When we played the first episode of The Gallery, we were pretty excited about what the future would hold. Despite a rather short playtime, the potential was certainly there. Now that episode 2 – known as Hearth of the Emberstone – is upon us, we dove in with great anticipation. The developers once again pulled out all the stops, even though this second episode is still pretty short as well. The game is available on the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
The Gallery Episode 2 Checks the Right Boxes Again
As one would expect, The Gallery: Heart of Emberstone picks up right where Call of the Starseed left off. This new episode has a lot more gameplay elements compared to the first, which felt like more of a tutorial and intro rather than anything else. Thankfully, this second episode provides a lot more gaming and adventure elements than some people would expect. The adventure aspect and puzzles are still there, and the difficulty quickly ramps up while playing through Heart of the Emberstone.
One interesting introduction in the second episode is how the playthrough takes place off-planet. Moreover, players are given telekinetic abilities, which will be quite useful while discovering more background story about the overall story. Your mission is still to explore new locations, solve puzzles, and follow the story. The graphics still look amazing, the music sounds great, and the experience is thoroughly enjoyable.
Surprisingly, the second episode is set in an 80\s adventure setting, rather than the first episode. This change of pace is pretty significant and one we thoroughly enjoy as well. Cassette tapes will still be strewn throughout the game world, but there will also be projections of memories. These apply to both Elsie and Sebastian, mind you, and will result in some interesting plot twists and shocking moments.
All things considered, the second episode of The Gallery literally makes you feel like an explorer on an alien planet. So many details are there to be enjoyed. In fact, it seems the developers have successfully put in a lot more details than any other full-length game in VR has today. There is no reason not to pick up episode two if you played the first one. People who haven’t given The Gallery a try yet certainly need to do so as soon as possible.
If you liked this article make sure to follow us on twitter @thevrbase and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest VR trends and news.
