nDreams Elevation’s Reach takes VR traversal and spectacle to new heights, quite literally. It casts players as Rosa, a stuntwoman who becomes an unlikely saviour in a world where reality itself fractures across dimensions. What begins as a grounded action story quickly evolves into a journey through mythic ruins and strange parallel spaces, combining emotional intimacy with a strong sense of adventure. The chemistry between Rosa and her companion Atlas anchors the narrative, giving momentum to the campaign’s mystery-driven progression and helping the story feel human amid the action movie-like spectacle.
The game’s defining strength lies in its sense of motion. From the first climb to the last daring leap, Reach delivers traversal that feels both exhilarating and natural. Jumping, wall-running, zipping along cables and swinging from ledges create a seamless rhythm of movement that’s rarely achieved in VR. The physicality of each action – reaching out to grab a ledge or timing a mid-air dash – creates an immediate connection between player and character. On PSVR2, this is complemented by the system’s tracking precision and adaptive triggers, while on the Meta Quest the game maintains impressive fluidity despite lighter hardware.
Combat builds on the same sense of embodiment but with mixed results. The bow mechanics feel satisfying and versatile, letting players switch between elemental arrows for tactical variety. Blocking and countering with a shield gives close-quarters fights a reactive quality that’s engaging at first. Yet encounters can become repetitive over time, with predictable enemy behaviour and a few recycled boss patterns limiting the excitement. The spectacle of large-scale battles still impresses, but it’s the traversal – not the fighting – that stays memorable.
In terms of control and comfort, Reach finds a thoughtful balance. Movement feels intuitive and grounded, and the comfort options allow for fine-tuning across both platforms. The PSVR2 version benefits from stronger visual fidelity and smoother performance in dense environments, while the Quest version maintains a steady frame rate with only minor texture downgrades – it’s a Quest 3 exclusive so the developers have pushed the Quest platform quite a bit. Some technical hiccups do appear: intermittent crashes, save-point bugs, and brief instances of texture pop-in were seen, particularly on the Quest version. Still, these moments are the exception rather than the rule, and even though we’d hope to see them fixed they rarely break immersion.
Presentation is another major success. The underground civilisation of Ferran, with its colossal architecture, glowing flora and shifting light, creates an atmosphere that feels ancient yet alive. The visual scale contributes enormously to immersion, giving players a real sense of presence within towering ruins and open chasms. Audio design ties everything together – from the rush of wind as you leap across a gap to the echo of your footsteps in cavernous halls. A cinematic score and strong voice performances from Rosa and Atlas add emotional depth, helping the world feel cohesive and lived-in.
As the story unfolds, Reach sustains its pace through varied set-pieces and environmental puzzles, though a touch of repetition does creep in near the end. Certain architectural themes and enemy types reappear, softening the sense of discovery after several hours of play. Even so, the combination of traversal, atmosphere and narrative pull keeps the experience engaging to the finish. There’s a clear sense of experimentation in how Reach blends exploration, combat and story, showing what VR storytelling can look like when built around player movement rather than static sequences.
Taken as a whole, Reach stands as one of nDreams’ most ambitious projects and a showcase of what modern VR hardware can achieve. Its traversal system is unmatched in fluidity, its presentation impresses on both platforms, and its narrative carries just enough warmth and intrigue to keep players invested. Combat and pacing issues hold it back from perfection, but the overall package remains one of the most compelling action-adventure experiences available in VR today, and a must-buy showcase for the platform.
Score: 8.4/10
Press Play Media 