Rangi Review (PSVR)
For the purposes of transparency, this review was created using a code provided by the company or their respective PR company. The use of a review code does not affect my judgement of the game.
The VR medium really brought a love of puzzle games that I had not previously had, with it seeming to offer a lot more than your standard flat games. With the release of Rangi it brings another game in this genre to VR, but does it continue my fondness for this genre?
The story of Rangi is opened up at the beginning as you are introduced as Guruki, who is tasked to venture out and save the world. He has to do this because long ago there was Music Giants who wandered the land freely, keep the music beat in the world alive. This music would guide the beating of peoples hearts, fill the children with joy, and make the warriors at that time stronger.
But, the Chúkwú as this is known has now been stolen by The Matata, and they have locked it away within secret puzzles. This has stopped the drums beating, the music has stopped playing and everyone has lost hope of it returning. But, prophesy has spoken of someone who will unlock all these mysteries and return Chúkwú back to the Music Giants and the world will live again… and that person is Guruki.
So, this is where the puzzle gameplay comes in, you are now on your adventure to solve all these puzzle left behind by the Matata. The aim of all these puzzles is to got the correct light sources to the doors in order to open the doors and continue. This will have you moving blocks to complete the circuits and using switches in order to complete these puzzles.
What Rangi has done well with this gameplay has got the contrast right for the puzzles. I have found with a lot of puzzle games on the Playstation VR they are either really easy and you fly through them or they are made difficult, in what makes it feel like forced prolonging of the game – but Rangi does neither. The game starts out simple as they introduce you to each mechanic used for the puzzles, but as you get further through they become on a much larger scale using both the mechanics you have learnt. When I say a much larger scale I mean it as well, some of the sections for the puzzles are huge, and it’s all about moving about getting everything in place to allow the circuit to be completed – and sometimes you might use the wrong coloured light source, and need to figure out the next one.
Where the puzzle element is the main part of the gameplay, as you get later into the game, it will also throw some dangers into the levels as well. Be it enemies or levels where you have to outrun some dangers – this mixes up the gameplay enough to keep the whole game feeling fresh throughout your play-through.
When it comes to presentation the game brings with it a very simple visual style, but as with games like Windlands simple sometimes works and I am happy to say Rangi falls into this. The game brings with it the cell-shaded visual style that if is done well fits right into the VR medium. At first when the game’s story opens with a sort of painted storyboard idea, I thought this would take some the immersion out of the game. However, as you go into the world it is a very similar style to the painting with the block colours, it brings in that immersion and really makes you feel like you are in Rangi’s universe.
Rangi can be played in either a seated or standing position given the type of game it is and how it controls. The game can be played with either one or two Move Controllers or the DualShock controller. The second Move Controller plays no role in the game, other than being a gimmicky part of the games look, by putting another club in your other hand. The main controller is used for a stick which you will use to fire a beam to move yourself or to grab and move objects.
With the game making the jump over from the Gear VR the movement system is very basic. You have pre-determined spots you can teleport to, these are represented as what look like orbs – this is what you will point the beam at from the stick to move. When it comes to turning in the world, this is done by pressing the Triangle and Square button on the controller, but, if you go with the two Move controller set-up it’s only mapped to one controller. Where I feel the Square on the left-handed controller and Triangle on the right-handed controller would feel more natural – but this does not take away from your immersion in the game anyway.
The game took me around four hours to complete, and personally I think it’s a game you would struggle to play-through again. Although the team at Funsoft have done really well the puzzle designs and each on gives you feeling of progression and achievement upon completion. To get through the twenty-four levels you are really going to need some patience because there is a lack of a checkpoint system during in the puzzles – so quitting will only make you have to start that level again on your next boot-up.
Conclusion
Rangi brings with a puzzle a game which for me is the standout contender on the Playstation VR in the genre. Unlike many of the other games, it brings with it the right mix of puzzle difficulty – which always leaves you with some sense of achievement in each level. With a visual style that is true to the story and the African origins of the game, it’s another game that proves that games don’t need to have those ‘AAA’ visuals to look beautiful. Also it is only going to cost you £7.99 ($9.99 USD), which makes this purchase a no-brainer if you are looking for a solid VR puzzle experience on the PSVR.
Also available on HTC Vive and Oculus Rift
Developer: Funsoft
