Light Tracer PSVR Review

Developed by Void Dimensions
Published by Oasis Games
Reviewed on PlayStation VR (also available on HTC Vive & Oculus Rift)

 

Light Tracer is an adorable, lighthearted puzzle platform adventure game you’ll instantly in love with. The combination of virtual reality mixed with classic 3D platforming elements makes for interesting gameplay with very cool mechanics.

Light Tracer‘s short story follows the adventures of a princess trying to save her people and country by ascending to the very top of a Babylonian tower. One of the cool aspects of playing Light Tracer is that you’re helping the princess but not actually directly controlling her. To play Light Tracer, you’ll need two PlayStation Move controllers. You’ll be playing as a god-like entity. In one hand you’ll be holding the Magical Light Staff to guide the princess where you want her to move. With your other hand, you’ll be able to manipulate the environment by picking up items, moving certain platforms, and shifting camera angles to get the best view to move forward.

Even though you’re not directly controlling the princess, you’re able to issue certain commands to her. One command is giving the princess the ability to jump. As you ascend up the tower, you may need her to jump for one platform to the next. The last function you’ll be able to perform with her is a slash attack. Along the way the princess will finds a sword and will gain the ability to attack enemies. It’s great when you have the ability to attack enemies but if you’re not at the right angle, you can get hit pretty easily and die. As you die more and more, you start to realize the hit box on the princess is kind of huge, making it quite a challenge to stay alive and avoid obstacles without getting hit.

Light Tracer has a total of 8 chapters that are broken down into 5 stages per chapter. Stages are well developed with a fresh take on old school platforming within the VR space. Stages also never feel like they are too lengthy or drag on. Most chapters will take you 30 minutes to an hour depending on how long it takes you to figure a puzzle within the stages. When you reach the 5th stage in each chapter, a boss battle will occur. Most boss battle aren’t straight-forward and will require specific strategies to defeat them. The game doesn’t give you any hints so you’re all on your own. I was playing chapter 5 stage 5 and had no clue on what to do or how to solve the puzzle. I wish the game was a little bit better at dropping hints without completely giving it away or making it any less challenging.
As a PSVR owner, I know it can be hard sometimes to find a VR game that’s worth your time with most titles being 2 to 3 hour gaming experiences. I highly recommend giving Light Tracer a try as it’s a fresh new take on platforming within a VR space that works perfectly together. Once you boot up the game, you’ll find that Light Tracer has great levels design, fantastic soundtrack, and good mechanics. Although it needs some adjustments here and there, there’s nothing game breaking. The smart puzzle designs and 100 percent pure adorableness that’ll have you fall in love with the princess makes it all worth it.