Richie’s Plank Experience is one of those classic games that pretty much every VR owner is aware of it at this point. It’s such a simple concept that it’s easy to explain to people, and perfect as a way of showing off the tech to first-timers.

So, why are we covering the game now? Well, Nightmare Mode has finally made its way to the Meta Quest 3 this Halloween, so it’s about time we talked about the title and its update to tie in with the spooky season!

Many thanks to the publisher for the review code. If you want to purchase the game with a 10% discount, you can do so by using our affiliate link. It helps the website stay free from adverts, and is a great way to support us!

WALKING THE PLANK
The heart of the game, and the main reason you’ll probably want to boot it up, is the classic plank walk. After setting up the positioning of the lift and plank (as well as its size and position), your goal is to simply take the lift up to the top and walk across the plank at the top. You can add doughnuts at the end or some other incentive, but really the game is all about facing the dizzying heights that are surprisingly convincing – even for seasoned VR users.

Image

Even though the main draw is the plank walk, that’s not all there is to the game. There’s a Canyon variant that swaps out the skyscraper for a rocky ravine (purchasable as DLC), as well as a number of game modes that make the most of you being in the air. These generally utilise the jetpack, enabling you to soar around the sky painting colours in the air or extinguishing fires in the neighbourhood. They’re a nice touch at helping to add something a little more, and I was quite surprised to see that all sense of vertigo seems to disappear when swapping out the plank for a jetpack.

The real reason we’re covering the game though is the Nightmare Mode, which can be accessed by inputting ‘666’ on the elevator keypad (which suspiciously only contains the number six…). Doing so will trigger an onslaught of demonic events, starting with an onslaught of spiders before leading onto some other horrific surprises. Like the rest of the game, there’s not a whole lot of depth to it, but it manages to recapture the original plank experience as something to show off to some of your braver friends.

VERDICT
Sure, Richie’s Plank Experience is little more than a VR experience (as hinted at by the title), but given how effective it is at recreating that sensation of vertigo (and arachnophobia with its recent update), it’s perfect to show off to non-gaming or non-VR friends and relatives. Just try your best not to give your Grandmother a heart attack.