A gripping name is a good start or any virtual reality game. When that game goes by the name of Soul Dimension, it immediately catches our attention. The game is available for PlayStation VR and provides a mix of suspense and horror. For an episodic story, going the VR route is quite an interesting decision. Given the low price, it is certainly worth picking up, but you may get frustrated along the way.
Soul Dimension Is a Periodic VR Title
It doesn’t happen all that often VR game developers go for the episodic release schedule. That is only to be expected, as there are many different reasons why this won’t work. VR games are notoriously short when they are completely finished. Chopping this limited playtime up in episodic pieces will only make things worse for the player. Soul Dimension’s first episode is certainly enjoyable, although it is evident the game could certainly sue more content. For the price of $5, we can’t complain too much, though.
The concept of Soul Dimension is quite intriguing. It mixes puzzles with exploration and horror all of which culminates in an eerie environment. There isn’t much story to go on from the first episode, but it is certainly possible this is done on purpose. All of the background story is told through self narration, which unfortunately suffers from subpar voice acting. Despite the bad voice acting, the story of the game itself is still intriguing and we are looking forward to playing the future episodes when they become available. Do keep in mind this first episode will not last long and can easily be completed in 30 minutes or less.
If there is one big problem we have with Soul Dimension, it is how the game is controlled. While we commend the developers for allowing the use of a DS4 controller, the controls themselves are seemingly backwards. More specifically, you can’t turn properly other than by using on-screen arrows and pushing the R3 button to face in a particular direction. Full locomotion will probably never be a part of this game, which is a shame, but it is what it is. The decision by the developers to mess up the movement aspect in such a manner is incomprehensible, though.
On the upside, the visuals in Soul Dimension are some of the better ones more often than not However, when they aren’t up to par, they really feel bland. Still, the developers successfully make you believe you are effectively walking around in this house and looking at objects. Other characters along your path look a bit out of place and lifeless, but that could be by design as well. The game certainly needs a bit of work to become more enjoyable, but those issues may be resolved in future episodes. All things considered, a valiant first attempt which has us excited for the future, but it needs to deliver within the next few episodes to get a better rating.
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