BONEWORKS

 PC
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 136 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 113 out of 136
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 136
  3. Negative: 15 out of 136

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. MeowMix1209
    Dec 20, 2019
    7
    Boneworks is an intriguing game centered around the premise of 'physics'. It really goes to display what a full featured 'physics sandbox' could playout in VR. Unfortunately, while the physics can be viewed as a key feature, it is also a very big weak point (you'll encounter many physics bugs).
    Overall, it feels like an expanded 'tech demo' with narrative progressed using 2D video. Still    Boneworks is an intriguing game centered around the premise of 'physics'. It really goes to display what a full featured 'physics sandbox' could playout in VR. Unfortunately, while the physics can be viewed as a key feature, it is also a very big weak point (you'll encounter many physics bugs).
    Overall, it feels like an expanded 'tech demo' with narrative progressed using 2D video. Still a fun game, but far from the 'Killer App' we've been waiting for.

    Quick Impressions:
    -After completing the main campaign, the game is about a ---7/10--- when compared to other VR games releasing in 2019 (Stormland, Asgard's Wrath). To those giving Boneworks a 10, what will you give Half Life:Alyx when it releases ? A 10 suggests Boneworks is 'just as good', which is disingenuous.
    - Inverse Kinematics (IK) body: Boneworks takes a minimalist approach to IK. While more established games like Asgard's Wrath and Stormland use onboot arm-length and height calibration, Boneworks only uses height calibration. With Boneworks only using height calibration, it not surprisingly leads to more glitches with the users ingame upper extremities (example, guns chamber has collisions with your arm).
    -I will say BW reeks of Half Life and Portal influence.I am very disappointed the story narrative is told using 2D video, I'm surprised not many have mentioned this (I mean come on this is VR!)
    -Gunplay is pretty good. The most satisfying part of the game for me. They really nailed the gun mechanics.
    -Music is pretty good, I find myself spontaneously grooving down to some of the songs (I've read some say the music is better than the game)
    -The 'OMG BW = JESUS/Killer app' hype is just that, hype. Although, it's still a fun game and I would recommend it. That said, I thought the RoadToVR review was pretty good (6/10) and if anything BW makes me more hyped for HL:Alyx (especially since HL should have a much deeper and meaningful story behind it)    … Expand
  2. BathSaltZombii
    Dec 31, 2019
    7
    Not the best game in VR. I feel like people are not educated enough on other great games like Asgards Wrath or several PSVR titles to make that statement.
  3. FULLYADAMATTACK
    Mar 17, 2020
    7
    If I could give a rating out of 100, I'd say 75. I'm giving Boneworks an extra 15 points or so for being first to market with a physics based shooter. And I think this game has a lot to teach other devs, and raises some good questions and tries to answer them as best it can. Full physics for every object. Simulated weight. One button crouch/jump. But subtract the novelty and the 15If I could give a rating out of 100, I'd say 75. I'm giving Boneworks an extra 15 points or so for being first to market with a physics based shooter. And I think this game has a lot to teach other devs, and raises some good questions and tries to answer them as best it can. Full physics for every object. Simulated weight. One button crouch/jump. But subtract the novelty and the 15 bonus points I assigned to said novelty, and you're left with a game that should score a 60 or lower.

    The introductory area is far too long. You get to a point where a sign says "You should take a break every 30 min" or something along those lines. I had been playing for about that amount of time and wanted a break, so I quit the game - assuming the autosave worked at the "You should take a break" notice. Well, there is no autosave. There's no save system whatsoever. You have to play the full level in one go, and some of the levels can be over an hour - especially when looking for secrets and ammo. Also, I could find no way to pause the action in the game at all.

    The story is ... forgettable. Did it have a story? It's so tacked on and thin that I forgot it while I was watching it. I honestly don't know what was going on. The "plot" serves absolutely no point other than to fool you into believing there's something worth mentally investing in around the next corner. There isn't. It has no plot points, and no resolution. There is some finality to it, and I won't spoil anything, but it's not an ending worth playing for. However, the gameplay is what makes the game worth playing.

    Gameplay is a little rough around the edges.
    It's not polished. But it is fun. At times it felt like my in-game arm was the floppy unpredictable physics arm that belonged to the player character Jill in 1998's Tresspasser, a game that also was technologically groundbreaking with lofty ideas about interaction and physics, but ultimately was forgotten due to high system requirements, frequent game bugs, and a particularly difficult to manage articulating arm. Boneworks manages to avoid some of the troubles that Tresspasser had, but not all of them, while not having nearly an evocative a setting as a Jurassic Park game. It is cutting new territory, and for that I give it a 75.

    Note: I think Tresspasser would be the perfect IP to bring over to VR.    … Expand
  4. radixlecti84
    Aug 9, 2020
    5
    This game kinda feels like a tech demo, and a fairly janky one at that. It's great that they are trying to give you a physical presence in game but more often than not it results in feeling more clumsy than immersive.

    For Vive Cosmos users, or users with base-station free headsets you may find it impossible to use two handed weapons, devs please add a shoulder stock option so that the    This game kinda feels like a tech demo, and a fairly janky one at that. It's great that they are trying to give you a physical presence in game but more often than not it results in feeling more clumsy than immersive.

    For Vive Cosmos users, or users with base-station free headsets you may find it impossible to use two handed weapons, devs please add a shoulder stock option so that the weapon snaps in place when using 2 hands.

    I've played a fair bit of the single player, but i've kinda wandered off. I'm not sure what the story is and i've been playing it a few hours now.

    Performance for me is a bit lackluster using a 6GB RTX 2060, an intel i7-9750H and 16GB Ram.

    I'm not going to recommend it just yet, maybe if changes are made. I would wager the only reason this games score is so high is due to voter manipulation, giving the game 10/10.    … Expand
  5. Kualdir
    Feb 11, 2023
    7
    The game tries too hard to do the actual walking and put weight on the player even though it doesn't work that well. The developers are really good at what they do but they focused on the wrong things.

    If you're looking for a single player shooter and already finished half life alyx, sure get it!

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Game Rant
    Jan 7, 2020
    60
    Despite its frustrations and some half-measure design, Boneworks is still a game that is easy to recommend for VR fans. There's a lot about its immersion that other VR games could learn from, and hopefully build an overall better game around.
    Read full review
  2. Jeuxvideo.com
    Dec 20, 2019
    75
    With a really impressive engine that shines from physic awareness and realism, Boneworks brings a nice VR experience but fails to deliver a complete and bug-free game.
    Read full review
  3. 4P.de
    Dec 19, 2019
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »