Claro is one of the launch games of the Daydream VR platform. It is a beautiful puzzle game that lets the player manipulate the position of the sun and certain objects to solve puzzles in zen-like worlds.

Gameplay

Claro is a very relaxing and atmospheric game. You start it and it feels like you are hovering above this beautiful world that is made of carved wood floating in the sky. Your goal is to reflect sunlight into a tree and therefore make it grow. To reach that goal you can manipulate the position of the sun by clicking on the app button of the motion controller and at the same time tilting it into the direction that you wish the sun should shine from. There are several reflecting stones positioned around the tree and you need them all to shine light onto the tree in order to reach the next level.

In the beginning you only need to change the position of the sun in order to advance. But soon you will need to rotate objects by using levers that first need to be charged by sun beams and drag objects around to find the perfect position to light up the tree.

Controls are very intuitive and you can use the motion controller not only to manipulate the sun and the objects, but you can drag around the whole world as well to get the best view in order to solve every puzzle.

The game mechanics work well, just in some occasions you feel like you are simply trying out which position of the sun will have your objects reflect the light in the correct way to advance to the next level instead of you having to think about it.

Presentation

Claro is a beautiful game. You can tell that the developers spent lots of time to make this experience as zen-like and atmospheric as possible. Worlds made of carved wood are floating in the blue sky, well-designed objects need to be manipulated to make awe-inspiring trees grow that feel like they are coming right out of the Japanese mythology. Superbright have succeeded at building a world that soothes your sense and makes you just want to stay here a little bit longer.

Immersion

Interacting with the world and being able to manipulate the position of the sun makes you feel like you are an integral part of the Claro world. Even though this game could also work outside of VR, it still benefits from the level of immersion that players feel when wearing the headset and diving into Claro. It’s a solid title for VR and a good experience to escape to.

Comfort

There is no first person movement whatsoever, the player is hovering above the playing field, so comfort levels are high. You won’t feel sick even when you play over extended periods of time.

Final Thoughts

Claro succeeds at building a beautiful and zen-like puzzle world in VR. Manipulating the sun and various objects in order to let trees grow will appeal to puzzle lovers who are looking for a new challenge in VR.