When I saw the developer post details about their new VR game, Solve the Wall, I was quite curious. When I saw the price, however, I started to become somewhat nervous. The climbing aspects looked pretty promising for sure, but that price made be worried that it would be low quality shovelware.

Thankfully, my concerns ended up being unwarranted as the game turned out to be far better than I had anticipated.

Many thanks to the publisher for the review code.

CLIMB OR FALL
Solve the Wall is a puzzle based climbing game that has you ascending each of the ten walls using the provided holds to reach the top. The catch is that there’s only one intended route up, meaning that if you mess things up then all you can do is let go and plummet to your implied death.

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It’s an interesting concept, and one of the reasons why that puzzle-based approached to climbing works so well is that the game presents you with a zoomed out overview of the wall before you can jump in, thus allowing you to plan your route to the top. This small touch stops the concept from being frustrating as you’re allowed to mentally prepare your climb before being sent to the bottom.

As for how you navigate to the top, there are a multitude of objects to hold onto, each with their own properties. Blue and orange pads can be grabbed, with the latter disappearing once you let go; crowbars can be used to latch onto silver hooks; magnetic pads can attach themselves to appropriate circles; and a green elevator can be used to ride up to higher points. They’re all easy enough to get used to, and the latter levels can get tricky as you try and work out what you need to get to the exit pad at the top.

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There’s not a whole lot more to the game than that, but it also doesn’t need more either. Its simple presentation and design makes it easy to get to grips with, and the game’s calibration ensures that the wall is adjusted appropriately for your arm span. A lot of thought and love has been put into the title, and as such feels far more polished than the cheap price point may imply.

My only real gripe is that I don’t feel some of the button controls are quite as intuitive as they could be. For example: using the face button to magnetise the giant magnet feels right, but unhooking the crowbar with that same button doesn’t. It’s only a small gripe really, as they’re still easy enough to get used to, but I also found it notable enough to mention. And really, if that is the biggest issue for a game that costs less than €3, that’s pretty damn good. 

VERDICT
Despite only having ten stages and a minimalistic aesthetic, Solve the Wall is a pretty good bargain for the mere €2.99 asking price. The climbing mechanics and level design feel fair, but importantly also feels fun too. Sure, the game probably won’t be in anyone’s top VR games; but, given how cheap it is, it should be in everyone’s library at least.