STILT – Jumping Flash In VR?

Inspired by Jumping Flash? 

I was a bit lukewarm to STILT before I actually started to understand the concept, a platformer in first-person view VR does sound great but at the same time, it sounds horrible too right?

Well, let’s go back in time a bit and see if there have been any good first-person platformers before, yep I can only think of one IP – Jumping Flash, a game so annoying that most never even managed to beat the first level, but there’s actually quite a few that love this one, I am not one of them to be honest as I just found it too archaic to play in a precise way (the steering/controls sucked balls in other words).

So, let’s agree that Jumping Flash was a great game but the controls were too difficult for most people, ok?

What about the gameplay then?  Jumping around in a 3d environment, flying around, using various mechanics and whatnot to find bonuses and maybe even a secret, well, that part was awesome and it is crazy that we never saw more ventures into this kind of game design after Jumping Flash 2 a few year(s) later.

STILT – JUMP 4 JoY?

The very first reaction I had while playing STILT was “laughing“, it didn’t take many seconds before that happened and that same thing happened to my eldest son (14) too, no, not because the game was bad or in a laughable state, it was because of the feeling it gave us as the player jumping around in what felt like “Happyland”, responsive movement and insane uncontrolled jumping all over the place while trying to adjust ourself to the feeling of being inside a platformer, honestly it was totally unexpected for both of us (as seasoned VR players) to react like this that quickly… 

But wow, that feeling was so worth it and it set the standard for every second of the game from then on, who would have thought this could be so fun (I certainly did not).

MAYHEM, CONFUSION STILT TO MIND…

It took about 10 minutes to adjust to the controls and how everything worked, you basically steer two arms (?) that you use to walk by simulating a slow crawling movement and if you hit the ground with force then you will jump, the harder you hit the higher you go (not endlessly luckily as then I would not have been able to do a review of this game 😛 …) 

It might sound awkward, but surprisingly, it functions well. Despite being quite exhausting, it remains fully playable even while sitting in a chair, as I tested myself, and my son did as well.

The game’s objective is straightforward: locate the exit at the end of each level (looks like a huge orange button). However, the journey to reach it is where the excitement lies, with exhilarating jumps, numerous hidden mini-games, and finding upgrades/powers that enhance the enjoyment of your adventure.

The developer dedicated considerable time to crafting the levels, resulting in pure enjoyment during the initial hours of gameplay. However, as you progress, the developer introduces increasingly challenging levels that can somewhat diminish the fun. It may be necessary to adjust these later levels to make them more manageable for the average player (the developer is listening to the community and I am sure he will adjust stuff if presented to him (he already did that with 2 levels which I reported in the last week)).

THE POWERS OF THE STILT…

The basics of the game are as mentioned earlier – to find the exit, but there’s also replay value to be found here, loads of it too, every stage has 5 “gifts/presents” to be unlocked where 3 of them are spread out across the level, hidden in a mini-game or maybe hidden in an obscure location you would never have expected to find one and so on, the two others are locked at the time you use and how many stamps you got when finishing the stage. 

Some levels are simply “just” fun and replaying them to try and find the rest of the bonuses is something you will happily do, others you won’t do unless you must do them and this might be a problem for some of the casual or younger players, once beaten you just want to move on as the level was just too annoying or hard, the odd thing though is that the easier levels never gets boring which indicates that the difficulty might be spot on for those.

The progression system forces the player to advance throughout the game in a manner that “just completing a level” is not enough, to advance to World 2 you will need 8 treasures from 4 stages, in other words, the player will most likely have to replay levels to be able to complete the game, the good thing about this solution though is that you will get better the further you progress and then it will eventually be easier to replay earlier levels.

The stages eventually get filled with not only obstacles and difficult jumps but also enemies, which you can smack with your “arms”, or jump on their head or if you have a power-up, shoot it, and it just works and I got a feeling that you will smile a little every time you do it.

While the game may present a challenge, it is considerate in its provision of checkpoints and continues. Following a good game design tradition, there are collectables (stamps) scattered throughout the stages. These not only guide your path and mark your progress but also serve as the game’s currency. Accumulating these stamps is vital, as they are required to continue playing after losing a life. There are two purchasing options available: a standard option requiring 10 stamps and another enhanced option with a power-up, requiring 15 stamps, which can potentially ease the game’s difficulty.

HOW DOES IT PLAY?

I have attached a video showing me playing the game before I got “good”, this is about 3 hours into the game and it is still very early in the game (stage 5 out of 20).

Enjoy the vid, I hope it will explain a bit more how it was for me in the first hours of playing this wonderful game.

PS: The video is made from a pre-release version and it may not represent the actual state of the game now after it’s released (read: it’s even better now:-p).

IS STILT WORTH YOUR MONEY?

With clean and crisp graphics, joyful yet typical music and the sound-fx score for such a game, the framerate feels silky smooth (120fps with no re-projection) with absolutely no slowdowns in sight. The game feels complete and ready for the public, there’s even an 8-player multiplayer mode tucked in here which won’t be part of this review for now (might be added in after launch day) as we really need to test it more before even trying to comment on it, but according to the developer the multiplayer info is as follows: 

The multiplayer consists of a lobby where you can free roam and meet other players and a positional-based voice chat.

Then there is the arena. In the arena, there are 4 game modes available.

• Deathmatch, where each player always spawns with a fireball weapon power up, and tries to eliminate as many players as possible.
• Balloon Hunt, where you try to pop as many balloons as possible to get the highest score.
• Area Bash, where you try to stay inside a continuously moving area while trying to get other players out of it, while you are inside it you continuously gain score.
• Electric Tag, which is basically the last man standing, and if you die you also become electric. When you are electric you only need to touch other players in order to eliminate them.

In-between each game round the winner of the game is presented and the players vote together on the next game mode and level.

STILT also has an extensive single-player campaign (20 stages + a boss level and more (the hub is huge btw)) with loads of secrets and fun to be had but there is more as STILT also has a Platinum Trophy which will mean even more replay value for those of you who like that kind of stuff (I am one of them).

THE FINAL VERDICT…

STILT adds to the multitude of reasons why VR holds such appeal for me. While the game’s visuals may not dazzle in screenshots or videos, it’s the type of experience you truly need to immerse yourself in to appreciate fully. I’ve encouraged the developer to consider releasing a playable demo for PSVR2, although it’s unlikely to happen within the current release window. However, there’s hope that they might explore this option in the future (fingers crossed). 

I don’t have many complaints about this game; everything is exceptionally well-polished, and the sound, visuals (120 fps, crisp, no re-projection in sight) and gameplay are outstanding. Over the course of my 34 hours playing STILT, it’s been an incredibly enjoyable and often hysterically fun experience that I can’t emphasize enough. This game has been difficult to tear myself away from (I’m currently at 60-70% completion). If I had to pinpoint one area for improvement, it would be to adjust the difficulty of the later levels. However, I have a hunch that these adjustments might be made in the coming weeks if others share the same sentiment. STILT comes remarkably close to meeting all my expectations for a game, particularly within the immersive world of VR. While it may not align with the preferences of every player, there’s still enjoyment to be found for a diverse audience, whether seeking a challenge or the thrill of experiencing something fresh and innovative.

STILT will be out this Friday (08 March 2024) and priced at $19.99, no physical version announced yet.

Special thanks to Lauri at VRKiwi for providing the review key and granting early access, as always. Additionally, a big thank you to Petter at REKT Games for attentively considering my suggestions and enhancing the game, at least from my perspective.

I’ve added the release trailer below…