Off Road Paradise: Trial 4×4 Review
ABOUT THIS GAME FROM THE DEVELOPERS:
Off-Road Paradise is the 4×4 trial game featuring the most realistic off-road experience under extreme paradisaical and impressive environments created for you to enjoy from the first minute in the most spectacular way.
Levels designed to make 4×4 trial
In Off-Road Paradise you won’t get bored in huge scenarios. The levels are short, varied and designed to find the limits of the vehicles from the first second of the game: extreme slopes, jumps, impossible angles, ravines and maximum adrenaline assured in every square meter.
Automated and intelligent camera system
All levels have been carefully designed in conjunction with the television system so you can always play with the most spectacular view without losing any detail. Finally a game that makes it possible to comfortably enjoy the 4×4 trial!
Full Virtual Reality support (Optional)
Play in first person as if you were actually inside the car or with the amazing “God Mode” where you can walk around the scene to appreciate all the details from the best angle.
Incredible soft realistic physical engine
Find the real limits of the different cars in the most extreme situations. See how a tire deforms against the rocks. Analyze how the suspensions work each wheel. And why not? Enjoy watching how cars are shredded without any risk thanks to an incredible soft physical engine.
Review:
The aim of the game is to get your 4×4 from the start point grab a bonus totem and then drive to the finish point. Sounds easy enough right? Trust me it isn’t! The complexity of some of these levels will have you frustrated and left wondering how the hell you will ever make it to the end!
Ok I’m going to be honest here I really didn’t think this game was going to be one for me, don’t get me wrong I love cars and I’m all up for trying any VR game but how would this game take any advantage from using the touch controllers??
VR & Graphics:
It proved me wrong it works great with them, In the exterior view of the car it feels like your controlling a big RC 4×4 and manoeuvring it over tricky terrains and obstacles. The controls are brilliant for this and bring back memories of using them old RC cars with the remote with the car wheel to actually turn the wheels on the RC car with one massive exception, It actually works and its responsive on here!
In cockpit view this is where you really take advantage of the VR though, with the games soft physics engine it looks amazing when you smash into things and see the car crumple inwards and towards you. The touch controllers work well in cockpit view as well with the triggers on each one to controlling brakes and acceleration and then actually twisting the right controller to control the steering wheel.
Sometimes I found that in VR When you reset after falling in the water or upside down the screen did flicker between loading and back to the Oculus room screen sometimes which made me feel a little bit sick but the morale to that story though is don’t fall off and you won’t have to reset!
Graphics on the Oculus were pretty good for VR, but bad when compared to 1440p on a monitor but then a monitor cannot give you anywhere near the immersion you get from the Oculus so as usual its a difficult to say which one is better. The graphics on the Oculus were by no means bad but the graphical difference when you play this on a monitor isn’t as good. It’s just far more comfortable with the monitor and controller but this wont be the same for everyone and there’s a good chance you will prefer VR! The graphics on this game can kill VR frame rates unless you are running something like a GTX1080. I was running a 980Ti Overclocked and with max settings I was averaging around 45-50 fps.
Playing on a monitor with an Xbox One controller was my preferred experience, I did miss the immersion but it was just far more comfortable and the graphics looked much nicer with plenty of options to adjust in the settings menu to please your visual taste! Frame rates with everything maxed out on the settings shown below were very high upwards of 100fps!
Setup:
Setup on the game for me was non-existent, Xbox controller was plugged in and already mapped ready to use and the same went for the Oculus with the Touch Controllers. Very easy setup and able to just pick up and play!
Controls:
The amount of options for this game is brilliant, you can use either mouse and keyboard, controllers, steering wheel, Oculus Rift with touch controls, HTC Vive with touch or monitor and you can basically pick your combination. The steering wheel is the only one I’m yet to test but I would imagine in first person with Oculus or Vive this will be by far the best experience!
Sound:
Sounds on the game are just ok and probably It’s weakest point, you can hear the environment but the cars just don’t sound like big 300bhp engines that are working their nuts off to get up the hill or rock It’s trying to climb. The annoying man at the end of each level can also get extremely repetitive with his high pitched and overenthusiastic YEAH! After a few levels I wanted to shoot that bloke!
Content:
As for content you are left pretty spoilt, you get a fair choice of cars and customisation, to date there are 8 configurable cars but there will be more in the future in free updates according to the store page on Steam.
There is an arena section where you can basically bugger about and smash the 4×4 to bits which is good fun with the soft physics.
The video below shows how much these cars can be completely battered and how it will change the handling of the car!
Community levels add more value to the already amazing amount of levels as well as having It’s own level editor in Beta.
Levels are extremely complex at times and will take a fair few attempts to get through them which makes the game last.
The soft physics of the cars really make this game, cars can be smashed to bits and lose all sorts of body parts such as wheels and doors, It add so much to the experience as you won’t want to just smash the 4×4 or there’s no way you will make it to the end of the course as it effects the handling and you will never make it up a hill!
Value:
I would have to say the game is worth its price tag of £14.99 on steam due to the fact it has a massive 150 story levels to complete!! Also If the time ever comes that you manage to complete all them, there is also a community levels section to keep you going!
Pros:
Easy setup
Brilliant soft physics
VR Support
Plenty of content
Many different playing options
Cons:
Can be a little nauseous after a while
Sound isn’t great
Vedict:
With plenty of options and good VR support you can’t really go wrong for the price! Good fun with brilliant soft physics and complex level design will keep you hooked for hours!
Score 8.2/10