T. rex: Skeleton Crew

VR Review ★★★☆☆‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎
PCVR Education Museums Natural History Comfortable Roomscale

The image shows a large, well-lit room that appears to be an exhibit within a museum. Dominating the space is a full skeletal reconstruction of a Tyrannosaurus rex, positioned in the center and spanning nearly the entire width of the room. The skeleton is mounted in a dynamic pose that suggests movement, with its skull turned slightly to the right.

The image shows a large, well-lit room that appears to be an exhibit within a museum. Dominating the space is a full skeletal reconstruction of a Tyrannosaurus rex, positioned in the center and spanning nearly the entire width of the room. The skeleton is mounted in a dynamic pose that suggests movement, with its skull turned slightly to the right.

Initially located at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, this natural history experience is now available in the comfort of your own home provided you have access to a virtual reality capable PC.

You begin inside a black-and-white sketched wireframe version of the museum with the objective of completing a puzzle - putting together a full Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton from a cart full of bones. For this you'll need a large room space as you grab a bone from the cart, then reach out to place it correctly on the dinosaur model. If you find yourself straining, there's a couple of buttons to adjust the platform upon which you stand.

Once you've completed three sections of puzzle, the game pulls together all the remaining pieces to reward you with a complete, snapping Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. You're further rewarded with a colorfully realized and animated expression of T. rex's world as the museum walls fall away around you.

The image depicts a digital illustration of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in a prehistoric landscape. The dinosaur stands prominently in the center, surrounded by lush greenery with ferns and trees. In the background, there’s a depiction of a sunrise or sunset with warm light illuminating the scene. This artistic interpretation showcases what the environment might have looked like during the time of the dinosaurs.

Colorful animated diorama unveiled upon completing the bone game.

Beyond the game there's a guided tour, located back in the wireframe museum. Highlight one of several parts of the T. rex skeleton to learn more about it, or find other elements of the museum scenery that will lead you to more detail. Presentations are part video and part illustrated narrations.

The whole experience is a pleasant fifteen minute journey through a moderate amount of prehistoric detail. We did feel that the bone game was aimed at a younger audience, whereas the narrated tour sections often used language that would confuse the that same age group. There's still value in the bone game for all ages though, as it encourages the viewer to pick out more detail than they otherwise might have appreciated.

VR hands grabbing and placing bones to make a skeleton. Background is black and white, but the bones have a realistic texture.

VR hands grabbing and placing bones to make a skeleton. Background is black and white, but the bones have a realistic texture.

The toe bone's connected to the .. Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Summary:

Simple game is rewarding for younger types

Graphically well produced and revealed

Some clumsy interaction with the bone game

Supported Languages:
Cantonese English Mandarin

Product Links:

$4.99 at Viveport*
View in PCVR headset or Meta Quest linked to PC.

*Included in Viveport Infinity subscription.