Bonelab is a 2022 video game developed and published by American studio Stress Level Zero. It is a sequel to the 2019 game Boneworks. The player controls an outcast that escapes death and explores experimental worlds in a research lab in MythOS. Bonelab released for Microsoft Windows and Meta Quest 2 on September 29, 2022.[2]
The game uses a fully simulated body that utilizes inverse kinematics. The player can use a body-log positioned on either elbow to change their avatar, which affects their in-game body proportions and ability to use items. The campaign takes place in smaller levels that each focus on different mechanics, from traditional first-person shooter levels to go-karting.[3] The player can also find "Gacha Capsules" that can unlock props, NPCs, and weapons in the sandbox mode upon being pulled apart. Gacha Capsules can be hidden, hidden in plain sight, or out in the open. Some will require parkour skills, or puzzle solving. The game has been compared to Garry's Mod and Half-Life 2 by critics and fans alike for having similarities and homages to these games, such as the crablet sharing similarities with Half-Life's headcrab and Halfway Park somewhat resembling Garry's Mod "gm_construct" map.
Plot
The game takes place sometime after the events of The Clock reset by Arthur Ford in Boneworks. The player takes control of a peasant being hanged in Heaven's Reach, a town in Fantasyland. A knife appears and the peasant uses it to cut the noose and escape. They land in a cave leading out of Fantasyland. The player leaps down an opening within the wall employed for waste disposal. Subsequently, a tiny crawlspace entrance is situated within the wall directly facing the player, marked with the inscription "down". This acts as a guide for in-game crouching. This is also where the player first encounters their enemy, the Crablet. The Crablet is a VR headset with four limbs, similar to an arachnid. Following the enemy's defeat, the player activates a button. This button opens a door. The door grants access to a room. Inside this room, the next adversary is unveiled: the Nullbody. A locker is labeled "Gun! ". Upon opening it, the player discovers a red Eder22. Upon picking it up, directions on the firearm guide the player in its operation. Following the defeat of the Nullbodies, the player discovers a doorway providing access to the fantasyland transport station. This room contains the greatest number of adversaries, with Nullbodies and Crablets engaged in combat. Following that room, only rooms containing Nullbodies and Crablets exist. After overcoming their foes, they arrive at a vent. This vent connects to an air vent, which then descends into a container yard. Here, the players arrive in MythOS city and meet a new enemy kind, called the Omniprojecters, who have firearms. This presents a fresh danger to the player; therefore, the game provides them with an MP5K to combat the Omniprojecters and Nullbodies in that area. Following a battle with adversaries, the gamer arrives at a lift, wherein an auditory message informs them of their solitary status, and extends a greeting to LavaGang, at which point the lift's cables break, causing the lift's descent and propelling the gamer upward to the lift's roof.
The elevator crashes, and the player opens the elevator door. They are situated in the Bonelab Hub, which houses all of the sections like Parkour, Sandbox, Arena, experimental, mods, and so on. This necessitates their traversal of every section. Subsequently, they utilize a crane to extract orbs situated atop the section entrances. These orbs are then positioned upon six adjacent pipes to unlock the quarantine door, thus enabling story progression. Upon opening the quarantine door, the gamer enters the Dev Room. In the Dev Room, the gamer must utilize a remote control to manipulate a small crane. The crane's purpose is to extract a drainage plug embedded in the floor. Removing the plug allows the gamer to descend to the subsequent level. The player is in a level resembling Boneworks' "Runoff," but it is smaller in size. This level includes all previously encountered enemies by the player: Omniprojecters, Nullbodies, and Crablets. This level also introduces its first puzzles. Following that, the gamer enters a rollercoaster simulation known as Mine Dive, in which the gamer merely rides a rollercoaster for approximately 6 minutes. No adversaries are present on this level. Following that level. A new level, called "Big Anomaly," is where the player arrives; some players say it's like the "Backrooms. " This level includes Omniprojecters, Crablets, Nullbodies, and a new foe, the "Corrupted Nullbody," a purple Nullbody variant that fires Void Energy balls at the player. After overcoming their foes, they encounter Jay W, who provides them with a device attached to their arm and transports them to a succession of minigames to acquire avatars representing their primary trait, such as a Suburban Street Fighter-style game to obtain Strong, (which presented the game's initial entirely human opponents,) a misty bridge-themed parkour stage to acquire Fast, a hell-themed arena wave game to obtain Heavy, (which introduced a novel skeleton enemy and an early-appearing zombie enemy,) a sandbox moon-themed space level to acquire the Small character, a go-kart racing level to unlock the Light character (which integrates vehicles into the bone series,) and a climbing level to obtain the Tall character. (Which introduces the Void Turrets. ) Following those levels, Jay subsequently activates the device located on the player's arm, enabling them to select from various avatars at any given time. Jay provides the player with a key and returns them to the Hub, at which point the player is required to place the key into the crane map to unlock the Boneworks door. Following that action, the player will then destroy a crate marked "Boneworks," resulting in their elevation to the subsequent level.
