When comparing The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed vs Catlateral Damage, the Slant community recommends The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed for most people. In the question“What are the best HTC Vive games?” The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed is ranked 14th while Catlateral Damage is ranked 26th. The most important reason people chose The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed is:
More a walking simulator with puzzle aspects, this is a highly narrative focused game, meaning it should be accessible to many different types of potential players as there is no combat or worry about having to make split second reactions through the games controls.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Gameplay has wide appeal
More a walking simulator with puzzle aspects, this is a highly narrative focused game, meaning it should be accessible to many different types of potential players as there is no combat or worry about having to make split second reactions through the games controls.
Pro Great graphics
One of the better looking games out for the Vive in its infancy, the visuals are fantastic giving a real sense of being in the environments. For those looking for a very good visual experience on the Vive, this would definitely be a game to consider.
Pro Puzzles feel natural and not overly complex
Many adventure puzzle games see obtuse clues and hidden items that require back tracking, making for an exhausting experience having to constantly research areas. The Gallery does not have this issue at all as each puzzle and items that need found feel natural and intuitive in the same way searching for something in real life does. There is never a moment where the player will have to continually research or apply objects in order to guess how to solve something, all conclusions come with ease (though not that the game is too easy, more that puzzle solving is just intuitive).
Pro Intuitive and reactive controls
The games controls work quite well and are very responsive. For instance when slowly pressing down the rigger button, the players hand in the game will start closing their fingers. Once the button is depressed all the way the player will now be showing a fist in game. This is all pressure sensitive and natural feeling.
Pro Fun to pretend to be a cat
The gameplay is centered around being in a cats shoes, knocking objects off of shelves and other areas. This can be quite fun to basically role play as a cat at its worst.
Pro Good for letting out your anger
You knocking everything you want to the ground by making the motions in real life. It's a great way to let out your anger.
Pro Longevity through procedural generation
Each level is procedurally generated, while each level will maintain its overall theme there will be minor changes to the setup that allows for an experience that will be slightly different upon each playthrough. This allows for the games levels to stay fresh due to never being exactly the same.
Pro Choice of gameplay modes
There is a free play mode called Litterbox Mode, where there is no time limit, you just choose which level to play, to then free roam and do as you like, much like a sandbox experience. Then there is the objective mode, where you are given a time limit in order to knock off a certain amount of objects within. There will also be optional objectives given, which can make for a more intense experience when trying to complete them all at once.
Having these two modes allows for a good balance of hectic gameplay as well as free form having fun by messing around gameplay.
Cons
Con Poor movement mechanics
While this game doe use a teleport mechanics (as many other Vive games do, where you point to where you want to teleport to in a level), the actual mechanics provided in this game are lacking. It feels imprecise and can make for a frustrating time moving around.
Con Picking up objects can be difficult
At points in the game there are objects that need picked up off of the floor, players can run into an issue here when the floor in the game is lower than the users actual floor, making the objects out of reach. basically this seems to be a bug and not a calibration issue which will need addressed but currently is not.
Con First epsiode is short
An episodic game that will be much longer when all episodes are out, but is short for what is on offer within the first episode. Lasting at about 2 hours of play for $30.00, this may be a bit pricey for some.
Con VR controls are not precise
When using the same amount of force to swing your arm holding the controller in order to knock off objects in the game, there can be a variety of outcomes. This is due to incorrect balancing of controls, as the same amount of force in a swing should result in the same amount of force being used in game, problem being that it does not, sometimes objects will go flying, other times they will barely move.
Con No difference in cats other than looks
It would have been interesting to see each cat have their own special ability, sadly there is no difference between them other than looks.
Con Gameplay gets stale fast
While from the outset it can be fun knocking objects over, after a while this does get stale as there is little lasting appeal to the mechanics themselves.