Boost

The Boost dev sent me a free game key to test Boost with my hardware. As everything ran fine and I mostly enjoyed the game I wanted to give a review and help the dev with my feedback. [b]Pros:[/b] [list] [*]The graphics are nice (I can set application supersampling to 1.5 without getting frame drops) nice tron-like setting [*]it IS an active game and in it's current state the difficulty is HARD [*]it combines the pong like gameplay with a 2nd challenge for the player: getting rid of spawning mines after each 4th hit [*]the AI helps you and is not the enemy, your game ends when you're too slow or make a mistake [*]catchy music which is building up the tension as your game progresses [*]committed and friendly dev who is interested in community feedback and quickly implements changes (He already sent me a test build where he switched the shield into a racket with handle, because I suggested it might match most of the potential players' muscle memory better) [*]the gameplay offers possibilities for funny additions, such as powerups to clear all mines with a xortex like explosion or something like that... [/list] [b]Cons:[/b] [list] [*]The difficulty is getting harder very quic…

Mechanically, this is very solid. It is simple and fun, with everything that happens feeling like it was the correct result (this is important in a paddle game). It has one major flaw. The room size retirement is completely unnecessary, and yet it makes the game unplayable. I am rating this positively since it lists that requirement on the store page. In my 2.2x2.2 meter space all items of the menu are easily reachable. The main gameplay (volleying the ball) works perfectly as well. The only problem is that every single mine spawns outside the play space. That gives a hard limit on how far I can get because sooner or later (usually within ten hits) the ball hits a mine that I can't deal with. Giving multiple room options (possibly with adjusted scoring to compensate) would make this game far more approachable. Edit: After writing this I thought to myself "What if I could reach the mines? All I had to do was shift my z position forward half a meter (thanks SteamVR Advanced Settings!) and I could reach them just fine. My high score is now 160 and I worked up a serious sweat. The ball still sometimes gets shot outside my play space, but for the most part the game works great just…