Far Cry, Crysis, The Climb and now Robinson: The Journey, these three games have in common that they were developed by the same studio, Crytek, and which also share the same taste for the virtual jungle. Robinson: The Journey is also a clever mix of their past experiments since the game propels us to Tyson III, a lush planet where Man has not yet set foot and which has this particularity that it still shelters wildest dinosaurs. Forced to land there in disaster via a survival module following the crash of the Esmeralda orbital station, Robin is a young boy (yes, even if his voice in VF is that of a girl) who will have to learn to live alone in the middle of this imposing and hostile nature. If he is the only human being living on Tyson III, Robin can count on the presence of HIGS, a flying module which will serve as a guide for him to continue to survive and why not allow him to return to Earth. But that's not all, our young astronaut will also meet Laika, a baby tyrannosaur with whom he will interact like a master with his dog. Indeed, via the directional cross of the DualShock 4, it will be possible to give orders to this baby T-Rex. Go there, don't move, howl very loudly, the actions are basic it's true, but the real interest of this charming creature is to accompany our hero throughout his adventure, lost in the middle of this planet where everything seems excessive.
WELCOME TO JURASSIC PARK !
After the "wow effect" of finding ourselves in the middle of a wild world where the fear of falling on a raptor awaits us at the slightest noise, we quickly realize that Robinson: The Journey is an exploration game mixing puzzles with to solve and walls to climb, just to recycle the good ideas of their previous VR game, The Climb, released exclusively on Oculus Rift and of which we expect one day, perhaps, an adaptation on PlayStation VR. It must be said that the climbing system is one of the positive points of the game, with a gripping mechanism that has the merit of being instinctive. If the two hands are managed with the two slice buttons, the player must point his gaze towards his point of attachment so that the hand decides to correctly grip the rock, the vine or any element that serves support. It will even often be necessary to stick completely to the wall for Robin to finally deign to take the climbing position, even while trying to recenter the image with the "Options" key. So yes, for sure, you will have to raise your head many times to properly manage your progress, and looking into space can even cause some feelings of dizziness, especially since the slightest fall from a certain height and that is certain death. It is also in these moments of hesitation that one wonders why Crytek did not opt for a gameplay adapted with the PlayStation Move, as is the case with The Climb, fully playable with the Oculus Touch which thus offer real added value in terms of sensation and immersion. This is all the more true since Robin is constantly holding a module in his hand that looks like Sony's ice cream cone. The irony of the situation.
It is also in these moments of hesitation that one wonders why Crytek did not opt for a gameplay adapted with the PlayStation Move, as is the case with The Climb, fully playable with the Oculus Touch which thus offer real added value in terms of sensation and immersion.
The other part of the gameplay of the game lies in the puzzles that Robin will have to decipher in order to progress. Restarting the current of certain electrical devices that have broken down, finding the propellers of a wind turbine that appear to be damaged or recovering a module from the mouth of a flying dinosaur, these are examples of the actions to be taken to move on to the next area. While snooping around the nooks and crannies, don't forget to scan all the animals and other insects that you may come across on your way, just to fill your library with knowledge, provided you suck up the green dots and not the red ones, under penalty of having to start the maneuver again. Overall, the puzzles are fairly simple, but they do get tricky towards the end. If the progression turns out to be rather clear and without any real hitch, there is however a certain form of boredom, due in part to the gameplay mechanics which are repeated constantly. We explore, we scan, we climb, we explore, we scan, we climb, we finally come across a dinosaur. In Robinson The Journey, we often do the same thing, with a rather pachydermic rhythm, partly due to the fact that Robin only knows how to walk. And as for those who hoped to come across dinosaurs in spades, they too risk becoming disillusioned, the title of Crytek preferring to bet on rare moments to perhaps better surprise the player. For example, you will have to wait for Chapter 3 of the game to find yourself face to face with a first real dinosaur and say to yourself that yes, the feeling of being a vulgar midge facing this Brachiosaurus is finally palpable thanks to virtual reality and the PlayStation VR. We would also have liked the game to go further in these rare moments of encounters with these giant creatures that populated the Earth millions of years ago. Because in the end, it is essentially a question of contemplation than of real interaction with them, or even of epic confrontation. Maybe at the end of the game when the T-Rex points the end of its horns, forcing us to find a solution quickly so as not to be bitten.
ROBINSON KNITTED
On the other hand, from an immersion point of view, Robinson: The Journey is rather convincing, with the feeling of evolving in a vast universe where nature can be disturbing. It will not be uncommon to stand still for a handful of seconds to contemplate magnificent panoramas, with the wreck of the Esmeralda station in the distance. Graphically, Robinson: The Journey is doing pretty well and is one of the most attractive PS VR titles. So yes, there is still this slightly blurred image that spoils the visual pleasure and from time to time, fairly violent clipping will interfere with your adventure, but overall, the game gets away with the honors. Nevertheless, Robinson: The Journey can be uncomfortable for those with sensitive inner ears and fragile stomachs. Like Here They Lie or the next Farpoint and Resident Evil VII, the player will be totally free to move, with movements managed with the left stick, aiming reacting according to the tracking of the helmet, while direction changes are made via a right analog stick. Moreover, as for the psychological horror game of Santa Monica, these camera rotations are done in jerks, which has the effect of limiting the feeling of nausea, but can on the contrary easily confuse the player in his bearings . On a personal level, if the sensations of nausea were felt at the start in Robin's survival module, once outdoors, the motion sickness subsided to sometimes allow us to chain more than 2 hours of play without the slightest discomfort; which is a feat, it must be underlined. The other great feat of the Crytek title is to offer a lifespan that is close to a classic video game. Where the first PS VR games end in 2 or even 3 hours, here it will take you between 6 and 7 hours to see the end credits scroll, and even a little more if you have fun scanning all the animals lying around. on Tyson III. It may be a detail for you, but for us it means a lot. And it is not France Gall who will tell us the opposite.
