserves a nod, because it is pretty insane and actually is the most game-like mode of everything here. Different weather with fog to obscure your sightlines, wind that messes with your descent - and more all serve as obstacles to success.
This is all pretty intense stuff, and being a virtual reality game the visuals have to hold up, and they do. If what you are looking for here is a sense of speed and falling? Congratulations, because the Oculus certainly pulled that off for me - hence the aforementioned cringing from time to time. Now, I will say that I had no issues with motion / VR sickness from this game. Cringing? Absolutely. But with the settings jacked up to maximum, I still never had any issues with the visuals making me queasy (outside of splatting myself). The audio is pretty simple stuff, with wind whistling past your ears to help drive the sense of speed home.
The controls work well enough. This is one of those titles where you use a controller and it is pretty basic. Use the stick to try and move in one direction hard, use triggers to slightly drift and hold a button while using the stick to either flip or roll. It is all simple to do, which is good - though not easy to execute. Especially later in the game when new wingsuits add some serious speed to the game. I suspect the earlier suits are meant to be slower to help ease players into things, and to that end it works well as a progression tool in a title that doesn't have a ton of other game progression elements.
I enjoy my time with Mount Wingsuit when I fire it up. It is more of a quick fix title, something I pull the VR headset into place for fifteen to thirty minutes now and again. Sometimes I want to tackle some crazy survival challenges, others I simply drift about making it an almost casual experience as I try to discover new sites previously unseen. Still, if I am being completely honest, while it is fun, Mount Wingsuit is still a pretty shallow experience. Controls are simple, the game is easy to learn, but aside from a handful of unlockable items, there is not a whole lot to do or look forward to. The price point is fair, making it an above average VR experience, but not the most memorable of games.
Game Information
PC - Oculus Rift
Developer(s):
Ninja Whale Studios
Publisher(s):
Ninja Whale Studios
Genre(s):
Action
Sports
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
None
Source:
Purchased or Provided by Publisher
Article by Nick
