Chiaro and the Elixir of Life

I didn't enjoy this because I found it really janky. Moving through stuff. Operating elevators and moving up and down whilst being a foot outside the elevator.

The game seems to be quite buggy and the achievements don't work, but the story is great and the place is beautiful. So I still liked to play this game.

I wanted to like this game as it does appear to be interesting and the music really is nice but it doesn't feel like it's worth the $30 they're asking for it. Upon first playing I ran into one consistent bug, the sound for the cutscene wouldn't play. I had to open the Steam menu and then close it just to get it. The cutscene was also very strange being a movie played on a curved black wall that could oddly be moved around if you touched the touchpads. The controls seemed rather odd as well but that could just be Valve's attempts to integrate the WMR headset into their platform.

Interacting with the world around you was especially strange. Around Chiaro's home were these frog-like slug creatures you could pick up. Tossing or dropping them they just went into this weird pose and remained like that. Carefully setting them down they immediately went back to sleep as if you weren't ever there. Assembling Boka as well didn't feel very interactive. Grab a part, carry it to the right spot and it "pops" into place with the accompanying popping sound.

What killed it for me however was after assembling Boka the scene fades out to transition into day as you wake up. I had the nice surprise of falling through the floor and terrain. The only way to resolve it was to force quit the game since I couldn't see the book to choose to exit. Side note about the book, it's a neat little touch. If only the controls weren't so overly sensitive however... But again that may have been because of the Windows Mixed Reality controllers.

While I wouldn't recommend the game I wouldn't say avoid it either. If it goes on sale maybe pick it up. There might be community patches for the bugs that it seems the developers have yet to fix. But for me I'm going to apply for a refund and pick out something else.

Experienced on the Oculus Rift with Touch Controllers

I had numerous technical issues with this game, which kept me from completing it. On several occasions, the game crashed after cutscenes, forcing me to rewatch them multiple times until it didn't crash.

The worst bug was this one part where Boka jumps across a ravine, and doesn't quite make it. I failed to grab his hand in time on the first try, and subsequent restarts of the level he just jumps directly to the bottom of the ravine, with the same dialogue about helping him.

After a dozen or so times, the scene did eventually play out correctly. But in the end, I reached a bugged cutscene that wouldn't work no matter how many times I watched it. And I had it.

Chiaro Review:

Chiaro is a light hearted and charming adventure game through a unique and beautifully designed world. Visually, the game is beautiful. I would say the VR hardware (OG Vive) holds it back from looking better as the screen door makes everything blurry even when highly supersampled. It’s a shame and makes me look forward to a next gen headset that will really allow games like this to shine.

With regard to the gameplay, Chiaro feels very simplistic. You spend most of the time searching for objects or using items from your inventory to solve puzzles and progress the story. There is a really neat item which you get further in which allows you to create portals as well as throw explosives. This item really improves the gameplay and makes the latter half of the game much more enjoyable! The level design is also very impressive. You really feel like you’re in this fairytale world and I was especially impressed by the amount of verticality in the later levels. The characters are also done really well. The main character sounds like Elijah Woods, although I don’t think it is.

The one thing that did bother me however was the ‘jank’ factor. Playing it on Vive was a sub par experience. This is due to the ‘throwing’ mechanic just not working right. It’s baffling they wouldn’t fix it as the game relies so heavily on this mechanic. Not being able to throw correctly is infuriating enough to make you want to rage quit. I also encountered a few minor bugs where my hands would suddenly be way too big. Also, the gray Vive screen appears often- usually while loading a new level and it’s very jarring and immersion breaking. Overall, I was at least interested enough to see the game through to the end.

If you like simple light hearted adventure games with interesting characters and varied mechanics then this game is worth the sale price, although I would suggest Vive users pass due to poor controller implementation.

Took me a bit to decide whether to recommend the game or not and, in the end, had to go with no.

Game is pretty short (like 2-3 hours short) and it doesn't really have much going for it. It’s a story puzzle game that has neither an interesting story nor particularly interesting puzzles. They have a really neat concept with the knife but failed to deliver engaging content for the vast majority of the game.

It's also not nearly as pretty as the screenshots on the steam store page make it out to be but if you leave the well beaten path (which you're encouraged to do with the collection mini game), you'll quickly find all the repeat textures and bland environment surrounding the tunnel that’s been provided for you.

I didn’t enjoy Boka much either; not that the character was bad but it was neither particularly likeable nor particularly interesting. You're intended to feel for your companion but, unfortunately, the connection with your alive machine is not developed so there is no real attachment to it.

Even despite all that, I'd probably have given it a 'buy it if you can get it for a couple bucks' if not for the bugs. The game soft-locked on me twice and, since there's no save, you just have to start the chapter over again.

Overall, its probably still worth picking up for $5 or if you have a youngling who's easily impressed but cant recommend it. There are better 'experiences', better stories and better gameplay out there to spend your money on.

