Viveport Review: Stunt Kite Masters VR

Take to the skies and prove yourself in this beautiful and relaxing kite simulator.

By Joshua Hawkins, Greenlit Content

Every developer has their strong suit, and HandyGames have proven time and time again that they can craft immersive and fun virtual reality experiences that make VR enjoyable and easy to get into. Stunt Kite Masters VR is another notch added to their belt, and the relaxing and challenging gameplay feels realistic and fun.

Refinement is an important quality to have in VR experiences, and there is no lack of refinement in Stunt Kite Masters VR.

The gameplay itself is simple. The player interacts with two handles on their kite, pulling and moving them around to move. It’s a smooth experience that feels very good to play, and even after a bit of messing around, I found myself discovering new ways to move my kite and create new challenges.

The nice thing about Stunt Kite Masters VR is what HandyGames did to make the experience feel real. The gusts of wind that surround you feel realistic as your kite hums along through the air. Additionally, there are several different kite models to choose from, and each one has its own feel. Bigger kites create more tension along the kite strings, and you feel that through the Vive controllers, which helps make the experience feel even better. On top of that, the locations that you visit are all stunning and well crafted, and it’s easy to get lost in the vistas and sounds that surround you.

You’re not left alone to fly your kite, though, as HandyGames also included a few different game modes to help test your mettle as a kite pilot. Try out your hand at Kite Snake, which challenges you to collect stars and chain together a line behind your kite. Just make sure you don’t hit that line, though, or your high score will come toppling down. You can also take to the skies in Outrun, which challenges you to avoid RC-powered airplanes that make a beeline for your kite. You need to come up from behind to take the planes out and try to stay in the air as long as possible.

My favorite mode, though, is still the default mode. While you don’t have any big objectives, just the feeling of standing there, on a beach, on top of a skyscraper in the rain, or on the summit of a mountain felt amazing as the kite strings resonated the feeling of the wind down into my hands. It was a truly relaxing experience, and while I dabbled in the stunt portions of the experience a good bit, I kept finding myself just standing there, mouth agape as I stared up at the kite, watching the movements closely.

HandyGames has outdone themselves once more, and Stunt Kite Masters VR is definitely one of those experiences I’d recommend picking up and trying out.

Stunt Kite Masters is available on Viveport or as part of Viveport Subscription.