The Climb
By David Chapman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Climb fast, climb high, and don't look down.
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What’s It About?
THE CLIMB brings all the adrenaline-fueled thrills and awe-inspiring views of free climbing from mountain heights to ground level, courtesy of the virtual reality capabilities of the Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest. With four unique and exotic locations to choose from, players can ascend in solo play, climbing, exploring, leaping, and more in a personal quest to reach the summit, or they can take on multiplayer mode, pitting their skills against friends' ghosts in a frantic, pulse-pounding race to top of both the mountain and the online leaderboards. Finally, players put their endurance to the test in the grueling marathon of an endless climb. So chalk up those hands, take that leap of faith, and whatever you do, don't look down.
Is It Any Good?
Asked in an interview why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, George Mallory famously responded, "Because it's there." But The Climb wonders about the rest of us that might have the urge to climb high, but lack the skills, the gear, or even a mountain of our own to conquer? This VR adventure solves all of that by crafting one of the most immersive virtual reality experiences available on the Oculus hardware. The game faithfully recreates the rush, the excitement, and yes, the anxiety, of dangling precariously hundreds of feet in the air with the only things between you and certain doom being a firm chalky grip and Newton's Law of Gravity.
The level of detail in The Climb is simply amazing. It's not just the sense of height that's overwhelming. It's the little things as well, like the glistening sweat on your palms, the sound of your beating heart, or even the bugs crawling in front of your face while an eagle soars past. Between the impressive graphics and the fluid motions of the Touch controllers, it's far too easy to forget that your feet are still, thankfully, planted on good ol' terra firma. While the game only features four locations (three real-world based locales and one Matrix-esque training ground), there are plenty of paths to navigate and extras to unlock, keeping virtual climbers coming back for many return trips.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about recreational sports. What is some of the appeal of generally non-competitive sports, such as rock climbing, scuba diving, etc.?
What are some of the ways that virtual reality can recreate real experiences, and what are some ways that VR can improve on them?
Game Details
- Platforms: Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Crytek
- Release date: December 3, 2019
- Genre: Sports
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts, Science and Nature
- ESRB rating: E for No Descriptions
- Last updated: December 8, 2019
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