

While encounters can feel scripted – you’ll rarely square off against more than two or three enemies at a time – most feel memorable because of it. While climbing in Call of the Mountain becomes a chill endeavor, combat is anything but. Climbing and combat segments start appearing closer together the more I play, the more thrilling the game becomes. As you progress further into the game, the time you can spend smelling the roses decreases. This level of interactivity ties into Call of the Mountain’s brilliant difficulty curve, too. I always love little pace breakers like this in VR they allowed me to relax for a few minutes while showing how creative devs can be with the tech. In another instance, I found a blank wall with a conveniently placed assortment of paintbrushes. One was a selection of working musical instruments like drums, maracas, and even a set of pan pipes. You can look around for hidden targets to shoot, but I stumbled across even more interesting examples. After a major climbing or combat segment, you’ll often have time to rest in a more open area where you can explore and take part in fun activities and distractions. I appreciate, too, just how well-paced Horizon: Call of the Mountain is.
