It took a while, but Bonelab is finally compatible with Meta Quest 2 and desktop virtual reality devices. This experimental action platformer, the newest VR game by Stress Level Zero studio, will send the player on a journey across many in-game stages, each with unique foes, puzzles, and interesting missions. Bonelab, like Boneworks, offers an exciting platformer-shooter with melee combat elements. The concept uses the ‘Marrow1’ VR physics engine, created by Stress Level Zero, providing unique and professional gameplay. A chance to play Bonelab before its official release convinced us that it is an essential thing for any VR gamer.
Players who are familiar with Boneworks will find Bonelab as an exciting game for hanging out. The main story is quite simplistic, like its earlier version. However, familiar pieces of information remain in many areas across the map. But you will have to experience the game’s full potential for yourself.
“Uncovering the entrance to a secret laboratory beneath the city. Several challenges and revelations lie before us. Out of the unknown awaits you the path to your faith.”
Learning the controls among basic gameplay instructions is the goal of the first few stages. You’ll fight against many foes, accomplish many simple challenges, and pick up some basic knowledge. Rest assured, it may serve you well during gameplay. Jumping and climbing are essential skills, but they require little practice if you haven’t experienced Boneworks.
The physics engine is pretty good, but it’s not ideal. At some point, your arms will get twisted into a horrible knot. Still, it’s incredible how much the developers could do with Quest 2 devices.
Gameplay mechanics
Once you have completed the beginner tutorial, you may enter the Laboratory location. Now you can try out many side quests, mini-games, and game modes, each with different tasks to accomplish.
Talking of Arena mode offers you plenty of intense battles to choose from. There are trials where you have to achieve specific goals and missions where you have to survive. One of the player’s favorites is the wave defense, spawning one of the in-game armories at the beginning of every round. It might be random – from an old battleaxe to an MP5 submachine gun. Creating your tactics is the core of Bonelab, so don’t be scared to try some new strategies with new firearms.
There is also parkour, which includes various missions involving you using the whole body. In one of the tasks, you have to finish the map looking for keys as fast as possible. You’ll have to sprint, jump, grab, and climb using the fantastic Marrow1 engine to get everything.
The main problem making parkour worse is that they added collision to your elbows, which makes you much more likely to get stuck. Also, because of their new height system, you can’t duck in real life to walk in the game. This also adds a bit of frustration.
Without revealing important in-game details, check out some other things you can do as “Mods” and “Experiments.” Like the secret items scattered across every location, you’ll need to discover the most exciting things in the game on your own. Without any doubt, you’ll find something interesting during a playthrough.
If you go to a certain number of levels and solve a few riddles, you’ll be able to proceed to the next chapter. When you’ve completed the main story, the game essentially becomes a sandbox in which you may explore on your own and play any mission you like. After completing the game, the player will receive a rifle, with which he can spawn any in-game items. These items, which appear as semitransparent orbs, are placed across the levels, so grab the thing with both hands.
Customization & Modding
As for unlockable content, Bonelab has a brand-new avatar system that lets you swap across heroes in mid-game. You will eventually get all the secret characters while playing the main story. Every character has its advantages and disadvantages, like speed and power. During gameplay, you can pick among accessible players to accomplish specific missions. You may safely go and investigate the laboratory.
Alternatively, there is an option for customizing your appearance inside the mod manager menu. Whether this function works correctly remains to be seen, but players like the current idea. Brandon Laatsch, a developer in the Bonelab community, has stated that the group will keep working on adding support for user-created items and vehicles.
Summing up
Once you’ve unlocked all the avatars, you can go back to Bonelab’s side activities and even to its previous levels and switch at will. And there’s a lot to be found in those levels, too. But it’s also frustrating to go back and find excuses to use excellent gameplay mechanics instead of more thoughtful gameplay.
Bonelab’s physical engine, Marrow1, provides unique gameplay never seen before in Quest 2. Bonelab is considered one of the best virtual reality projects we’ve tried on Quest 2, thanks to its physics-based combat mode, full-body movement, various settings, and integration for VR modifications.
Bonelab is currently priced at $40.00 for Quest 2 and PC VR users.