Falcon Age brings its high-flying adventure to Oculus Quest this week, but how does it stack up next to the PSVR original? Find out in our Falcon Age graphics comparison!
I hold a bit of a special place in my heart for Falcon Age. The 2019 PSVR release of this indie action-adventure game was undoubtedly rough around the edges, but fostered an endearing relationship between player and virtual pet and shone a light on themes and topics gaming doesn’t often brush up against.
From a technical perspective, though, the game’s wings were clipped. Numerous bugs and visual flaws held Falcon Age back, which had me worried about how a Quest version might turn out. Rest assured, then, that this transition is largely successful.
Falcon Age Graphics Comparison
Color Palette And Lighting
The first thing you’ll notice between the PSVR and Quest versions of Falcon Age is the difference in color palette and lighting. The PSVR edition (and the PC version too) is bathed in earthy, atmospheric oranges that more strongly conjure the sense of a dusty biome. The Quest opts for a much more vibrant array that gives the game a more colorful, playful edge that I actually think suits it pretty well. Certainly, when you meet some of Falcon Age’s excellent character designs and nature starts to reclaim the lands, this version of the game really shines.
Environments
The difference in color palettes, though, definitely helps you overlook Quest’s other small shortcomings. Even then, these aren’t as damning as you might expect and art direction helps retain Falcon Age’s overall appeal. You can see the differences in the quality of textures, with PSVR carrying much finer details both in your immediate environment and the game’s many sweeping vistas. They’re hugely simplified on Quest, but still pleasing to the eye. Plus, the game’s geometry rapidly morphs and pops in and out on Quest, which creates a somewhat uneven experience when traversing some of the larger areas.
Quest Gains And Constraints
But Quest does use the extra iteration time to add in some appreciated visual extras not seen in the PSVR or PC versions. The enemy robots, for example, feature menacing lights not found in the console version of the game.
Outside of the visuals, though, I do want to call out the game’s disappointing implementation of the Touch controllers. Falcon Age is clearly built with teleportation in mind over smooth locomotion. In fact, you can only walk forward in the game using a face button and, weirdly, not one of the two analog sticks you’re afforded. The control scheme clearly hasn’t moved fast past the original design for the PlayStation Move controllers, and that’s a real shame.
Summing Up
Overall, then, this is a pretty fantastic port of Falcon Age. Developer Outerloop compensates for the scaled-back visuals with a striking palette and there’s some really nice additions to this version specifically. Falcon Age remains a flawed game both technically and mechanically, but this port is a great way to see it all the same.
What do you make of our Falcon Age graphics comparison? Will you be picking up the new version of the game? Let us know in the comments below!
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