Was great and whimsical at the start, but as I made more progress the bugs started appearing. Over sized hands and constant falling through the ground. No sign of the devs for months. Until they make an appearance and fix these bugs I have to give it a big thumbs-down. Shame really as it seemed so promising at the start. Buying from steam can really have a risk to it. I don't recommend anyone purchasing this until they fix the problems. Cannot continue until they do! 4/10

Without Chinese, I feel bored, it is inconvenient to throw, too little fighting content, too much dialogue, general quality and disappointment.

Definitely recommend this game, although short, it has a great little story line and is very quirky. Some new gameplay things that i've no experienced in VR before.
It's a puzzle game so if you enjoy that sort of thing its a must have.
My only wish is that it was a little longer so we could spend more time with our fun little robot friend!

I'm afraid I don't get all the positive reviews. This is almost as bad as Loading Human, though with opposite aesthetics.

I stuck through it till chapter 9 based on specific comments from reviews about Ch 9 being great and the game starting slow. While it is better than most of the rest of the chapters, Ch 9 only rises to the level of OK. Well, the first half. Because I finally gave up on this game. Nearly every chapter I hit a point where I got blocked on what ended up being a gratuitously non-obvious interaction or hidden object or location and I got stuck towards the end of the Ch 9 fire section. I'm not replaying all that even if I knew what to do. The way that is supposed to work is the player mentally connects things after some thought. At least it should look meaningful afterwards (like in Riven where a opening the door to get in blocks another doorway). At worst, trail and error in an obvious interaction point.

Pros:
- Checkpoints within chapters (but not if you exit!)
- In Ch 1: you hear gentle (and quite good) singing and follow it meet a character
-- I had hoped for more moments like this or something along the lines of the feel-good vibe in Along Together
- I enjoyed the mixed fantasy/steampunk vibe. That's what made me want to try this game in the first place.
-- CON: But sadly it doesn't work that well in the game. The narrative aspects of the dichotomy are too disconnected and it ends with pretty arbitrary choices rather than a true synthesis (Bioshock did it far better).

Cons:
- The humor isn't funny and whimsical, it's flat and lame. Prat falls, cheesy jokes and ditties, funky walking.
- The voice acting is definitively above average for VR, but that isn't saying much.
- The story, dialog, actions, and morals are all over the place.
-- This is the worst described conflict I've ever seen. The phrasing and pacing are awkward and the logic of the events is off.
-- Repeatedly the story emphasizes the path forward as cooperation and harmony between humans, machines, and nature. But the game has you playing basketball with giant snails and shooting rockets at "chickens".
-- The mechanic hates alive machines with a passion and tries to destroy Boka. But as soon you walk around back w/o Boka, she has no problem with you (a creator of alive machines) and actively aids you to be able to make more.
-- The mechanic is looking for her cat in one line and right after there's randomly a line from the earlier sequence against Boka.
-- For dialog that is otherwise quite cheesy and kid-like, the player character curses d*mn when you fail some of the time limits.
--- I have no problem with cursing IRL or in movies or games. But generally it should be for characterization, situational, or other import. And in this case it's out of character, a minor context, and potentially problematic for much of the target audience.
- The gfx are only OK. Even on max they are pretty flat and blurry. The screenshots looked pretty good but it doesn't scale well to VR res and immersion.
- Can't restart at a checkpoint when loading a chapter after having exited the game.
- The controls are clunky and very imprecise.
-- While having both teleport and free movement (with snap or continuous rotation) was nice, both are glitchy. With free roam (stick) I was constantly falling through the floor or off edges. And teleport control wasn't precise, had no built in rotation, and didn't handle non-flat sections well.
-- If I wanted to be a baseball pitcher, I wouldn't be playing a video game. I'm not talking about the quick game of catch, but the fact this is used as a required teleportation method. With location, accuracy, and how many tries it takes you all mattering (there are timed sections). And the response to angle and speed seemed touchy and inconsistent. And this goes for a half-dozen throws in a row multiple times, mostly that you have to start from the beginning if you screw up.
-- The object grab was off center and used trigger instead of grip button. At various points you had to use control small virtual knobs and buttons that lacked clear interaction zones. I found the music machine in Ch 7 impossible, esp because of the big hand glitch. Only another glitch that made me fall through the world and somehow start in Ch 8 let me keep playing.
-- Aside from throwing the teleport ball, there's no real reason to stand vs sit. But the game doesn't adjust perspective for a comfortable sitting experience. Lowering the floor just creates the opposite problem.

I've only played the opening chapters so far, and I'm already gonna go ahead and mark this down as a solid "WORTH IT!"

So far, I've been treated to fantastic audio design (love the music!), seen a lot of beautiful (unique) art & graphics that pop *particularly* well in VR, and interacted with a world that was clearly designed with VR in mind. I *really* like what I've seen so far!

