Robinson: The Journey Reviews
As a graphical showcase there’s nothing better on PlayStation VR, but in terms of gameplay there are far more entertaining tech demos available – let alone proper games.
A gorgeous world and wonderful creatures can't save Robinson: The Journey from its two main flaws: intolerable motion-sickness and lackluster gameplay.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Robinson: The Journey was one of my most anticipated VR titles and the final outcome is incredibly disappointing. The control scheme feels like an afterthought, motion sickness plagues the exploration and puzzle-based gameplay, and a number of technical hiccups lead to things taking far longer than they really should or, in some cases, so infuriating you’ll feel like giving up.
It feels like such an almighty shame that a game this beautiful, with such a compelling premise, should be let down by a failure to include anything approaching interesting gameplay.
From the narrative to the puzzles, no part of Robinson: The Journey pays off
Frustrating controls keep Robinson: The Journey from being much more than a pretty dinosaur exhibit.
A beautiful game that succeeds in presenting a virtual world that you’ll want to visit and explore. As a full priced game it's lacking in length, complexity and polish, but as a tour of a virtual world it's entertaining.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
VR's viability hinges on making sensible objectives integral to the wonder implicit in its format. Robinson: The Journey understands this and makes visible strides to balance astonishment and curiosity. Too often, however, it gets tripped up by contrasting wandering ambition against capricious behavior. Ideas fight, rather than support, one another, ensuring Robinson's first steps are also its last.
For those who insist graphics and technology comes over gameplay, The Journey will be a welcome addition as it is hands down the best looking VR title I’ve played.
Robinson: The Journey is beautiful, but ultimately too light on content and reliant on overly traditional game design. It’s a wonderful insight into the future of PSVR that sadly remains trapped in the past.
This is a game I was so ready to fall in love with, but it ultimately comes up short. After a couple of hours, I began to wonder, "Is this it? Dinosaur planet sight-seeing?" Basically, yeah. And at its high price point, that's going to be a tough sell. But Robinson is doing things no other PSVR title has been able to accomplish, visually speaking, and for that reason alone it'll be worth considering down the road.
The straightforward and flat story of Robinson is quite expected especially in most VR games anyway. Nobody can simply put 8 hours in a whole VR experience because of the motion sickness problem. But adding that aside, Robinson: The Journey did allure me enough with its visuals and adorable characters, and its thrilling up-close experience with dinosaurs, but not enough to make me replay the whole game from the beginning for a second time.
A solid ending and the ability to get up close and personal with dinosaurs is Robinson’s saving grace, but it’s a bit of a slog to get to those bits. Robinson showed a great deal of promise, but ended up much like any other VR game in this launch window. You’ll be amazed by the sights until they become commonplace. Then, you’ll get frustrated by controls and ultimately, start to count down the minutes until you’re finished with it.
While Robinson: the Journey looks great and has a decent conclusion, it seems like Crytek didn’t put any of its time into any other aspects of the game. It suffers immensely from repetitive gameplay, a short story and confusing puzzles. While I would definitely recommend that you experience this amazing world, the rest of the game doesn’t really make enough of a mark to justify its high selling price.
Robinson: The Journey does some things well (graphics, environment, scanning of animals, environmental storytelling) but the actual act of playing the game can sometimes be frustrating.
Unfortunately Robinson: The Journey is not the next big thing on the VR scene: despite the premise and the efforts, Crytek was not able to create a convincing blend of a traditional adventure game with a full blown VR experience. In the end, this prehistoric space safari will probably somehow entertain you, without however being as mindblowing and groundbreaking as you might expect. Give it a chance if you dig the idea, but without too many expectations and absolutely not at full price.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Robinson The Journey is a prime example of where VR technology is going to take us as gamers in the coming years. Unfortunately, controls within a 3D environment are holding back games like Robinson from being great and instead are relegating them to being average at best. That being said, Robinson The Journey is perhaps the best showpiece for gaming on PlayStation VR currently available on the market, and for those that can stomach the controls and motion, it should absolutely be experienced at least one time through.
Robinson: The Journey is a capable VR experience for the PSVR that has great visuals and a cool setting, but a high price tag, slow movement speeds, and the lack of Move support hold it back from being a must buy experience.
In the end, Robinson: The Journey is the closest thing to a full-fledged title for the PSVR.
Although not long by typical game standards, taking most explorers between four and eight hours, this is a serious amount of time for virtual reality releases.