When we see an animal for the first time, we try, perhaps unconsciously, to study it. We scrutinize it, analyze it, notice its behavior, how it relates to us and to other elements. It is a good feeling that of the discovery and knowledge of nature that we do not yet understand, and Paper Beast tries to recreate that sense of awe and wonder. It does so by inserting us into a new and particular ecosystem, populated by unknown paper creatures all to be identified. Exploration, interaction, understanding. These are the keywords of the latest virtual reality title created by Pixel Reef.
Development study, the latter, which under the guidance of Eric Chahi (Another World) has always sought peace in creativity. A meeting of imaginative people able to create something together in a serene environment. It is this working philosophy that gave life to the name Atoll, the game engine which in turn is present within Unity. Without further chatter, let's find out how this thought pattern flows into Paper Beast.
An unknown digital world
It must be admitted: it is difficult not to feel a sense of extreme confusion once the helmet of the PlayStation VR. No, not for motion sickness - which in fact we have not warned at all - but for the game itself. Right from the start we find ourselves lost in a desert land that seems almost infinite, having as the only point of reference a music player that is quite out of context. We will soon notice one though strange paper creature start walking slowly towards a direction, almost inviting us to follow it. Here it is already possible to understand a fundamental detail of the title: theabsence of indications. No well-designed goals, no lines of text. Just us and an unknown world. Very beautifull.
It is therefore necessary to look around, observe the territory and living beings and understand what to do. Excluding the first stages, this is done through environmental puzzles well thought-out, in which the player is called to analyze the situation and use what he has available to achieve a specific purpose that he himself must understand. There are times when you just have to find a way to go, others when you need to help the animals, and so on. What is most surprising are the latter. Each of them has its own behavior and reacts in a certain way to various situations. But not only that, they are also able to adapt to what is happening around them at our hands. Through a pointing system (not exactly very precise in some cases) we can interact with the lightest of them by picking them up, moving them, attracting them with secondary objects and more. Some are attracted to light, others to fire, while some present themselves as predators in search of their victims. Still others work with water or sand.
To them, on certain occasions, we can also connect particular tools, but obviously we want to leave you the pleasure of discovery. Our task, in any case, is to study them e understand how to connect all the dots to get to the end of the level. In general, the puzzles are excellent, however there are some points that are perhaps more boring or in any case less intriguing.
The game is divided into several chapters, each with a certain amount of small "internships". They are not very many and to finish the campaign, if we want to call it that, it does not take many hours. However, there is some sort of collectible that, for completists, could slightly lengthen the experience. The campaign, as you may have already understood, does not have a real history. More than anything else, it has poetics, metaphors or details to interpret, all naturally linked to the bizarre, surreal digital ecosystem made up of numbers in which we find ourselves. We are talking about a planet that originated from the accumulation of a disproportionate amount of codes, and often the title reminds us of it with skies, atmospheres and even rather disturbing events.
The soundtrack created by Roly Porter, which is in contrast with the few tracks of the Japanese band TsuShiMaMire. These two very different musical styles, taking up and confirming the words of the same Chahi, represent the same contradiction linked to the presence of data and life in the same universe. Porter's music is connected to the most cryptic and mysterious theme of the game, while those of the group to the concept of life and birth, also symbolizing its more lively and extravagant side.
A world at our feet
Let's leave the chapters aside and let's analyze another important component of Paper Beast: the sandbox mode. Here we are a bit like a scientist who carries out experiments in his laboratory. We have in fact a large terrain to modify as we wish, as well as a very pleasant and functional pop-up interface, on which it is possible to juggle various categories of elements. Fauna, flora, objects e weather. The latter are able to radically change the landscape around us, even if what is most interesting is to see how everything reacts to what we do. We can let our imagination run wild and experience the interaction between various animals and the game world.
Le changes to the territory include the addition or removal of sand, water or rock, whether in small or large quantities. In this way it is possible to create ponds in which some Papyvorus will go to water, mountains of sand appreciated by small insects and so on. In the long run, what we do becomes an end in itself, but it is still a nice way to get to know the ecosystem of the work even more.
Paper Beast represents the fascination of exploring a new world and what characterizes it. A perfect title for virtual reality, which allows that immersion useful to fully appreciate what its main purpose is. It remains very niche, however we believe that everyone can remain a little fascinated by a land that allows you to start an adventure in complete ignorance and, using once again the words of Chahi, finally be able to get a 'natural idea of everything.
