VR Gaming

50 Days Of PS VR #10: 'Robinson: The Journey' May Be PS VR's Grandest Adventure

, & Jamie Feltham

3 October 2016

50 Days Of PS VR #10: 'Robinson: The Journey' May Be PS VR's Grandest Adventure

10 days to go until the launch of PlayStation VR! We’re counting down to the release of Sony’s VR headset on October 13th by highlighting one game a day for its anticipated release. Today we’re walking with dinosaurs in Crytek’s Robinson: The Journey

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There are few better ways to sell someone on the idea of VR than getting them to picture a real, live dinosaur standing in front of them. It’s what Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe did when he tried to describe the sensation of using the Oculus Rift back at E3 2015, and it’s a concept that many developers have latched onto in the early days of the technology. Perhaps the most exciting entry in the upcoming wave of dinosaur VR games is Robinson: The Journey from Crytek.

You’ve probably heard about Robinson by now. It’s a first-person experience coming exclusively to PlayStation VR late next week. You play as a young boy named Robin that becomes stranded on a planet infested with dinosaurs with nothing but a slightly sarcastic AI to aid him. It’s a game about exploration and puzzle solving that aims to routinely stun you with the scale of its beasts and the sheer detail of its graphics.

That latter point is something that shouldn’t be understated. Visually, Robinson is easily one of VR’s best looking games, which is all the more impressive considering it’s running on a PS4, a machine that many were worried wouldn’t be able to support high fidelity VR. Crytek is clearly putting its own CryEngine to great effect, creating lush jungle’s filled with diverse and striking vegetation and wildlife.

That wildlife is obviously another highlight. We’ve played two sections of Robinson now and both times been amazed as just how well Crytek is bringing ancient beasts back to life. No doubt its work on the Back to Dinosaur Island tech demos helped with that. Some will snap at your feet as you cross makeshift bridges made out of tree trunks, while others will obliviously block your path as they peacefully munch on leaves and fruit. Each is stunningly well rendered and can range from amazing to downright terrifying depending on their actions.

In Robinson, we’re hoping to get PS VR’s grandest adventure yet; a hugely enjoyable journey that we’ll want to revisit time and again and show our friends too.

Robinson: The Journey launches alongside PlayStation VR on October 13th.