When it comes to taking to the sky in VR, you’ve probably done so by way of the many flight simulators available. What if you wanted a more natural, almost bird-like experience? Games like Rush (2019) come close with their wingsuit, yet still lack complete freedom. That’s where CHARK’s Exer Gale comes in, but as our friends at 131XR find in their latest preview, the sky has its limits.
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Taking flight with Exer Gale
In Exer Gale you take flight across a beautiful, colourful landscape as a human who’s able to fly with a few feathers attached to your arms. With a quick flap of your arms, you can take to the skies and explore an island paradise filled with mountains to ascend, caves to explore, and challenges to be completed.
Now available as an Early Access title for Meta Quest, Exer Gale offers both single-player and multiplayer gameplay modes. So you can explore and race timed challenges solo, or go head-to-head with friends.
Exer Gale Preview
As 131XR’s preview of Exer Gale finds, CHARK has created some excellent flying mechanics for players to enjoy. The gameplay is physical (so expect to sweat), having to flap your arms to gain height, move your body to turn and break by putting your hands out in front. While the tutorial might be a little light on detailed instructions, causing an early issue, once into the wide island-filled lobby, Exer Gale starts showing its potential.
However, whilst the core flying gameplay has been well engineered, 131XR says the rest of the game lacks fun elements. The core gameplay loop revolves around timed challenges where you have to collect floating gems. These tend to be far less enjoyable than the main lobby, where you have complete freedom to fly and explore as you’d like. 131XR notes that expanding upon this would be far more fun. Watch the video below to learn more!
What’s next for Exer Gale?
As mentioned, Exer Gale has launched into Early Access for Meta Quest. There’s a free version which features the main lobby and four additional levels. A premium version for $14.99 USD/£11.99 GBP unlocks four additional maps. It’s also worth noting that planned summer updates, which include another four maps, additional game modes, extra customisation options (wings, masks and tattoos) and private lobbies, will only be available for the premium edition.
Have you tried Exer Gale yet? What do you think of its flying mechanics? Think 131XR is correct? Let us know in the comments below.
