Virtual reality climbing games are a dime a dozen-it's a very familiar mechanic-and there's nothing here that really pushes the mechanic forward. Call of the Mountain maps your real hands to the virtual ones and then empowers you to grip onto climbable edges (highlighted in white) by holding down the triggers and physically moving your real arms to shift your virtual character around. This is achieved through the Sense controllers, which-as mentioned in our PSVR 2 review-are very capable input devices that, in addition to all the buttons, triggers, and analog sticks you'd want to be able to properly engage with a game, include finger-tracking. Ryas is a Climber and, as the title of his profession suggests, he's all about climbing. Ryas might not be a learned man, but he's certainly a capable one, as becomes evident when you're tasked with scaling structures and battling enemies. He also questions some of his own preconceptions about things he has always been told or believed, and-as a member of the maligned Shadow Carja-watching his small steps of growth across the journey is interesting, even if it isn't profound. It's a nice balance that means you're constantly being told things while also letting Ryas act as a stand-in for you.

He's not the scholarly type, so much of what he talks about comes from the perspective of someone who has heard tales of battles or knows aspects of other cultures. As you clamber around towering structures, be they derelict buildings or rusting metallic behemoths of old, and explore different parts of the world, he'll occasionally offer context and history to provide further color to the landscape around you. The game does a great job of slowly unpacking his story and showing that there may have been more to his history than it initially seems. My interest in Call of the Mountain was primarily in seeing how it utilized the new hardware, so it caught me by surprise when I found myself invested in Ryas as a character. Ryas' brother went missing while also trying to solve this particular mystery, so he has a personal stake in going out of his way to help those around him in order to figure out what's going on, even if the people he's working withtreat him like an outsider. This is a familiar narrative beat for a Horizon game, and a lot of the story is carried by Ryas. Ryas is busted out of prison and sent on a perilous journey to figure out why the machine animals of Horizon's worlds are acting out. However, for this game, the protagonist is Ryas, a member of the Shadow Carja who has been imprisoned for questionable actions. But those who do will be treated to a game that's an impressive technical showpiece and an enjoyable Horizon game in its own right.Ĭall of the Mountain takes place in the same vibrant setting that you're used to exploring as Aloy. Admittedly, the barrier to entry for experiencing it all is very high: You'll need to own a PS5, purchase the $550 headset, and then get the $60 game on top. The Guerrilla- and Firesprite-developed title is a successful virtual reality game thanks to the tech housed in the PSVR 2, and the PSVR 2's capabilities are best showcased by the game.

Horizon Call of the Mountain and PlayStation VR 2 are inextricably linked.

Psvr2 horizon call of the mountain