Bonelab

Lore & Background

Bonelab was initially announced as 'Project 4' at Oculus Connect 6 on September 25, 2019, with little known beyond being a sequel to Boneworks for Quest and PCVR. It was formally revealed at the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase on April 20, 2022, with a title and teaser trailer, confirming modding support for both platforms and being built upon 'two years of innovation and interaction engine progress.' Director Brandon Laatsch provided updates on Twitter, including claiming the game was 'playable from logos to credits' on July 23, 2022. A surprise release date trailer on September 23, 2022 announced the game would launch six days later.

The game takes place after the events of The Clock reset by Arthur Ford in Boneworks. The player controls a peasant being hanged in Heaven's Reach, a town in Fantasyland, who escapes and explores experimental worlds in a research lab in MythOS. The campaign features small levels focusing on different mechanics, from traditional first-person shooter levels to go-karting. Players can find capsule toys that unlock props, NPCs, and weapons in sandbox mode. The game has been compared to Garry's Mod and Half-Life 2 by critics and fans for its similarities and homages.

Post-launch, the game received seven patches (excluding public beta). Brandon Laatsch stated online that Bonelab is focused on core-work, while Boneworks was more focused on content, resulting in more time spent on updates. The modding scene skyrocketed after launch with mods adding multiplayer, custom maps, weapons, and avatars. On February 25, 2024, Laatsch posted an update showing mod browser mod.io integration and a new map named Test Chamber 02 cut from Boneworks. On May 9, 2024, Laatsch confirmed the 4th patch would be released that same month.

Reader's Guide

Bonelab's significance lies in its physics-driven VR gameplay and its role as a sequel to the influential Boneworks. The game's fully simulated body with inverse kinematics and avatar-swapping system, using a body-log on either elbow, allows players to alter their in-game body proportions and abilities, affecting how they interact with items and environments. This mechanic, combined with a campaign that shifts between traditional shooter levels, parkour, go-karting, and puzzle-solving, showcases the studio's focus on interaction engine progress. The game's modding support, confirmed at reveal and bolstered by post-launch updates including mod.io integration, has fostered a large modding community that added multiplayer, custom maps, weapons, and avatars. Critics and fans have drawn comparisons to Garry's Mod and Half-Life 2, noting homages such as the Crablet resembling the Headcrab and the Halfway Park level resembling Garry's Mod's Construct map. The game's release across multiple Meta Quest platforms and Windows, along with its seven post-launch patches, demonstrates ongoing support, though director Brandon Laatsch noted that Bonelab's updates focus on core-work rather than content, unlike its predecessor.

Did You Know?

• The game uses a fully simulated body that utilizes inverse kinematics, and players can change their avatar using a body-log positioned on either elbow.
• The Crablet enemy is a VR headset with four limbs, similar to an arachnid, and has been compared to the Headcrab from Half-Life 2.
• The game's credits sequence plays over a cover of the song 'Don't Fence Me In'.