When comparing FATED: The Silent Oath vs The Lab, the Slant community recommends The Lab for most people. In the question“What are the best HTC Vive games?” The Lab is ranked 5th while FATED: The Silent Oath is ranked 32nd.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Intuitive interaction
There are points in the game where NPCs will ask yes or no questions in the title, the player can then reply by shaking their head yes or no, to which the NPCs will respond to. Not only is this a natural reaction, but the fact that it is taken advantage of as a control mechanism shows how immersive and intuitive VR gameplay can be.
Pro Highly polished
The graphics are top notch, as well as the music and voice acting. A quality title that has a lot of polish, which for such a new medium, is still a bit rare.For those looking for something to experience what the best VR storytelling may have to offer, Fated is a good choice.
Pro Immersive story telling
The game fits the term, "walking simulator" where in there is little gameplay but is more focused on telling a story. The story told is quite intriguing, especially with the added benefit of VR, where in you feel as though you are experiencing the events yourself as they unfold.
Pro Shows what the system is capable of doing
Pro Amazingly fun collection of mini games and experiences
The lab is a collection of a bunch of very fun mini games. You get to use a bow and arrow to defend your castle against waves of enemies, control a fighter drone in a classic arcade style shoot-em-up, repair a Aperture science robot, explore the secret shop from Dota and more. Although each game is simple, they are all very well executed and make fantastic use of VR mechanics.
Pro Nice VR games collection
Pro Perfect for showing your friends what the Vive can do
All the games and experiences are very easy to play and are simply an incredible introduction to the capabilities of VR.
Pro Free
It's free so there's no risk of wasting money in case it turns out you don't like it.
Pro Amusing writing
The Lab is a mini game collection created y Valve, who are know for a very specific witty sense of humor. That is not lost in The Lab whatsoever as the writing is cleverly funny, which makes a mini game collection game all that more enjoyable.
Pro Non game sections are really interesting
The user can stand on the top of an Icelandic mountain top and look around, there is no game to it, it is just an experience but one that is quite interesting as it is almost like actually being there.
Cons
Con Very little actual gameplay
Short of a few nods here or there, there is actually very little game mechanics to be found in this title. More an interactive movie than a game, which may disappoint some users.
Con Does not work with Vive controllers
The game is controlled through a regular gamepad, not the Vive controllers, which lessens the immersive aspect of the game over other titles that do make use of the Vive controllers. Mainly this is due to the game being created with the Oculus in mind, back before they announced their own controllers, so is geared more towards being a game you sit and play with the VR headset on.
Con Short and linear
The game is quite short and the gameplay is quite linear meaning that there is little to revisit once the story is completed.
Con More a proof of concept than a full fledged game
The mini games are quite short and will not provide a whole lot of entertainment. The purpose of this title is to showcase what room scale VR is capable of (which it does well), but when considered as a game for those interested in gaming it falls a bit short.