Paper Beast
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| Paper Beast | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Developer | Pixel Reef |
| Publisher | Pixel Reef |
| Platform | PlayStation VR, SteamVR, Oculus Rift, Viveport, PlayStation VR2 |
| Device | PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality, PlayStation VR2 |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Adventure, Simulation |
| Input Device | PlayStation Move or DualShock 4 (PlayStation VR); tracked motion controllers (PC VR); PS VR2 Sense controllers (PlayStation VR2) |
| Game Mode | Single-player |
| Release Date | March 24, 2020 (PlayStation VR) |
| Price | US$19.99 (PlayStation 4 and PC VR store price); US$24.99 (PlayStation 5) |
| App Store | PlayStation Store, Steam, Oculus Store, Viveport |
| Website | https://www.pixelreef.fr/paper-beast/ |
Paper Beast is a single-player virtual reality adventure and exploration game developed and published by Pixel Reef, a studio in Montpellier, France, founded by Eric Chahi, the creator of Another World, Heart of Darkness and From Dust.[1][2] It is set in a dreamlike universe in the depths of the internet, where the player explores and reshapes an ecosystem of origami-like creatures.[1][3]
The game was released for PlayStation VR on March 24, 2020, and for PC VR headsets through Steam, the Oculus Store and Viveport on July 24, 2020.[4][5] A non-VR PC version, Paper Beast: Folded Edition, followed on October 20, 2020, and an enhanced version for PlayStation VR2 and PlayStation 5 was released on September 27, 2023.[6][7] The PlayStation 4 version holds a Metacritic score of 79 out of 100.[8]
Gameplay
Paper Beast has two modes: an adventure mode and a sandbox mode.[9] In the adventure, the player solves environmental puzzles, interacts with creatures and manipulates physics-based systems to progress.[9] Sony's PlayStation game page lists actions such as diverting streams, braving storms, melting glaciers and neutralizing dangerous predators.[3] Before launch, Chahi wrote that the adventure mode takes four to five hours to complete.[10]
Steam describes the sandbox mode as a playground with god-game mechanics, in which the player can terraform mountains, dig lakes and experiment with the ecosystem.[9] In the PlayStation VR version, the player can add sand, rocks and water to the terrain and watch erosion change it, start a global rainstorm or sandstorms, and use objects such as anti-gravity capsules, mini storms, water trees and parachutes. Eleven hybrid animal species can be discovered in the sandbox, each with its own behavior.[10]
On PlayStation VR the game requires the headset and the PlayStation Camera; up to two PlayStation Move controllers are supported, and the DualShock 4 can be used instead.[4] In its review, UploadVR noted that the PlayStation VR version offered only teleport movement and snap turning.[11] Continuous movement was added in the PC VR release and in the PlayStation 5 version.[5][12]
Development
After From Dust (2011), Chahi worked on an interactive volcano simulator for a volcano museum on Réunion Island, a project he told Kotaku was inspiring. Through it he worked with the GPU programmer François Sahy, who went on to work on Paper Beast.[13] The game entered production in 2016 with a team of four people, which had grown to 16 by April 2019.[13] Chahi told Kotaku that VR is "the only digital media where you can feel the size of a thing".[13]
According to Kotaku, the game's world is built on the idea that it "emerged from the binary soup of Big Data", and Chahi described the creatures as designed to "look like origami", with very angular shapes.[13] In an interview published by Meta for the Oculus Rift release, the game is described as having no canned animations, with a physics engine governing the plants, animals and weather.[14] According to the same interview, all sounds are spatialized, the sound designer built signature sounds from papers, cardboard, adhesive tape, radio noises and natural tones, and the beam used to grab objects bends according to their weight, an effect Chahi called pseudo-haptic.[14] The soundtrack is a collaboration between the Japanese punk rock band TsuShiMaMiRe and the electronic composer Roly Porter.[1]
Release
Paper Beast was announced on April 10, 2019.[13] It launched on PlayStation VR on March 24, 2020.[4][15] The PC VR version arrived on July 24, 2020 for the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index, with continuous movement, upgraded visuals, gameplay tweaks and an expanded sandbox with more animals, plants and items.[16][5] Pixel Reef's game page also lists Windows Mixed Reality headsets as compatible.[1]
Paper Beast: Folded Edition, a non-VR adaptation for PC, was released on Steam on October 20, 2020; owners of the VR version received access to it automatically.[17][6] A paid "VR Upgrade for Folded Edition" add-on, which adds the VR version for Folded Edition owners, was released on Steam on July 27, 2022.[18] Steam lists PID Games and Dear Villagers as publishers alongside Pixel Reef for the PC releases.[9][6]
The PlayStation 5 version, called the Enhanced Edition by Pixel Reef, was released on September 27, 2023. It supports PlayStation VR2 and can also be played without a headset.[7][3] According to Chahi, it renders at 4K with higher-quality textures and shadows, adds dynamic water and sand textures, volumetric lighting with HDR optimized for PlayStation VR2, continuous locomotion alongside teleportation, and a larger sandbox terrain with more entities and vegetation that changes with the ecosystem's activity.[12] UploadVR reported a price of US$24.99, with a US$4.99 upgrade for owners of the PlayStation 4 version.[7]
