This specific scene in Jurassic Park always had a special meaning. “Nature will find away.” Think about that for a moment. “Nature will find away.” But what if what Dr. Malcom was saying all along, even after it was all said and done, that people still did not listen and still tried to create this life that eventually, the nature of the AI, found away. and in doing so we became the prisoners of our own creation? Does Developer Soul Pix show us what can happen when those creations we make allow us in turn, to become prisoners of our own creations? Let’s find out with Eden-Tomorrow for the PlayStation VR.
Eden-Tomorrow is a Sci-Fi story using the DualShock 4 controller, you play as Michael who has crash-landed on this planet. However, the interesting and familiar part is you don’t remember anything, but you have lost the ability to speak. You are also welcomed by a robotic sphere with hands like a friend named Newton, who because it also landed on your head, cannot remember. So if you cannot speak and have no memory, then the only way of really communicating right here at this moment is by nodding yes or no and it does work at the times you get to answer.
Newton will talk a lot throughout the game, but this is helpful as he is a creation that was made to help in situations. So he does have a vast knowledge and at times when things can get rough or intense, it is good to be able to listen to that voice of reason. There were times that I ran off and died, but after I stopped and listened and was able to follow him, I was able to make it safely to my next destination point.
But Eden-Tomorrow is not your typical follow one part of the team to the next part. Yes, there is some of that, but here, there are chances once you reach safe zones where you can activate a shield and then switch to Newton and control him on parts of this adventure. This comes in handy when you have to be able to search for certain objects which can are usually scattered from the ground to higher up (more on this in a minute).
When playing Eden-Tomorrow there will be times where you may be balancing against a wall or a beam as you try and move along. Other times you may have to sneak around without alerting or awakening what might be lurking. This is another good reason I was glad Newton was around to let me know when to stop and to keep going. But at the times when you have to sneak and there is debris (I am going to refer to this as broken glass because, dang it, it might as well after all the times I tried to sneak as quietly as possible and still failed) in your way that I tried on many occasions to sneak by and maybe I was too overly cautious, but finally made it. So the lesson here is to not give up and have some faith and listen to Newton.
Earlier I mentioned scattered objects. I want to touch on this now. Throughout my adventure with Eden-Tomorrow, there were times where Newton would need to power his Shockwave so he could blast doors or larger obstacles and I totally get and appreciate the Sci-fi aspect of there were people here before me and during whatever made them crash either by malfunction or maybe it was something else (I will not say as I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone) and I get that things crashed so things may be scattered, but there were times that I tried to search for certain objects that took longer than I would have liked.
Yes, it was probably me not looking in the right spot (look everywhere from above, below or whatever and you will thank me later) as I was wanting to find out what was going on with the story, but have some patience and once you find what you are looking for, you will either have a smile or want to kick yourself for not looking in that spot in the first place. Besides having to find certain objects, there are a few puzzle elements in place that are not too difficult.
As you progress, you start to learn about what you are trying to discover as well as some of the views of those before you may have on that discovery. Some of the scenes you encounter are really beautiful and there were times where I just had to stop for a moment and admire from the cave drawings to being able to witness these creatures of life. It almost had that feeling like in Jurassic Park where Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler saw the dinosaurs moving for the first time. Getting up and close with these creatures shows how amazing Virtual Reality can actually be and Soul Pix did a wonderful job bringing Sci-fi to the PlayStation VR.
Let’s talk about the sound for a moment you start and hear the music to the voice of Newton, every aspect has this Sci-fi sound to it. When you move from scene to scene the music and sounds such as the footsteps you take in the sand to moving across a wall and hearing the dirt from the wall crumble to even the audio recordings you find to help tell the story, it all flowed with the story.
Graphics looked really good here. Newton is very well done as well as the different atmospheres. When outside and at parts where it seemed like the sun was setting, it really set the mood of the area. Parts, where you had to sneak in a corridor so you would not be detected, added the eeriness to the tone and when the music starts to match, it is all well rounded and enjoyable.
If there is anything I would love and that is I really hope that Eden-Tomorrow continues on. There is so much more in this world and so much that can be told. There were parts that I was going to mention and show, but I could never spoil that for anyone. But once you get to the end, I think you will understand why I hope there is the continuation of this story.
I will say it once and I will say it again, Science Fiction can work extremely well in Virtual Reality. Being able to put you into a world and not only welcomes you but at times, seems to protect you while other times it seems to set out and destroy you. The story of Eden-Tomorrow shows us that when all may be down that there can still be hope in a home for a new tomorrow, but if we are not careful with our own creations regardless of the reasoning behind them, then those creations could possibly evolve and find a way to become something we never thought possible or hoped they would ever become.
Eden-Tomorrow is out now on PlayStation VR. A review code was provided.
To learn more Eden-Tomorrow, please visit the site and make sure to follow them on Twitter. To learn more about Soul Pix, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time I am going to back and enjoy the beauty.
Mr. PSVR, Febuary 24, 2019, theplaystationbrahs.com
