Annie Amber is an odd little experience that may or may not fill any craving you have to a VR walking simulator; or in this case a “floating simulator”. Unlike a game like Gone Home, where you know where you are and for the most part what you need to do, Annie Amber has you floating aimlessly through these weird dreamscapes; visionary representations of past memories in some sort of performance art piece. And while that is admittedly interesting, at least from a conceptual standpoint, it’s just not much fun.
Supporting both Vive and Oculus Rift and designed for either seated or standing play, I did experience several issues with the Rift while playing from a seated view; mostly in certain rooms where your next navigation could not be seen until you stood up and looked over or into certain areas. The game is interspersed with a few simple puzzles that are more intrusive than challenging, but for the most part you navigate from point to point like an old game of Myst and look at objects and enjoy the admittedly gorgeous scenery. There is a good variety in the design and number of location and the entire game is enhanced with a dreamy score that I’d listen to even if I wasn’t playing the game.
While I didn’t get outright sick, I did start to feel a bit uncomfortable moving around and out of the 40+ VR games I have played only The Vanishing of Ethan Carter has made me full-on VR sick, but this would have gotten to me if I had played any longer. The experience itself is just around 60 minutes and I had to divide that into two play sessions to keep my lunch down.
Annie Amber has some truly inspired visuals and a great soundtrack, and if wandering around these dreamlike environments for an hour is worth $8 then by all means; check this game out. Personally, I think it’s better suited as a $3 sale purchase since it really amounts to nothing more than a cool interactive tech demo. The game is also available for Samsung Gear where it might find a more receptive audience. I think Rift and Vive owners have come to expect just a bit more actual gameplay in their VR games.
