A Look At Jeff Minter’s Polybius – VR Game Of The Year 2017

Jeff Minter, also known as Yak, is one of those creators I just can’t get enough of. I’ve been a massive fan since his bizarre Camel games in the ’80s, and honestly, my admiration might even go further back, as he’s created so many memorable titles before that, including the iconic Hover Bover.

Polybius is one of those games where, once you start, it’s impossible to stop playing.

Vectors Are Forever…

Polybius is a vector-based game, at least in terms of its visual style. I only played it in VR while capturing screenshots, so some of them might look pretty amusing—imagine me playing like a wild monkey!

With its classic look and feel comes an impressive visual experience. At times, it’s truly stunning, as the framerate is flawless. The gameplay style seems like it should be prone to frame drops or jumps, but so far, I haven’t encountered a single one.

Tunnels Are Forever!

The game features some amazing tunnels and a solid old-school design, all running at a smooth 120 frames per second.

You’ll notice a lot of classic Amiga-inspired effects throughout the game, which is a fun throwback. It’s especially amusing to spot the iconic Boing Ball, along with a few other nostalgic effects from the past.

Polybius Is Hard To Explain With Screenshots…

The game is packed with an impressive amount of objects and details—just take a look at the madness above, and believe it or not, it gets even crazier.

There are various tasks you can complete to unlock in-game achievements or even trophies, adding an extra layer of challenge.

The levels are highly varied, and at times, the “track” design completely shifts, sending you flying upside down and spinning in circles.

Intense Action…

It actually reminds me a lot of our old game Wild Flying, especially with some of the level designs.

Any Amiga owner will likely recognise the tunnel design, which is reminiscent of the classic Super Stardust. The key difference here is that you can fly along the walls and explore in ways you couldn’t before.

Here’s another fantastic level, which brings to mind Tempest—and that vector-based PD/shareware clone on the Amiga, though the name escapes me for now.

Leaderboards Make It Extra Fun…

The game also features a pretty cool high score leaderboard—online, of course—just to frustrate casual gamers who might go a little crazy realising they’re not as good at it as they thought.

There are also some plasma-like levels, which might not look like much in screenshots, but trust me, the game shines in both VR and 3DTV. I haven’t tried it without those yet, but I imagine it’s still a solid experience even without the added immersion.

Screenshots…

I’ve decided to include some more screenshots for this game because, in my opinion, it’s a title that everyone needs to own—especially if you’re a VR or 3DTV owner.

EDIT: I’ve added a video showcasing the game’s first 7 levels, thanks to Stephen C. Morton (from the Llamasoft fan site on Facebook) for the suggestion.

There’s nothing quite like this game available on the PS4, and it’s so impressive that it could very well be my GOTY for downloadable games this year. That’s a big statement, especially since I play most games that come out.

If this game ever gets a physical release, I’ll be buying it without a doubt. It’s possibly the best shooter I’ve played in years—yes, even better than REZ: INFINITE on PS4/VR.

Grab this game now and support developers who are keeping the old-school spirit alive!