The gamer attains the penultimate game level. The level's start necessitates the player's movement of heavy balls to open the doors and advance through the level. The player needs to utilize a powerful avatar for this purpose, for example, Heavy, to propel the balls into their designated positions, thereby opening the doors. Following that entire segment, the gamer is thrust into a succession of clashes amongst Nullmen, Skeletons, Void Turrets, and Omni Projectors. The player is required to advance through sewer systems, hallways, train stations, and puzzles, all of which employ the new avatars the player has received. After overcoming and conquering foes, the player boards an elevator, which transports them to the final level. The player is transported back to the Heavens Reach village, where they are compelled to kill the majority of the town's residents. Villagers. Following their defeat, the players discover themselves in a room containing a windmill. An unexpected hand bursts through the windmill's roof, halting its rotation, enabling the player to ascend the windmill and grasp the hand. This action propels the player upward into “Void G114. ” Jay welcomes the player, who then enters Jay’s vehicle; as Jay drives, the credits begin to scroll. Upon completion of the credits sequence, Jay transports the player to the menu screen and departs to attend to a subsequent caller, instructing the player to commence construction.
Development
Bonelab was initially announced as "Project 4" (due to it being the studio's fourth game) at Oculus Connect 6 on September 25, 2019. However, there was no word for a long time afterward. Little was known about the game other than that it would be a sequel to Boneworks for the Quest and PCVR platforms.[4]
The game was formally revealed at the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase on April 20, 2022 with a title and teaser trailer. It was confirmed to have modding support for both platforms and be built upon "two years of innovation and interaction engine progress”.[5] After this announcement, interest and hype for the game rose over the months, with Director Brandon Laatsch frequently provided updates on his Twitter such as claiming that Bonelab was "playable from logos to credits" on July 23, 2022.[6]
A surprise release date trailer for the game, disconnected from any showcases or events, came out on September 23, 2022. It showed more gameplay than all the previous trailers and said the game was releasing six days later on that very Thursday.[7]
Since the release of Bonelab the game has had Six patches (excluding public beta), but Brandon Laatsch has stated online that Bonelab is focused on core-work, while the predecessor Boneworks was more focused on content, resulting in more time being spent on updates. However the modding scene for Bonelab skyrocketed after launch with mods that added multiplayer, custom maps, more weapons, and avatars. In late December on X, Brandon asked the community if they would like to test the update over Christmas or wait till its all fleshed out and release then. Despite most of the community, specifically modders, stating that they wanted the update over Christmas, SLZ decided to delay the update. on the 25th of February 2024, Brandon posted an update on X, showing that bonelab would have mod browser mod.io integrated into the game, and also showing a brand new map named Test Chamber 02 that was cut from Boneworks. On March 10 2024, Brandon posted another teaser, showing the new level loading system. On May 9 2024, Brandon confirmed that unless plans change, the 4th patch would be released in that same month, alongside this Brandon replied saying that more work when into this game then Duck Season. Another comment on the same day spoke about 5 more Patches. On June 6 2024, Patch 4 released with very little issues, except for a few IK and player tracking bugs. On July 18 2024, Patch 5 released. On August 27th, Patch 6 released, adding more features to the games SDK.
PC Gamer criticized the campaign's pacing, but enjoyed the improvements to melee combat, "most avatars I inhabited could swing a sword or club with ease... Blunt attacks land with satisfying weight".[9] While disliking how prone the game was to causing motion sickness, Rock Paper Shotgun praised the gun handling of the game, writing that "the simulated weight and presence of Bonelab's two handed guns that makes it easy to keep track of where your hands are supposed to be".[10]Road to VR felt the title's modding support had vast potential, but wrote that Bonelab's campaign had the same problems as its predecessor.[11]UploadVR was impressed that the Meta Quest 2 version ran as well as it did, but noted numerous performance issues, "It’s certainly playable, but not a completely smooth experience".[3]
Sales
Bonelab had grossed $1 million dollars in the first hour of release on Quest 2 alone, setting records for the storefront as the fastest-selling game on Quest.[12]
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