Horizon Call of the Mountain

An intricate and rewarding VR climbing adventure held back by an easily forgettable story, Call of the Mountain succeeds in showing off the PSVR2’s best features but fails to leverage Horizon’s storied past.

Horizon Call of the Mountain might get lost in its own exploration with less series-defining action, but makes a strong PSVR 2 launch title that looks as great as it feels. In the process, Horizon fans finally get an immersive version of the Sundom only VR can deliver.

Horizon: Call of the Mountain is the best looking VR game to date, benefiting from the beautiful world previously created by Guerrila Games. The climbing sections provide a beautiful scenery, but lose their lustre through repetition, and leave you wishing for more combat sections, which despite being on-rails, manage to have good tactical depth. All in all, it seems to be more of a tech demo than a AAA title, but it is a very good experience for those who want to return to this universe and take their first steps in Virtual Reality.

Technically impressive spin-off with stunning vistas, solid rock-climbing mechanics and entertaining fights using bow and arrow. It plays it a bit too safe and hardly showcases some of the capabilities specific to PlayStation VR2, but does make it easy getting to terms with VR for less experienced players.

Horizon Call of the Mountain’s exciting highs elevate it just enough above its often monotonous climbing mechanics to create a fun first blockbuster entry into the PS VR 2 library.

Call of the Mountain has wonderful elements to it, and it lands the most important part - the physical experience of climbing - perfectly. Trailers and even my own video capture don't quite convey the speed and agility you feel while scrambling. Unfortunately, other parts of the game are too thin, with the inability to wander back the way you came and the constant stop-start nature of its thin narrative working against its own appeal. With some fresh ideas, huge scope, and clever adaptation of an existing property without relying on a simple remake, Horizon Call of the Mountain is an important game for VR. However, I'm not sure it's a great one.

The ongoing refrain of "familiar done well" is the defining quality of Call of the Mountain. There's nothing revolutionary in the game that moves VR gaming forward and it doesn't do anything unexpected, so it ends up being exactly what it looks like: a well-made Horizon game in VR that has good climbing and shooting, as well as pretty environments to look at. As a showcase of what can be done with the PSVR 2, it more than handily serves its purpose.

Horizon Call of the Mountain is a gorgeous game that makes a good showcase for PS VR2, only hampered slightly by its predefined limited systems for exploration and combat.

Horizon Call of the Mountain showcases Sony's shiny new hardware very well taking you on an entertaining and varied romp through the lesser known parts of the Horizon universe, but it isn't a system seller.

Horizon Call of the Mountain is not without its flaws, but it’s hard to imagine a better showcase of PSVR2’s potential than this. The core climbing gameplay is impressively executed, and it evolves just enough over the course of the campaign to remain fulfilling. We’re not a huge fan of the combat, and the plot is practically impenetrable unless you’re a franchise die-hard, but these niggles don’t necessarily deter from the overall satisfaction you’ll feel as you scale rock-faces several hundred meters into the sky.

Horizon Call of the Mountain is a good showcase piece for PlayStation VR2. It is the game to use if you want to show off your new technology to friends and family. There is even an unlockable mode perfect for this, which is a passive journey on a canoe through a robot-infested jungle. What holds the game back tremendously, though, is Call of the Mountain's overreliance on climbing. The smaller parts of the game, fighting robots, making items, and looking around, are highlights. Pulling yourself up a mountain isn’t, and that’s where you spend most of the approximately six hour experience.

As a feat of technical artistry, it’s impressive, sleek, and often breathtaking. But as you’re dangling off a cliff edge, taking a breather from endless, repetitive mountain climbing, you’ll find yourself wondering whether novelty is really enough to justify such a loosely-tied journey. While the experience is impressive in fits and starts, Horizon Call of the Mountain ultimately feels like a puzzle with several pieces missing.

While this offers fans a literally alternate perspective into a universe that many really love (myself included) and is a fantastic as a tool to show off the PSVR2, it lacks depth as an actual game. Challenge and balance are overloaded with tedious climbing sequences and not enough of the fun stuff.

Horizon Call of the Mountain works as an impressive PSVR2 tech showcase, but overambitious ideas make it less appealing as an action-adventure game.

It’s undoubtedly the most spectacular VR game I’ve ever played, it’s got plenty of cool gameplay moments that show off the controllers, and it’s a full-on game to play through, but it’s also a bit tedious at times, and boring at others.