The Lab

The Lab is a free application for PC and virtual reality devices. The title was developed by Valve, one of the most prominent companies in the gaming industry, the owner of Steam and the creator of such productions as Half-Life, Dota 2, and Portal 2.

Mechanics

The game has no plot and is simply a set of mini-games that present possible applications of virtual reality. One of them is Longbow, in which the players are taken to a castle that has to be defended from incoming enemies by shooting them with a bow. The besieging army attacks in waves and each one is stronger than the previous one and thus more problematic to repel. Another mini-game is Slingshot. In it, we shoot a huge sling to piles of boxes placed in the distance. Xortex, in turn, is a space arcade shooter that lets us drive a futuristic vehicle. Our task is to score as many points as possible by destroying objects that appear around us.

The Lab is not devoid of educational programs, either. One of the is Human Medical Scan that allows us to become familiar with human anatomy. The player can walk around the model, observe individual body parts, and even muscles and bones. Another one, entitled Solar System, lets us explore the space. This isn’t everything, though, for we can, for example, grab the Earth and cast it far, far away.

Technical aspects

The graphics of The Lab for PC present an equal level — only the sceneries change. In one case, we are taken to a cartoonish castle, in another to a plain meadow, and then we arrive to a futuristic room only to enjoy picturesque mountain views a moment later.

Last updated on April 17, 2016