Zoink Games has entered the realm of virtual reality with PSVR’s Ghost Giant. The developers behind the beautiful Fe and the zany Flipping Death are presenting PS4 owners with this haunting adventure game. The developers really invite you into the world right from the off, the levels of charm are off the scale. The environments are beautiful and mysterious, they literally beg you to come and explore from the second you pull the headset on until the credits roll. It’s a game I’ve found to be difficult to review, the journey and connections you make are very personal.
That personal connection begins with Louis, a character you’re tasked with guiding and guarding. Prepare to have your heartstrings tugged and your tear ducts tested, it’s an emotional ride that I’m not going to spoil. You are the titular Ghost Giant and you’ll view the world from that perspective. The game has a wonderful sense of scale that makes you feel important. The world feels so real thanks to beautiful little touches. Everything in the environment looks as if it was created in the environment, houses are thrown together with little materials, trees look like little cardboard boxes and even the clouds hang from the string. It’s all very cute.
Louis’ situation is very relatable and no one playing will struggle to understand the character’s plight and struggle to find a place in the world. You are essentially his genie, his guiding hands – just without the whole three wish caveat. You’ll use the move controllers to manipulate the world, including your movement and all interactions. Each controller takes charge of a hand and the controllers are very simple and intuitive. The game being easy to control is a big help in terms of accessibility, there aren’t any overly taxing activities here. Anyone, regardless of VR or gaming experience, could pull the headset on and enjoy this world.
Ghost Giant excels in two areas. The first I’ve discussed already: the world is beautifully inviting an engaging. The second strength lies in making mundane activities wondrous. So many VR games have you doing activities, little household tasks or typing on a computer, that is cool the first time but become very boring very quickly. Ghost Giant has a lot of really simple interactions but thanks to the strength of the world you’re presented with they never feel forced or mundane. Instead, they feel important and necessary in your journey. Try interacting with everything, you’ll be surprised at how many quirky little activities there are on offer here.
The VR implementation is fantastic. Zoink have done a truly great job. The controls just work, they rarely have issues but you do need a suitable play space in order to truly stretch your arms and engage with the world. The world’s sound effects are really appropriate and help to add an extra layer of wonder. It’s just all so very weird and cute. You’ll spend around seven hours exploring and interacting with the game’s thirteen stages, slightly more if you’re hunting all the collectibles to get that elusive platinum trophy.
The Loot Gaming 