Reach played: Impressive VR blockbuster stumbles over mediocre technology
"Reach" was supposed to be the big VR hit of the year, but the technology is thwarting the adventure game.
"Reach" sends players on a VR climbing tour through an underground world.
(Image: nDreams)
Developer and publisher nDreams is one of the big names when it comes to VR games. Especially in the action genre, the British have delivered numerous innovative titles with “Fracked,” “Synapse,” or “Phantom: Covert Ops” and most recently ventured into RTS territory with “Grit & Valor – 1949 VR”. In 2022, nDreams founded a new studio called “Elevation,” which was explicitly tasked with developing AAA titles and implementing large-scale projects for the VR market.
However, as the VR market developed contrary to nDreams' ambitions, the studio had to lay off almost twenty percent of its workforce and close two of its four studios in 2024. “Elevation,” however, was spared and allowed to continue working on a VR blockbuster, which was finally announced at this year's Summer Game Fest with much anticipation from ex-PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida: “Reach.” We plunged into the depths of a forgotten civilization and came away with more than a few bruises.
Heroine against her will
In the action-adventure “Reach,” players slip into the role of stuntwoman Rosa, who returns to her hometown in South America for filming. While she visits a person close to her from her past and enters an old church, an earthquake shakes the area, and Rosa falls into an abyss. But instead of deep darkness, she lands in a mysterious place that turns out to be the home of a long-forgotten underground civilization. Unfortunately, this world is not free from unrest either; it has split into two warring factions. One of them wants to seize control of the surface and replace humans as the dominant species. Thus, Rosa becomes a reluctant heroine and is quickly enlisted as the savior of the world.
Reach VR (5 Bilder)
nDreams (Screenshots: joe)
)Before players reach this actual starting point of the story, they have to show a lot of patience. Because nDreams leads them through a much too long tutorial level. For almost 40 minutes, Rosa sneaks through a boring industrial building, fights her way through sluggish shooting exercises, and climbs through the deserted alleys of the small town until she finally reaches the church. Players only learn the basics: climbing, sneaking, jumping, and shooting. The really important game mechanics are explained in the underworld, where the actual game truly begins. Once you've survived the surface, “Reach” becomes a completely new game—and a very good one at that.
Lara Croft and the forgotten VR temple
As boring as the introduction was, “Reach” becomes as impressive when the gate to the underground world “Ferra” opens. The gigantic temple complexes are beautifully lit and covered with shimmering blue rocks and mysterious symbols. Floating platforms defy the laws of physics, and the flora and fauna don't fit the usual image of Earth at all. The level architecture offers plenty of space for climbing and presents us with numerous physics and environmental puzzles.
At the beginning, a small drone guides Rosa through narrow passages and over rock faces and ravines until she finally finds her equipment: a mystical bow and a shield that would make even Captain America jealous. With these, Rosa can not only fend off attacks. Once thrown, it behaves like a boomerang that bounces off everything. This allows switches behind rock faces to be reached by ricocheting, or several hostile “living statues” to be neutralized. The bow is also a mix of weapon and tool. In certain places, Rosa can shoot arrows or the shield into the wall and use them for climbing. Special elemental arrows freeze enemies or burn away weeds blocking the path.
To summon the shield, players have to bring two fingers together and draw a small circle in the air with their hand. If the drone is to scan an ancient tablet, the index finger and thumb are brought to the mouth so that Rosa can whistle loudly. Jumping is also not simply done by pressing a button but requires a vigorous swing of the arms. This may sound like minor details, but in a VR game, well-implemented game mechanics like these make the difference and enhance immersion.
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When the technology fails
Although “Reach” kept us entertained after the mediocre intro with innovative game mechanics and an exciting world full of dizzying climbing passages and tricky environmental puzzles, we pulled the plug after almost four hours. The reason? The technology. We tried “Reach” with a Meta Quest 3 via Link cable and via wireless streaming over Virtual Desktop in a 6 GHz WLAN on two computers with an RTX 5070 Ti and an RTX 4080 Super. Both PCs are partly well above the recommended system requirements.
Either the game ran with a completely black screen and sound or with stuttering audio and severe image judder. VR games become unplayable even with slight judder. On the Playstation VR2, the game generally ran well in the initial hours. However, with increasing playtime, more and more pop-ins and glitches became noticeable until the actually beautiful game world was suddenly covered with muddy textures and resolution and frame rate increasingly weakened. Currently, we would therefore advise PC and console players to be cautious. In some cases, it may be worthwhile to wait for patches.
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First impression: A great VR game with weak technology
“Reach” does a lot right. It transports players to a magical new world and sends them on an adventure that is somewhere between Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider. In addition, there are innovative game mechanics, nerve-wracking climbing passages, intelligent environmental puzzles, and a pleasant progression that does not overwhelm VR newcomers. On the other hand, there is the unstable technology on PC and PS VR2, which is likely to quickly spoil the fun of exploring this underground civilization for VR adventurers. It remains to be hoped that nDreams will improve quickly.
“Reach” has been available since October 16, 2025, for Playstation VR2, Meta Quest 3, and PC-VR via Steam and costs 40 euros. The action-adventure is rated for ages 12 and up.
(joe)
