Stress Level Zero, the virtual reality (VR) studio behind Boneworks has made mention of its “Project 4” title for a while now without really giving too much away. That changes today with the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase unveiling Bonelab, an adventure game utilising Boneworks‘ physical interaction engine, Marrow.
Boneworks was released a couple of years ago, setting a new standard in physical interaction within a virtual gaming environment. Stress Level Zero has spent this time further refining the engine whilst building out a brand new narrative for Bonelab with this simple synopsis: “Escaping execution, you’ll find yourself in a mysterious underground lab. Uncover the truth about your reality.”
If you’ve played Boneworks then you’ll know the level of interaction Bonelab is set to offer. Whilst fighting, climbing and running will all be part of the gameplay, it’s how you intuitively interact with the environment that should set the title apart from others. This will allow you to get creative with whatever you find, mixing and matching weapons, discovering new routes or finding secrets.
From what’s been shown in the first trailer, Bonelab definitely looks the part, whether that’s fighting enemies, navigating treacherous environments or solving puzzles. There’s a far greater emphasis on action rather than merely playing within a VR sandbox, opening up the gameplay to more VR fans.
Additionally, Bonelab will provide mod support so those who want to get creative be able to build new content, whether that’s a map, weapon, or a new avatar. Mods have become commonplace in PC VR with Half-Life: Alyx a perfect example of what the community can create, greatly extending the shelf life of games.
Bonelab is currently slated to arrive for Meta Quest 2 and PC VR headsets at some point in 2022. Enjoy the debut trailer and for further updates, keep reading gmw3.