Pinball and virtual reality are a perfect match. Bounce Arcade allows you to use your hands instead of the paddles or Newtonian physics. Can fully 3D virtual reality stages provide the necessary replay value? Bounce Arcade will try to find the answer, even if it’s not as clear-cut as I had hoped. It’s a great feeling to use either controllers as paddles and drag the trajectory of the ball after you hit it. This saves me a lot of time when trying to aim for more difficult targets. Release Date
: Out now
Developer
Price: $19.99
When I Bounce Arcade in October, there were two things that I said it needed to be a true hit. It’s responsive, solves even more potential headache, and regaining the charge doesn’t take long.QuestThe Facts
What is it?: A stationary pinball VR game with four cabinets themed around deep space, the Wild West, a haunted house, and a pirate ship.
Platforms:
(reviewed on Quest 3)Release Date
: Out nowpreviewedDeveloper
: Velan Studios
Price:
$19.99
When I
Bounce Arcade in October, there were two things I said it needs to be a true hit. It needed to improve the stage design of its virtual cabinets. Second, it could use a few game-modifying features to help less experienced players get used to the system. The first has at least been achieved. To Velan Studios’ credit, collision detection on the Wild West stage Gunpowder Gulch is much better now than it used to be only a few weeks ago. Despite the fact that it appears to be identical, it is much easier for me to knock my ball in the direction I want it. Although a bit fiddly, the objectives are a tad easier to achieve. This stage is still not my favorite, but it’s a good beginner’s map. Asteroid Outpost is still as enjoyable as it ever was, thanks to the clear indications of story goals and minigames that are unlocked with each level. Some even throw new genres of gameplay at you, like rail shooting, piloting the stage around the ocean, or a Breakout-style asteroid smashing.Velan needs to do the same thing with their pirate ship stage, Pirate’s Plunder. Monster Manor is the most impressive of the two last stages, but the other two are mixed. The haunted-house stage has a lot to offer, and it’s a great way to end the launch. Pirate’s plunder has many of the same problems that Gunpowder Gulch had: a lack of clear instructions and a stage designed in a way that is confusing. For example, one of your story goals is to hit all the parts of the Jolly Roger located on the main sail of your ship. However, the ball passes through the entire sail. So why would you expect to see the Roger? The player is told to set sail and load cannons, but all I knew how to do was to fire my cannons while spinning the steering wheel. You can apparently engage in three different naval battles. If only there were some clear signposting to guide me along that journey. I wish there was a clear way to lead me on this journey. To see the stages and to ward off ghosts, you have to use torches. To charge the gadget that is worthy of Ghostbusters, you smack them from possessed items. The optional objectives are simple to understand, such as the Jack’o’Lantern grandfather clock. Ghosts can even steal your pinball by throwing it in unexpected angles and careening straight at you! It’s also cool to see the stage evolve, with the house growing teeth, and fighting back against you. This exploits the VR potential to be inside an arcade cabinet that moves and reacts. It is easy to use Bounce Arcade, as you only need to turn your head to watch the moving pinball. The game can be played with either hand. Both triggers are required to activate your magnetic paddles. You can choose to move, but it’s not necessary. The only real hurdles players may face are with location orientation and speed of gameplay. The only real hurdles players may encounter are with location orientation and speed of gameplay.
When it comes to the orientation of Bounce Arcade, it currently has no means to reset where it decides to set the stage in your play area, so if, for example, it decides your bookshelf is the best place to start thrusting your hands out at, you’ll have to restart the game or move some furniture to accommodate. It would be great to have a button that allows you to reset the orientation of your game. Those with more limited mobility may have issues on the harder stages – an unlimited ball mode would help with this, and would be another welcome addition.
That’s what’s so frustrating. It’s a great game! The game can be played standing up, while moving or stationary! Magnetic power-ups that help you make harder shots are a great feature! It’s disappointing that there is no casual difficulty mode or unlimited balls, but this could easily be fixed with a software update. It’s not the fundamentals that are lacking, but what is available to play them. This is disappointing, as there are excellent building blocks for a pinball virtual reality experience with broader scope. Velan has a lot of potential, and the fact that there are many minigames to go along with its story missions is a testament to this. Bounce Arcade: Final Verdict
Bounce Arcade, for what it is is fun. However, I am not convinced that it will last as an entire package. It’s one of the most entertaining VR implementations when it works. What happens when it fails? The core mechanics are so tight that it’s obvious, just like an itchy sweatshirt. They deserve more than this.
I recommend Bounce Arcade, but I hope that it grows into something even better. Pirate’s Plunder might be improved if Gunpowder Gulch is refined. But I cannot rate games based on hypotheticals. If you’re game for something novel, despite a few blemishes, then check out Bounce Arcade; just don’t expect all the stages to be winners.
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