The production values are through the roof here, and the devs have obviously listened to the VR community as far as providing options for moving around in game (teleport, or smooth locomotion with HMD or controller based directions + optional smooth turning), so that's another big "these devs are paying attention to what works in VR" plus!

Really liking it so far. Likeable characters and interesting puzzles. Great to have a good single player story in VR, there aren’t that many.

Chiaro is what VR was meant for. It has an incredibly immersive world, delightful music, and some physics-based gameplay. My only complaint is that you can't save mid-episode and have to repeat it if you stop during it, but that is so minor. Buy this game if you want to play something that just makes you feel good.

Aesthetics are amazing, some of the best I have seen in VR. The music is good and the game play and story feel fun so far. Some small glitchy behaviors but nothing game breaking.

**Note** I've only put about 30 minutes into the game, but really wanted to get my review live in hopes it will help boost the game. I'll update my review once I've been through the entire game.

It's hard to be disappointed by any real attempt at making a VR Fantasy RPG since there is very little in the way of choice, but even if that wasn't the case, Chiaro would have been on my "must buy list".

The visuals are stunning, the dialog is excellent, and the gameplay is above average.

There is a lot missing from this game that would make it a AAA title (and I"ll list those below), but I am absolutely loving it so far.

If you're a fan of Fantasy and a steampunk vibe, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this one! I'd love to know if the devs have any future plans with this game as DLC or other titles! I am hopeful.

Pros:
- Set in a beautiful fantasy land
- Exploration feels good.
- Characters don't seem flat and dialog is high quality
- The controls work well.
- Interacting with the world feels genuine. Locking/unlocking a firebox, pouring water, carrying tea, this is what makes this game stand out.

Cons.
- From what I read, it's a bit short (3-5 hours). I wouldn't expect a 60+ hour game, but I'd hope for at least 10 hours
- While what you can interact with feels great, some of the things you can't interact with really pulls you out of the world.
- The world boundaries (which are invisible) also take away from the immersion. An easy fix for this is to let the player go a little further out, then put a hill, cliff, fence, river, or anything else. It doesn't have to be large, just enough for the player to think "ah, I reached the edge of the area and I can't go that way" instead of "whoa that area looks cool! But...I can't go there..." It's the same idea, but a visual one instead of an invisible one.
- The movement system is still a bit buggy. Teleport sometimes doesn't let you go where you know you can go and locomotion freezes up. This is in no way unplayable, and the devs are working on this, but definitely need to mention it. This could also have something to do with my vive tracking, though it's the only game I've had an issue in.

Bottom line:
Visuals: 4.5/5
Gameplay: 3.5/5
Characters/dialog: 4.5/5
Music/SE: 4/5
Controls: 3/5 (this could be issues with my vive tracking, however)
Immersive: 4/5

This is an enjoyable VR adventure that takes place in a beautiful world. You can tell the developers really put time into their creation. I recommend this and the play time is well worth the price.

I'm about half-way through the game. The voice acting is good, graphics are good (cartoony), DEVS are planning teleportation and smooth loco (tele only now), music is light piano music (acceptable).

The game is charming and often feels like a child's game, but with puzzles too hard for most kids. It wants to draw you into a story line about living machines, a great war between machines and humans, magic elixir, etc., but because of the childlike nature of the game with a silly penguin robot, I was getting mixed signals. It takes place in a devastating post-apocalyptic setting (complete with your parent's graves in the front yard) mixed with lighthearted humor and fun adventures with a slapstick sidekick.

Overall I enjoyed the game so far, and recommend it primarily because is has a fleshed-out story campaign that offers some unique VR game play with a portal tool, and pretty good AI for the penguin. There is no combat in the first half, and really nothing scary or shocking.

The puzzles are moderately difficult, and occasionally irritating, with a lack of direction for what the DEVs have in mind as a solution. One example is having to climb a mountain side with the portal tool, and even though I can throw the tool to the top of the cliff, it won't allow me to teleport there, because there must be some "special" way to get there.

Recommended if you want a charming puzzle adventure game, especially if it goes on sale.

This may be my favorite game that I've ever played.

I love the puzzles, the music, the story. I shed a tear when I first saw the beautiful landscape when Chiaro takes his first step outside. This is storytelling at its finest, and I would pay twice this cost for this game. Super recommended for those who love LoZ, Portal, or Miyazaki films.

There are a few bugs still, but nothing that really bothered me or broke the game. The only negative thing about it for me is that it wasn't longer. I really hope that these developers make their next project in the same world, because I'm not ready to leave it yet.

This is a cute title that is very much like being part of a children's fairy tale. You play as Chiaro, a boy in search of the Elixir of Life that will restore life to the machines long since wiped from the realm. Some areas have a lot of detail graphically while others not so much and remind me of an earlier, simpler video game era. The puzzle elements are not particularly tough, but the Steampunk theme and story are interesting enough to continue on through the chapters.

It's very much a kiddie fantasy game and I enjoyed it for what it is.