User:NUMBRstation/sandbox/Gorilla Tag

Gorilla Tag
Developer(s)	Another Axiom
Publisher(s)	Another Axiom
Engine	Unity
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release	February 12, 2021 (App Lab) December 15, 2022 (Official)
Mode(s)	Multi-player

Gorilla Tag is a virtual reality multiplayer game developed and published by game developer Another Axiom. It is best known for its unique movement system, in which the player uses their hands to grab branches and propel themselves forward at high speeds. Following an early access release in March 2021, the game was officially released on both the Meta Quest and Steam stores on December 15th, 2021. The Quest version remained free after release, while the Steam page had been changed to a price of $19.99.

Gameplay

The game is set in five main environments, Forest, Cave, Canyon, City, and Mountain. Each of the environments have their own unique characteristics, like Mountain having slides, City having an obstacle course, and Forest mainly being about climbing. When first starting up the game, the player is placed in a tutorial area, where there are no instructions other than an arrow. The creator, Kerestell Smith, mentioned in a Meta interview in 2022 that "People have such a powerful experience being in there and not having explicit instructions of how to move. That initial experience of stepping out to the cliff and getting that first experience of stepping into this world, it really sticks with people. We don’t actually explain anywhere how you play any of the games—there are no actual instructions anywhere. It’s all left up to the players to figure it out and teach each other."

There are four game modes. This includes Tag, Infection, Hunt, and Paintball. The tag game mode can be classified as a regular game of tag, in which the players tag one another, and it can be played from up to 3 players. The Infection game mode is a game mode in which one player is picked at random to be infected, and that player has to infect others by tagging them. When tagged, players also turn "infected", and they have to chase others and tag them too. The game ends when all players are infected. The Hunt game mode is a game mode in which players have to "hunt" other players and tag them, while also avoiding being tagged themself. The players have to look at a wristwatch that shows the name of the player they need to chase, their color, and their current cosmetics. When tagged, players become an Ice monkey, who have slower speed, but are able to slow other players down by tagging them. The game ends when there are only two people left, and everyone else has been tagged.

Game modes

Originally, the game used to have two game modes, a basic tag gamemode with up to 3 players, or infection tag with 4 or more players. By the time of the official release of the game on stores, it had reached 4 game modes, including the original ones, and two new game modes. These two game modes include a Hunt gamemode, and a Paintball game mode.

In addition to the official game modes, players have also came up with their own game modes, where they use an official game mode, often Infection, and use their own rules.

Reception

Gorilla Tag was listed as one of the best silly Oculus Quest 2 games of 2022 on Android Central.

Although while the game was still on the App Lab, which is an "unlisted" version of the Meta store in which it allows developers a way onto the platform but prevents them from promoting their game or showing up on the official store, Gorilla Tag became the highest-silly Quest 2 game, beating Beat Saber in ratings in almost half the time it took.