1. Remember when pack-in games that came w/ consoles were essential system sellers? You got a new Genesis and it came w/ Sonic. You got Mario 64 w/ N64. System defining games supplied w/ the system. Lucky's Tale is a pack-in game for Oculus Rift and it can be best described as a game that you can play on Oculus Rift.
2. Okay, that is more than a bit harsh. I tried all the games that came w/ my Oculus Rift and Touch package along w/ several games I otherwise owned that had VR support and Lucky's Tale is the one I picked to actually play through first. It's a solid little platformer but maybe a bit unremarkable beyond being one of the first such experiences available in VR. Still, it does show off a few ways this decades old genre can make use of this new tech while being a relatively enjoyable experience in its own right.
3. This plays quite a lot like Super Mario 3D Land or 3D World. The gameplay is on three axis but rather than have free roaming open levels, you are pushed down a path w/ various challenges, enemies, collectibles and secrets along the way.
4. The VR element--aside from having all of these pixels right in your eyeballs--is that the camera moves along w/ your heard. It is a good element and felt immediately natural to me. Looking down on these scenes felt like I was driving a remote control car or something like that.
5. Only it's not a car but a little fox named Lucky. He has a tale. It's a pun. Get it?
6. For the life of me, sitting here a few days after finishing this, I can' remember how the story was set up. I assume there was some story but, you know, I didn't take notes on it and I just can't seem to muster up the spirit to give a damn. Lucky has to do something for some reason. There's a couple bosses. It's cute.
7. Lucky's Tale's world--whatever it is that's going on there--is quite the gorgeous place. The art direction here isn't exactly ground breaking but the bright colorful scenes are beautiful and convey the game's light-hearted tone quite well. Getting to see the next area was a good deal of what pushed me through much of the game. Some places were absolutely breathtaking on first gander.
8. The controls are similarly adept. You play using a controller and Lucky has a pretty standard moveset for a 3D platformer. Looking around w/ the headset lets you find little secrets here and there and it's satisfying to see something in the distance and to be able to fairly adroitly pop on over to get it.
9. The one issue I had was judging the distance of jumps. This is always a problem in 3D platformers. I was hoping VR would help but it doesn't help w/ this at all.
10. I will say though that the VR does add to the dramatic tension when completing a tough bit of platforming. The fact that the camera actually moves when you tense up or flinch adds a certain physicality you just never get playing games on a standard display. The sense of relief you feel after completing one of the more difficult sections is even more compelling.
11. So this is mostly well and good but one cannot help but to get a nagging feeling this bright, cheery, cartoonish 3D platformer is a bit generic. One of the enemies, just for example, is a red bird w/ black eyebrows and a scowl. You have seen this character in a game before. It is an Angry Bird. Time and time again, various elements of Lucky's Tale will have similar familiarity.
12. Credit where credit is due: the final boss battle of Lucky's Tale is epic and satisfying.
13. Taken for what it is, Lucky's Tale is a pretty good game. It looks great and has solid mechanics. It is a 3D platformer and a VR game and it's exactly equal to the sum of its parts. I can't help but to wish that it was something a little more special but I suppose I feel that way about most games so I can't complain too much in this case. You might call it a diversion or a glorified tech demo and that's not unfair but it's worth taking some time to enjoy even if it won't blow your socks off.
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