The Climb is developer Crytek’s first foray into the virtual reality world, and it definitely leaves an impact. After snaking my way up to the top of a cliff in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, I felt both exhausted and like I had accomplished something great.
Using an Oculus Rift headset, The Climb makes playing simple and intuitive. You only need to control your two hands, and your hands go where you look. Pressing the triggers on your controller will have your hands grab onto any nearby ledges.
You cannot hold onto ledges forever, though, as each hold starts a countdown timer. Once the timer ends, your hands will be too fatigued and you’ll fall. You can slow down the timer by adding more chalk to your hands, but this chalk will wear off as you progress on your climb.
Gameplay is fairly simple in the sense that your goal is to go up. There are multiple paths for each climb, so there’s no right or wrong way to go. The mechanics all add up to something both engaging and easy to use, allowing you to enjoy more than just finding the next place to grab on.
The Climb really shines in the moments between climbing. As is typical with Crytek games, The Climb is visually stunning, featuring a beautiful sunset over a gorgeous tropical bay. Other small details, like bugs crawling on the cliff and leaves sitting on ledges add even more visual splendor and really help The Climb feel like you have been transported across the globe.
Perhaps the best part is the feeling you get when playing The Climb. Having reached a platform a third of the way up the cliff, I looked down over the ledge. The heights were dizzying, making me weak in the knees as I peered all the way down to the water below.
Once at the top of the cliff, I actually felt some physical exhaustion, as if my arms were tired from all the virtual climbing I had done. Small details like beads of sweat appearing on the screen when you’re moving fast add to this physical sensation, giving an incredibly immersive experience.
The Climb will launch next month as an Oculus Rift exclusive. No formal release dates have been confirmed yet.
So what do you think? Are you ready to scale new heights in The Climb? Do you think your sense of vertigo might become an issue? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
