Glider Island

Fun , and challenging , works with a keyboard and mouse.

A fun enough experience for the price (especially in the Steam sale!).

positives:
Does not cost much.
Good for a quick bit of fun.
Beating my last score had me playing longer than I expected.

negatives:
90's graphic textures.
ATM it is a bit of a 'one trick pony'.

Suggestions:

Although I think what is offered is worth the current (sale) price. There is not a lot of gameplay variety, and the graphics look really dated (thankfully, you can now turn off the 'music').
But...... this could be *so much more*. It could be the 'pilot wings' of VR with more investment and work. Going through hoops gets old pretty quick. Still good to have that in, but needs more variety. This could be a really great game to chill in with a little more work - that is, if the graphics were worked on (better textures) and more complex island design, with secrets to find and collect (to trade for upgrades). A chill 'explore mode' would work so well in this.

I am guessing this is made by a very small team, who may not have the resources to go much further - but with more depth and more interesting things to look at and explore, they could ask far more for the title than the current asking price.

As is, worth picking up in a sale for a simple bit of indie fun.

In short, this is a proper little gem for VR! It's not a huge game but what it does, it does well, which is taking you for a flight around some pretty islands at a pace of your choosing, whether you just want to glide around and relax or rush like a madman for the high score! This is one of those super simple titles that you can learn quickly and take turns on with your buddies, meaning it's a great option for VR cafes/arcades. At less than £6, or just a tiddle under tree-fiddy on offer, you really can't go wrong!

Honestly, the ONLY thing wrong with this title is the lack of players - there's a competitive element to the game with a prize pool, but sadly there just isn't much competition :( If you have a VR headset you absolutely should get this, even if you're only gonna demo it to your mates because it's a fun, colourful experience which is easy to pick up at a moments' notice.

P.S. The developer is working on a glider simulator (as opposed to an arcade title), which is available to play as a beta through this game :)

I got it on sale and it's ok for the price but theres some really questionable gameplay decisions... the time limit - it adds nothing except making it hard to complete the levels - much better idea would be remove it or have each hoop you go through add 1-2 seconds to your time - this would make close calls happen more - ie. you only have 30 seconds left to get 10 hoops but if you get 5 hoops that might give you the 5-10 seconds you need to get the last 5. As it stands once you're down to the least 30 seconds you pretty much know whether or not you can finish the level so it all seems a bit futile. Easy fix and as other reviews have said its currently kinda frustrating to finish levels - auto-unlocking the levels doesnt solve the frustration all that does is make people feel like they're being babied.

The weather event is ok but I think it shoulkd trigger once you hit 100 rings instead of automatically every few minutes. My main issue with the weather event is the music is mediocre during the weather event. Tries to be dramatic and foreboding but it sounds like 8 bit synthesizer which just doesnt have a dramatic imact lol.

I'd also like a free roam mode - no weather, no time limit, just clear skies. Plus an infinite boost mode would be cool to unlock... these should all be easy to implement if the devs still care

At its current state I can only recommend it on sale and even then it has some gameplay issues that need fixing imo

Ok im hooked on this game. I love a competition and the community that plays this game do to. I get on the leaderboard someone knocks me down its all good fun and very addictive to play.
The game handles well. The graphics are Ok and the music relaxing.
I like the choice of maps i hope more will be added and would like to see a faster option for this game for the Pro's
For the price you cant go wrong so give it a try.

My father was an avid hang glider and made me buy this. Even though it's not a simulator, game is fun and put a smile on his face. Had some fun myself, the hand controllers setup is intuitive and enjoyable. Better than expected.

This is a great game. If you want something that's a nice relaxing flight, this is your game.

There is a time limit on each island, but they all seem like plenty of time, once you get to know where all the "courses" are. There aren't any real "courses". Simply trails of hoops to fly through. It's up to you how you navigate.

It does become a challenge to fly through a row of hoops when a storm or vocano blows your way. But those are spaced-out enough that it's very enjoyable.

So if you get motion sickness in VR, I could see why you would give this game a positive review. You're just so happy that you didn't experience nausea that you give it a thumbs up. Good job kid!

