Puzzle pinball game Hurl VR in test

Hurl VR begins as a simple ball-throwing game. But if patience is not one of your virtues, you might be lucky if you are at least blessed with spatial imagination. In the ball house, the only thing you have to do is manoeuvre a large, elastic ball over several platforms and ramps into the target funnel of the respective level. The only condition: The ball must pass each individual stage. Yes, it must.

We were allowed to play through the exclusive HTC Vive puzzler before its release. The developers of Rusty Oak write in their advance press kit that every player in Hurl VR will be confronted with an individual level of difficulty. The reason: not everyone is the same size. Thus, shorter-built players should have an easier time completing a level that initially requires a tactical throw from the depths. Is that really the case?

Haste but not delay

Pausing briefly to survey the course is undoubtedly a matter of patience. It plays an important role from which angle and with which strength the virtual ball hits the first platform. In addition to height, strength and angle, something else comes into play later on: the right timing. Despite the gruelling challenges, you don't want to give up so quickly (at least I don't), because you are always curious about what will come next.

The floors and ramps move over time. And that's not all. Of course, later on, holes suck the ball in and spit it out again in another place. What makes the game unique is the 360-degree environment of the HTC Vive with its precise room scaling. I found some rounds particularly fun, in which the ball flies over your head after it has already swept over several ramps. In fact, it also happens a few times that you first have to turn 180 degrees several times so that you can precisely plan the landing behind your back.

Achievements

What I liked about Hurl VR was the precise interaction with the game engine and the fluid mechanics. Another good solution: if things get really tricky and annoying, you can have the exact throwing lines displayed via an assistance function. If you really get fed up in a difficult situation, artificial "suction spheres" help to get the ball into the target hopper a little faster once you have reached enough points.

Despite the 30 varied levels, I was still missing something. The problem: It always depends on the first throw. If it fails, and you have an endless number of attempts, you can quickly become frustrated. Perhaps it would have been interesting in the more complex worlds if a few ramps were only optional. Yes, flashing bonus points could also boost the ego of every player a little. Because some of the game sections are really very difficult. Do they want to include something with time pressure or limited attempts? Better not.

Hurl VR by Rusty Oak is released today, 12 September 2017. on Steam for HTC Vive.