Reach is the latest VR adventure from nDreams, the developer of the excellent VR shooter, Synapse. With that in mind, we had high hopes going into its latest outing.

​But can Reach capture that VR magic found in Synapse, while delivering on its cinematic promise? Well, sort of.

In Reach, you play as Rosa, a movie stunt performer. You’re fairly adept at climbing and free-running as is, but those skills will be put to the test when a massive earthquake unveils an underground city.

​There’s an ancient species of living statues and talk of evil entities trying to wipe out the human race. But after meeting up with Atlas, the supposed good guy statue, you’re just dealt a barrage of lore lingo that bored us to tears.

That's likely the most disappointing aspect of the game, with a dull story and even duller world. Thankfully, the game's parkour and climbing mechanics save it.

​From the start, jumping and climbing feel great — although anyone prone to motion sickness may not like the freedom of movement here.

​While incredibly slow-paced in its opening hours, the game builds upon its solid movement foundation with various tools.

There’s the shield, which can deflect damage, but can also be lodged into walls to help you climb higher. The grapple drone allows you to propel yourself to great heights with ease. Then there's the bow, which is obviously used in combat, but your arrows can act as climbing anchors on certain surfaces, too.

​As you familiarise yourself with these mechanics, parkour and climbing become second nature, which is exactly what you’re looking for in a VR title.

This seeps into the combat, too, which can be dry before different mechanics, like special arrow types, are introduced. Once you're able to leap and grapple around enemies, it's a good laugh. It doesn't quite hit like Synapse's gameplay, though, and we encountered a handful of crashes during our time, too.

For those who appreciate a great movement system in a VR game, Reach is worth checking out for that alone. It’s lacking the same vibe as Synapse, with a dull story and repetitive environments, but if you give it time, there’s fun to be had here.