Shaun Munro reviews Statik…
If you enjoy crisply immersive VR graphics, bone-dry humour and feeling like an absolute idiot, Tarsier Studios’ Statik just might be the game for you. Providing yet more evidence that non-roomscale VR is simply better-suited to seated, static (or rather, statik) experiences, this unassuming yet devilishly tricky puzzler represents some of the most clever – not to mention infuriating – gameplay yet available on PSVR.
Statik opens with the player waking up in an eerily sterile lab, restrained to a chair with their hands trapped inside a puzzle box and the enigmatic Dr. Ingen – whose face is permanently, creepily distorted – observing your behaviour. The goal is to solve each of the game’s nine puzzle boxes in the hope of finding out exactly why you’ve been sequestered for this task, or at least bringing the quasi-torture to an end.
With the DualShock 4 controller serving as the tactile real-life embodiment of each puzzle box, players must figure out which corresponding functions the controller’s buttons serve on each box. And of course, this being a VR game, rotating the DS4 will rotate the puzzle boxes around in-game, allowing closer inspection of their various bells and whistles.
The game’s inevitably divisive loop meanwhile entails a near-total lack of hand-holding; players are dropped into each puzzle room with the most minimal of prodding (and encouragement) from Dr. Ingen, instead required to rely on cleverly-disguised environmental clues and their own powers of observation.
To that end, Statik is a challenging game and certainly one of the more outwardly casual-averse PSVR titles to date. Depending on how switched-on and in-tune with the game’s twisty logic players are, a single play through can last anywhere from three hours to triple that or theoretically even more. It can be immensely infuriating staring gormlessly at a puzzle box for thirty-plus minutes, to the point where one might be tempted to throw up the white flag or seek out the solution on YouTube, but the eventual eureka moments are so absurdly satisfying that it begs sticking with it.
For a little added value, peppered in-between the nine puzzles are some scripted interrogation sequences and seemingly mild block-building puzzles, though the final of the latter actually stumped me for considerably longer than any of the “proper” puzzles. Go figure.
Though the game oddly makes little mention of it, there is also the ability for a friend to make use of the PS4’s second screen feature for two-player action in three additional puzzles exclusive to the mode. For those feeling a little worn out from the solitude of the core experience, it’s an absolute must.
Visually, Statik is a gorgeous title and by far one of the cleanest, sharpest-looking PSVR games out there. The ability to close in tight on every nook and cranny of the puzzle boxes enhances the feeling of presence, which is really the most important factor for just about any VR game’s success. I felt in this world for every second of my play-time, not only due to the excellent head and controller tracking, but because it makes smart use of lighting and the purposefully bland minimalism of the lab environments.
Sound-wise, it’s meanwhile an appropriately minimalist affair. Dr. Ingen’s intermittent quips are straight out of the Portal (and more recently, Headmaster) school of quietly creepy, and impeccably acted to boot. The score meanwhile largely defers to a minimalist drone, which can admittedly prove mildly grating should you spend a while stuck on a puzzle.
With a prevailing ambiguity and not terribly satisfying resolution, not to mention a takes-no-prisoners difficulty level that will ruthlessly punish the easily annoyed, Statik is not a game for everyone. Its inherent solution-based nature gives it little replay value for all but the speedrunner crowd, but the overall package still presents solid value and one of PSVR’s more ingenious and robust offerings to date.
Pros:
+ Disarmingly clever and unique puzzles
+ Sharp visuals and sound
+ Excellent use of VR
+ Quirky sense of humour
Cons:
– Little replay value for most
– Some may find the difficulty too punishing
Rating: 8/10
Reviewed for PS4.
Shaun Munro – Follow me on Twitter for more video game rambling.
Originally published April 29, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
