Jumping also requires swinging your arms back at specific marked points, with the action slowing down for dramatic effect – and so you have time to react. You can even walk by swinging your arms and holding a button down for each controller, though frankly we appreciated the option to just use stick controls. There are playful objects to mess about with like a pair of maracas or pottery you can smash like a vandal. When you’re not climbing, your hands are given plenty more to do, especially at the start.

The surfaces you climb go from sides of a mountain to man-made structures to even those iconic Tallnecks, but eventually you’ll come to another wall and sigh, “Not again”. In fairness, the new tools and mechanics unlocked and crafted along the way offer some variety, such as a pair of pickaxes or a grappling hook. You’d think getting down would be trickier, but fast travel takes you swiftly back to the game’s hub. Even playing for 20 minutes at a time this is a physically tiring game, as while the way forward is often linear and clearly marked, your arms are constantly reaching out as you look for ways to ascend.

Player character Ryas is a disgraced soldier given the chance to atone for his past by investigating a potential new threat up in the mountains. But while starting out like a theme park ride (albeit one where your hand can reach out and touch the water), it makes you work it to see the sights. From the outset, when you’re in a boat floating down a jungle stream surrounded by machines, Call of the Mountain takes every opportunity to make your jaw drop.

Horizon call of the mountain vr