But honestly, this game is just plain boring and sad. There's no challenge. You know why I didn't collect all the rings/hoops whatevers. Because I was bored to death. If you want a real gliding experience, try Mount Wingsuit VR. Now there's a thrilling VR experience. This? This game is for when your grandma wants to try VR. So I do recommend this game for the elderly or small children.

Rating 4/10 yeah, I'm sad for you if you think this is what VR is all about, a zen like flight sim experience? lolz

This is one of those times when I wish that there was a medium point between recommended and not recommended.

I have had a fair amount of time in a real hang glider. I was hoping that this game would give me a fraction of the feeling that I got from that. I wasn't under any illusions that this was a simulator. I was aware that it is an arcade game but I was hoping that there might be some element of it that made it appealing to me. Sadly not.

I don't want to be too hard on this game, the basics are very good if it is what you are looking for. It's basically a game that gives you an excuse to dick around in the sky with a vague hang glider mechanic and it does that very well. I like the fact that the controls are about as close to a real hang gliders controls as it possible for them to be and that they do the job better than any other control method I have come across so far. It can feel as though you push the bar away to slow down and pull it towards you to speed up (or, as it really is pull yourself over the bar to speed up and push yourself away to slow down) but trying to do this was giving me some odd results. I quickly realised that it was the tilt of the controllers that mattered. Once I realised that I was much better at the game but it broke the immersion.

I don't like the rocket booster mechanic for regaining height. I would have preferred it if there had been some kind of thermal mechanic instead - even if they were visible and even if they were completely at odds with physics for their placement it would have increased the immersion for me. There could be a gameplay element that meant that you were constantly trying to limp from picking up rings to the next thermal before running out of height.

If this company ever decided to do an actual hang gliding simulator I would definitely buy it. Many of the elements are there, they would just need to up the photo-realism of the environment, restrain the movement of the glider to more realistic parameters, and add thermals.

As it is, this game has appeal, it just wasn't what I was looking for.

Finally, a very playable and fun version! I had previously purchased and refunded the game twice, because of poor controls making the game unplayable and frustrating. This recent update, with the extremely fun and easy head control, makes the hang gliding experience both realistic and enjoyable as well. I played for over two hours straight without crashing, and stopped just to write this review to congratulate the developers for making a great game. I would pay the full price willingly, and with the discount, it's a no brainer to purchase this gem. I hope there will be more maps (even as dlc) in future, because this hang gliding experience, in VR, is almost as good as the real thing, without crashing and breaking bones! A strong buy recommendation!

Picked this title up for four bones during the summer sale. Totally worth a few bucks! It's a relaxing style flight sim - just swoop around the island, collecting rings, and taking in the views. Nice attention to detail... was impressed by the pirate ship circling the island (which you need to collect rings from) and the wildlife like birds and dolphins.

Hard to believe there aren't more relaxing/zen flight sims around for VR - seems like the perfect medium for it.

I also took a quick peek at the Beta "Glider Sim" which appears to be taking a more realistic (and therefore slightly more difficult to control!) route. I got the hang of it after a few crash landings, and it's certainly worth your time to check out.

Only gripes at this point are 1] It's pretty tough to collect all the rings. Granted I've only played the first island a few times, but ran out of jet boost far before I could collect 'em all. (Guess I gotta git gud?) and 2] I'm experiencing some FPS judder, even running a very powerful system. This could lead to some nausea for some. Might need some performance optimizations?

Glad to see the developer active in the community HUB, and overall, I totally recommend it for the few dollars he's asking for it!

One of my favorite vr games I've played so far... no motion sickeness at all, very good graphics. For $8, absolutely worth it.

Edit: I don't know what update changed the flying mechanics (with no way to toggle back to the old mode), but this game totally sucks now. I used to have a great time doing barrel rolls and just generally enjoying flying around and now you can't even tilt your glider to the left and right... totally boring now.

I would not recommend anyone buy this game at this point in time

NOTE: Dev said they are pushing update to address this at the beginning of February, after the flight mode is addressed this game is still 10/10 for the price.

Too difficult!!! In order to pass one level to the next, it is required to fly through all the loops (100%) which is literally impossible to achieve, especially since the controls are counter intuitive - one has to steer the glider with ones left thumb, which is difficult for most right handed people. There literally aren't any options. One can't even turn the nerve numbing in-game-music off. The basic idea isn't bad but the realization is terrible.

