Arca’s Path is the brainchild of former Sony London studio director Dave Raynard, whose previous foray into virtual reality involved guns, crime and Cockney gangsters.
A tranquil and unique experience that’s quite unlike anything else on PSVR, Arca’s Path is about as far removed from The London Heist as you’ll get.
Part of Sony London’s PlayStation Worlds compilation, London Heist is a showcase of everything that’s good and bad about virtual reality.
It’s an incredibly intense and immersive experience that drops you into the thick of the action, but one that soon pulls you back out when your controller and calibration goes haywire.
The reason I’m talking about The London Heist so much is that game director Dave Raynard appears to have learned some valuable lessons from PlayStation VR Worlds, and applied them to Arca’s Path.
From motion sickness to calibration calamities, most people would agree that virtual reality has its fair share of problems.
By stripping things back to the very basics, Arca’s Path bypasses many of the common issues associated with virtual reality.
With not a single controller in sight – everything is controlled by your head – Arca’s Path is an elegant experience that’s highly tranquil.
It all begins when your character is drawn into a beautiful and mysterious new world that’s positively drowning in colour.
The lead character is represented by a ball, and it’s up to you to guide this ball through the labyrinth and eventually break free.
It’s kind of like a narrative-driven Super Monkey Ball, only instead of tilting the game world, you have direct control over your character. Just look at where you want to go, and the ball will follow.
Needless to say, the challenge begins to ramp up, as you navigate steeper slopes and narrower, deadlier paths.
The art direction is sublime and the maze-like levels well designed, although I would have liked just a bit more in the way of variety and challenge.
Indeed, one of the game’s biggest strengths is also one of its biggest weaknesses. In a bid to make it accessible to everyone, Arca’s Path borders on being a bit too simple for its own good.
Its short length coupled by a relative lack of challenge results in a game that’s perfect for relaxing and a great starting point for virtual reality rookies.
VERDICT: 3.5/5