| Version | Platform | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper Beast | PlayStation VR (PlayStation 4) | March 24, 2020 | PlayStation Camera required; PlayStation Move or DualShock 4[4] |
| Paper Beast | PC VR (Steam, Oculus Store, Viveport) | July 24, 2020 | US$19.99 / 19.99 euros; continuous movement and expanded sandbox[5][16] |
| Paper Beast: Folded Edition | PC (Steam, non-VR) | October 20, 2020 | Free for owners of the VR version[17] |
| VR Upgrade for Folded Edition | PC (Steam) | July 27, 2022 | Add-on for Folded Edition owners[18] |
| Enhanced Edition | PlayStation VR2 and PlayStation 5 | September 27, 2023 | US$24.99; US$4.99 upgrade from PlayStation 4[7] |
Reception
On Metacritic, the PlayStation 4 version has a score of 79 out of 100 based on 38 critic reviews.[8] OpenCritic lists a top critic average of 80, with 82% of critics recommending the game.[19]
UploadVR gave the PlayStation VR version four out of five stars. Its reviewer, Jamie Feltham, called it "a fascinating technical showcase that holds up to intense scrutiny" and described the wildlife as "truly alive and often electric to interact with", but regretted that players could not physically pet the animals or hold food, and found that the sandbox mode added little longevity.[11] Eurogamer called it "a game defined by passion, surprise, heart and beauty", while PC Gamer found the origami animals delightful but concluded that "the resulting game is less than the sum of its parts", as quoted on OpenCritic.[19]
Paper Beast was nominated for Immersive Reality Game of the Year and Immersive Reality Technical Achievement at the 2021 D.I.C.E. Awards.[20]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Paper Beast". Pixel Reef. https://www.pixelreef.fr/paper-beast/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ "About us". Pixel Reef. https://www.pixelreef.fr/about/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Paper Beast". PlayStation. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/games/paper-beast/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Paper Beast". PlayStation Store. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP3405-CUSA15346_00-PAPERBEAST047011. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Paper Beast is OUT on PC VR!". Pixel Reef. 2020-07-24. https://www.pixelreef.fr/2020/07/24/paper-beast-is-out-on-pc-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Paper Beast - Folded Edition". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403830/Paper_Beast__Folded_Edition/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Henry Stockdale (2023-09-24). "Paper Beast Crafts An Enhanced Edition On PSVR 2 Next Week". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/paper-beast-enhanced-edition-psvr-2/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Paper Beast". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/paper-beast/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Paper Beast". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1232570/Paper_Beast/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Eric Chahi (2020-02-11). "Create Your Own Universe with Paper Beast's Sandbox Mode". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2020/02/11/create-your-own-universe-with-paper-beasts-sandbox-mode/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jamie Feltham (2020-03-23). "Paper Beast Review: A Living, Breathing Miracle Of A VR Adventure". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/paper-beast-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Eric Chahi (2023-09-25). "Paper Beast Enhanced Edition: dynamic textures, atmospheric lighting, expanded sandbox detailed". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2023/09/25/paper-beast-enhanced-edition-dynamic-textures-atmospheric-lighting-expanded-sandbox-detailed/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Luke Plunkett (2019-04-10). "Another World Creator Éric Chahi Is Back With A PS4 VR Game". Kotaku. https://kotaku.com/another-world-creator-eric-chahi-is-back-with-a-ps4-vr-1833900352. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Explore the Wild Side of Data in 'Paper Beast,' Available Now on the Oculus Rift Platform". Meta. Meta Platforms. 2020-07-24. https://www.meta.com/blog/explore-the-wild-side-of-data-in-paper-beast-available-now-on-the-oculus-rift-platform/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ Stefan L (2020-03-09). "Explore Paper Beast's immersive ecosystem in PSVR later this month". TheSixthAxis. https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2020/03/09/explore-paper-beasts-immersive-ecosystem-in-psvr-later-this-month/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Scott Hayden (2020-07-15). "PSVR Exclusive 'Paper Beast' is Coming to PC VR Next Week". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/paper-beast-pc-release-date-steam-vr-oculus/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Paper Beast: Folded Edition is OUT!". Pixel Reef. 2020-10-20. https://www.pixelreef.fr/2020/10/20/paper-beast-folded-edition-is-out/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Paper Beast - VR Upgrade for Folded Edition". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1529050/Paper_Beast__VR_Upgrade_for_Folded_Edition/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Paper Beast Reviews". OpenCritic. https://opencritic.com/game/9201/paper-beast. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ "Paper Beast". Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. https://www.interactive.org/games/video_game_details.asp?idAward=2021&idGame=1781. Retrieved 2026-10-04.