MusicVR Episode 1: Tr3s Lunas

The Good
Mike Oldfield, the designer of "Tres Lunas" describes the gameplay experience as "Lucid Dreaming In 3D" and this is appropriate. Imagine being set loose in a world where the bizarre is commonplace and nothing is necessarily as it seems. You drift through this world, easily flying high over everything, or sinking to the ocean's depths without need of oxygen. Sail through a portal and you're suddenly in space, orbiting planets, skating among the stars. Next thing you know, you're scrabbling along amidst a colony of termites. Flit around with butterflies, soar with seagulls, frolick with dolphins. You just never know what will happen next.

The graphics are excellent, beautifully rendered in 3D, with nice use of lighting, reflections, transparencies and fog. Objects usually reveal more detail as you move closer to them. Many details that are not apparent from a distance are only revealed upon closer inspection. Nothing is mundane. Everything is worth exploring.

Interwoven with all this surrealistic imagery, there is music. Mike Oldfield's music. Oldfield's talent for creating expressive instrumentals that convey mood and feeling without need of lyrics is quite apparent here. The music complements the visuals, sometimes soft and relaxing, sometimes vibrant and fast-paced, sometimes powerful and grandiose and sometimes ominous and threatening depending on the situation.

The interface is simple and elegant. Move the mouse to point yourself at an object or destination. Press the left mouse button to move forward or speed up and the right mouse button to slow down or back up. That's it. At certain points in the game, you can release projectiles by pressing the space bar. The most awkward control combination you'll find is when you have to hold down the right mouse button and press the space bar simultaneously in order to release an "avatar".

Don't let the comment about releasing projectiles fool you into thinking that there's anything remotely violent in this game. The projectiles usually take the form of benign objects such as milkweed buds, flowers or gold nuggets. Projectiles aren't intended to be used as weapons, rather they serve as a means of manipulating or combining objects. There are a few projectiles that could be construed as weapons, such as boomerangs and arrows for example, but using these maliciously (shooting them at other people or creatures, for example) will result in "punishment" which, in this game, usually means getting sent back to "The Origin", where the cactus will now usually be burning and the volcano erupting, just to convey the message that you've done something naughty.

There's nothing stressful or menacing about this game. There's no evil to defeat, no villain to fight, no world to save, no puzzle to unravel. You simply explore, looking for pleasant sights and sounds. After a little exploration and experimentation, if you've got the right idea, you'll find that the world around you is gradually becoming a nicer place, just by virtue of you being a part of it.

The Bad
Who will not enjoy Tres Lunas? People who think that a computer game should involve fighting or killing things won't. People who like fast-paced action and adrenaline rushes won't. People who don't enjoy instrumental or "New Age" music won't. Goal-oriented people who feel the need to "accomplish" something or work toward a goal won't.

For some, the unstructured design and open-endedness of Tres Lunas will ultimately be its Achilles Heel. Such people will constantly find themselves asking "What am I supposed to do next?" Such people may find the game to be "boring".

The Bottom Line
Perhaps the best way of describing "Tres Lunas" is to compare it with Disney's "Fantasia" films. What is "Fantasia" about? It's not about anything. There is no plot, no story. It's just an experience unto itself. An abstract world of music and imagery. "Tres Lunas" is much like that.