Of my 70+ Vive games, this is my second favorite, next only to Smashbox Arena. I have always loved flying games, especially gliding ones, but this one makes you feel like you're actually on the mountain! The complaint of 2 of the 3 negative reviews was that the movement was controlled by the head. This was changed months ago, and you now control it by moving your hands, just like on a real hang glider. This is more natural, and lets you look around at the scenery. Several of my friends and family and tried it, and they have all enjoyed it.

The graphics are clean and polished, and it's well worth the $10. I'll never forget the first time I stepped off the ramp at the top of Glider Island and dove down the mountain. It was such a rush!

Most or all of the other glider-like flying VR games are arcade style, and just move you at a constant speed. This one feels like the real thing.

Better than I thought it would be. I remember when it first came out it received some negative reviews because of it's head tracking only control. I bought it after haptic feedback Vive controllers option was added. The way it let's you align the craft to exactly where you need it to be and the overall sensation of gliding around both work great. Nice addition to add some variety to your collection.

nintendo64 pilotwings for vive/rift!
has a LOT of potential!!!

but as it is now, wouldnt recommend it
made me very nautious

I just tried this out for half price. I would say 5$ is much more reasonable. Its a relaxing experience none the less. Enjoyable to fly around and collect hoops. Although I wish there was more to the gameplay. The Vive hand controller method was a little tricky at first. But fun. I actually enjoyed the head controls more... Its easier and more relaxing. I am interested in seeing the newer version, Overall I feel this developer has potential.

i love flight Sim's and Pilot Wings for the N64 so if you have moderate resistance to Sim sickens like me you should love this game. now I'm not saying it is perfect but for a early access game it is a much better base product than most and if it receives a steady stream of updates it will be amazing

Hi Joey,
Great Title! Thank you.
After playing it for a while, here are some of my suggestions/feedback.

The glider needs to be closer and the rainbow needs to be killed off totally. I get really bad stutter when the rainbow is in the picture. I use the Gigabyte EXTREME Liquid cooled 1080 GTX. Quad core 4.2 GHZ proc and 16 megs of ram. The other island runs perfectly. I would also recommend changing the animated clouds, as they have lots of weird shapes around them. Also, a man after my own heart, Games never have enough ambience. You are on the correct path sir! The storm was great when it hit me! We need more stuff like that... birds..whales..ships..bugs..people overlooking cliffs..campfires..schools of fish..etc..the list goes on and on. This game will be incredible when out of early access. I am more than willing to help out, as I have been creating art all my life :} I know you have just added and artist to your team. So..I am sure, some major grafx updates will come soon enough! Also, the wind thermals need better art sir.

I would personally love the choice of using controls also, not just move my head for turning. I would love it if i could just hold the vive wands in front of me, like i would be holding the pole, and steer..just like in real life :}

Being that you named this Glider island, did u plan on any other types of machines ? Rocketbelt, mini motorized gliders, Skydiving..etc. I can easily seeing this game hitting top sales when completed. What you have done so far is epic to me! Cannot wait for your finished version. Thank you again Joey.

I will play again after work..test some more..and contact you asap. I had sent you my email this morning also :]
Thanks for knowledge and helping me with my project also!
You are to kind sir!
I hope the sales go up and up for you!

I so wanted to love this game as I was a big fan of Pilot Wings on the N64!
I suggested the developers should find and play it for inspiration, it was very similar (and to fix the controls as it was head movement only initially).

It appears they did, or something similar, because the revised, updated game, which I played recently is so much better than the first release.

The controls are really well implemented now with a choice of Xbox controller, head movements, or you can use the VIVE controls to fly it like a real hang glider.

My only small complaint now is that I find it a little too hard to complete the levels, and with no way to access the other two island until you have completed the first level I found that I was extremely frustrated that I HAD to do the first one. I experienced a problem where my BOOST function on the XBox controller wouldnt kick in so it was impossible to do the first level, and so have not seen the others. I am sure this bug will be fixed soon, and I will have another go at it.

The graphics and sound are great, there is a real feeling of flying a hang glider. Now they just need to add the other N64 Pilot Wings vehicles like the jetpack and microlight and I will be really happy.