During my life on this earth, I have witnessed some beautiful vistas. The Tokyo skyline, the Mavora Lakes in New Zealand, an early morning reflection in my bathroom mirror… While each of these images is stunning and unforgettable on its own, I believe Horizon Call of the Mountain offers some of the best virtual landscapes I’ve ever seen in a computer game.
Horizon Call of the Mountain will be the first VR headset—or possibly VR in general—for a large number of PSVR2 early adopters, and what an experience it will be. During the collaboration between Firesprite and Guerrilla Game, there were moments when I was just in awe of how breathtaking everything was; scenes of far-off waterfalls and snow-covered mountains encased in the ruins of long-dead machines left me speechless, and scenes of verdant forests and shimmering rivers caused me to forget the world outside my headset.
I don’t think I’ve ever played a VR game with graphics as stunning as this one, perhaps Kayak VR: Mirage. It’s unfortunate that the environment and the mechanisms that support it are so unremarkable. I couldn’t help but feel a little bored in between the “wow” moments—and trust me, there are a lot of them.
You assume control of Ryas’ internal monologue in Call of the Mountain. Ryas is a character so boring that I quickly learned to shut him out until his voice was just an obtrusive hum in the background. The plot and how it ties into the main games will appeal to fans of the Horizon series, but for those like myself who were unimpressed with the interactions in the mainstream Horizon games, Call of the Mountain’s story is by far the worst aspect of the game.
One of my pet peeves when it comes to VR immersion is that during the intermissions between levels, NPCs would spew meaningless lore at me for extended periods of time while I was confined to my arms and head. Positively, I got to try out the finger-tracking feature of the Sense Controller, which allowed me to flick the V at anyone who talked to me. I’m not sure what a “Shadow Carja” is, but I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve been called one by someone who was upset or dissatisfied with me.
Call of the Mountain is far more effective in that sense because it is mostly a technical demonstration of what can be done with PSVR2. The details on far-off items are as clear and in focus as anything nearby, and I believe this is going to be one of the things that most impresses those who have only ever played the original PS VR before, thanks to the 4K HDR Display of the PSVR2. In the original low-resolution headset, the colors get muddy and blurry beyond a meter from your face; but, in this instance, the contrast is remarkable. The environment feels far more realistic and alive than anything the original PS VR could provide thanks to the image’s quality and the richness of the colors.
However, the graphics aren’t always flawless; thumbstick movement causes the world to jitter dramatically. This might be because of the level of detail present, as it’s not noticeable in less ambitious games like Jurassic World Aftermath or Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge. Occasionally, I would notice textures appearing out of the corner of my eye. I assume this is related to the PSVR2’s eye tracking feature, which enhances the detail of objects you’re facing directly rather than those in your peripheral vision. Nevertheless, these interruptions barely detracted from the overall experience.
Eye tracking, or “Gaze Tracking” as it’s called in-game, actually enhances immersion in the game in a number of minor ways, including menu navigation and option selection. However, I believe the most significant improvement comes from NPCs being able to look you in the eye when they speak to you—or, in this case, insult you—as it gives them a very human feel.
Call of the Mountain, as a showcase, has also been intended to accommodate the widest variety of VR experience levels, something it excels at. You may experiment with different control schemes and comfort settings, and the action builds up gradually enough that it’s difficult to be initially overwhelmed by anything other than the sights.
The sparseness of combating enormous robotic dinosaurs, which is undoubtedly the most awesome thing to do in the Horizon universe, was one oddity that I found surprising. Call of the Mountain is more about ascending a mountain and then taking in the scenery than it is about taking on titanium T-Rexes. This game, I would estimate, is around 70% climbing and 30% battling robo-dinos. This is probably going to disappoint a good number of players.
That being said, there are some very fascinating structures to scramble over, and you’re constantly given new tools to add some variation to your climbing style. Overall, the climbing is still enjoyable. However, the emphasis on climbing parts above everything else gets a little monotonous, and I found myself wishing for some fighting rather than yet another lengthy stretch of traversal propelled by the upper body.
Fortunately, the Sense Controllers’ precision makes all that repetition seem almost trivial. Those devices are indeed an improvement over the cumbersome, untraceable Move Controllers of the past, and they made ascending even the highest heights effortless. It also has some soft haptics that make you feel as though you’re grasping and pushing yourself up, but they’re a little more subdued than I had anticipated. This is particularly true of the haptics integrated into the PSVR2 headset—which, based on my experience playing the game in preview mode, I believe Guerilla and Firesprite may have somewhat reduced. A Stormbird flies directly over your head in an early area. In the preview, I recall feeling like a gigantic plane had gone by, but in the retail version, I hardly felt anything touch my scalp.
Every level is replete with diversions, such as locations where you may engage in some rock balancing or cave painting, or musical instruments or hammers to crush ceramics. While none of them are relevant to your tale, it’s still pleasant to be able to take occasional breaks to play about in virtual reality and check out how accurate the Sense controllers are. This environment has a lot of physicality, and a lot of the objects you can see can be realistically picked up, tossed, played with, and struck against one another.
The on-rails fighting in Call of the Mountain is one of the game’s most contentious talking points. Combat takes place on rails, with the only movements you can make to avoid overwhelming new players being slow strafes or fast dodges while circling your opponent. Battles against these enormous mechs may be exhilarating if you get the hang of firing your arrows and dodging left and right. At first, it feels restrictive, especially for VR veterans who value flexibility of movement. More than the large spectacle clashes with creatures like the Thunderjaw, I rather preferred the encounters when Call of the Mountain hurled three or more lesser opponents at me at simultaneously.
If you biff up one of the numerous stealth stages in the game, like I did, you may combat these machines using standard free mobility. I had to go through some tall grass in one spot that three Watchers were not looking at, but I stumbled out of the grass at the wrong time and warned them all at once. To my astonishment, the procedure did not resume but instead allowed me to assault them without any restrictions on my mobility. Although Ryas moves a little slowly overall and I was unable to execute the quick dodges required in the on-rails sequences, fighting the machines in this manner was still rather achievable, and it made me hope for a sequel in which the player is given a little more latitude.
In addition to its almost seven-hour main campaign, which offers enough side missions, secret locations, collectibles, and breathtaking scenery to warrant a second playing, Call of the Mountain features a few other modes that become available as you advance in the game. The first of them is a five-minute “safari” in which the first chapter of the game is reworked into a mild theme park ride where you watch robots battle, hunt, and fly about while staying safe in your kayak. Though the admission price is scarcely worth it, it’s still a very neat little experience, and it’s a great spot to take a curious family member who hasn’t played VR before. throughout addition, there’s a little training hub where you can go to practice your climbing and shooting techniques and compare your results to scores established by some of the people you’ll encounter throughout the game. It’s simple yet entertaining, and if you want to explore the area without feeling obligated to finish the game’s story, it’s a great spot to hang out. Sometimes literally.
Call of the Mountain on flat screens would have been little more than an unmemorable spin-off, appealing only to the diehard Horizon fans who can tell the difference between an Oseram and a Nora. However, Horizon Call of the Mountain becomes an amazing sight that everybody may enjoy with the inclusion of PSVR2. Even while the plot and mechanics aren’t perfect all the time, it won’t matter nearly as much when you get to see the breathtaking vistas this planet has to offer.