The Climb (2016)

 PC
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. Edge Magazine
    Jul 24, 2016
    60
    It all makes it an even greater shame that you'll sometimes feel compelled to jump off and end it all. [Tested with Oculus Rift; Aug 2016, p.116]
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  2. Game Informer
    May 3, 2016
    58
    It can sometimes be literally painful to make your way up to the top of the mountain, but the reward is impressive. Being in VR adds a level of believable mobility where you can track and admire the progress you make by pausing and looking around. I felt like I was up high, and the reward of getting to simply look around when making it to the top is one worth pursuing. Some of my favorite moments involved trying to figure out where the ambient sound of birds or helicopters were coming from as I looked around, taking a break from the climb. Unfortunately, the impressive vistas were not enough to keep me from dreading the next ascent. [Tested with Oculus Rift]
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  1. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Jul 1, 2016
    This is good VR. Let there be more of it. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

User Reviews

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User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 22
  3. Negative: 4 out of 22
  1. Cuke
    May 5, 2016
    7
    I'm a climber with moderate experience with both outdoor and indoor climbing. I can say that the game captures the feeling of the thingI'm a climber with moderate experience with both outdoor and indoor climbing. I can say that the game captures the feeling of the thing reasonably well. I found my palms sweating from the heights, my face from the constant (real life) leaning and crouching. The soothing immersive nature of real climbing is there, where you focus only on the wall in front of you and quickly lose track of everything else, including the ground below. Some mechanics are a bit arbitrary, like chalking/stamina, and all holds are more or less equally good - crimps and slopers exist, but the difference is mostly aesthetic.

    The game certainly felt familiar to me, but one of the most important aspects of climbing is missing: balance. A lot of holds in real life are untenable unless you approach them from the right angle, but here anything you can reach is fair game, and stretching up or crouching down will expand your reach. (Could be balance is introduced later, I've only played the first two levels.)

    All in all, $50 is a bit steep for a game that includes only one relatively shallow gameplay mechanic. It's an impressive experience, and probably something you'll want to break out for friends, but I don't see a whole lot of depth or replayability. But this really is the new generation of VR, with games built to be experienced rather than with VR support thrown in as a gimmick (I'm looking at you, Lucky's Tale).    … Full Review »
  2. MadGf
    May 8, 2016
    6
    Cool visuals. Good sense of height. Not much depth. My neck hurt after 10 minutes of playing and totally got VR headache from too muchCool visuals. Good sense of height. Not much depth. My neck hurt after 10 minutes of playing and totally got VR headache from too much lateral movement within the game.… Full Review »
  3. IShowUBasics
    May 9, 2016
    0
    50 Dollars for 1-2 hour gameplay. After that you already saw everything and it gets repitive and boring fast. Its also much to easy, they50 Dollars for 1-2 hour gameplay. After that you already saw everything and it gets repitive and boring fast. Its also much to easy, they should at least have some challenging gameplay included. Also your neck hurts very fast after some minutes gameplay. Maybe it will be better with the 3d controllers releasing in the future, but it still wont be worth 50 dollars. It looks like the "real" games wont release in the next future...… Full Review »
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