That’s right, another VR title with a light theme. I just can’t get enough of these puzzles. Not only is this one beautifully named, it’s also stunningly designed. It’s set in a dream-like world with floating whale spirits and, well… how can you actually pay attention to everything else when you see a floating whale spirit?! The environment changes as you move along the levels, with each one even more picturesque than the last. There’s also thoughtfulness that went into the contrast between the muted colors of the background and the vibrant foreground.
Your goal is to manipulate different colors of light that flow from suspended vials. You have to direct the stream toward mechanical flowers of the same color. Tools consist of mirrors, separators, converters and mixers, which all look straight out of a mad scientist’s lab from the Industrial Revolution — brass cogs, gears, coils. You get the idea. Once all color streams are matched to flowers, you move on to the next puzzle. What’s great is that the light spectrum combinations are actually spot-on.
Hammer Labs, the game developer, dubs Carpe Lucem as a “meditative puzzle game in virtual reality,” and rightfully so.
What I like: This game is sensory heaven – the visuals and the music just melt into each other like butter on fresh toast. I particularly love the steam punk theme, and that everything is conceptualized with graphics rendered to perfection. You have the option to play in room-scale or sitting down. Also, puzzles aren’t timed, so you’re free to spend as long as you need. The best thing about Carpe Lucem is content-sharing. Players can create their own puzzles with the in-game level editor and upload them to the Steam Workshop for everyone else to solve! I’ve personally had a crack at some of these and am very impressed. The devs mentioned upcoming levels to be added later this year, so that’s very exciting.
What I don’t like: I was stuck on the second to last level for too long. That is all.
The Vive Report: This is a perfect game for those who need to warm up for or wind down from more active games, or for those who are new to the HTC Vive and want to start with a slow but challenging game. The controls and interface are simple and straightforward.
Find out more about Carpe Lucem – Sieze the Light VR on Steam, here. As always, please feel free to share your thoughts with us by commenting below!
-shurl
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