When comparing Time Rifters vs The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed, the Slant community recommends The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed for most people. In the question“What are the best VR games on Steam?” The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed is ranked 23rd while Time Rifters is ranked 31st. 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 Rarely seen gameplay mechanic that combines multiple playthroughs
Each level is played through multiple times with every new playthrough adding previous playthroughs alongside current one. This is done 4 times trying to complete as much of the level as possible. It essentially creates a solo co-op experience and allows for lots of strategical planning forward.
Pro Vibrant aesthetic
The game has simple, clear, blocky levels and uses bright colors. There's an Iron Man inspired hud, but that can mostly be ignored unless you want to check out the score. Important information such as enemy count is displayed on the walls of levels and there's no need to keep track of health or ammo.
Pro Good weapon variety
The game has 6 different weapons that each has a progression system associated with 5 upgrade categories - Spread, Focus, Rapid, Punch and Acid. It adds another level of strategical depth as weapon upgrades have to be planned for.
Pro Level editor and Steam Workshop support
You can create your own levels to challenge yourself and your creativity. It feels really cool playing through levels you made, although you know what to expect.
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.
Cons
Con Abandoned support
Currently the game does not work with the retail version of the Rift, a DK2 (beta Rift model) and older drivers will be necessary to play the game. There has been no word from the developer if this will be fixed.
Con Short
While there's definitely potential for multiple playthroughs to try and get a better score, the base game has just about 2 hours of gameplay.
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.