BONELAB Is Disappointing...

[@CaptainsRath]

Again, I DO NOT HATE/DISLIKE THIS GAME!! I really do enjoy it! And luckily new updates and big mods are releasing, like BONELAB FUSION, which give me hope for this game’s future. Maybe one day I’ll do an update video on how much this game has (hopefully) improved. I also think I may have miscommunicated something in my video, and that’s about mod support. I used Nexus Mods for Boneworks which was active, but it seems to have switched to mod.io without my knowledge for easier quest use, but harder PC use. The issues are still there. The SDK is underdeveloped, so I can only hope that they update it as BONELAB doesn’t feel complete without full mod support, resulting in very bare bone (heh) mods. Still love the game and am definitely excited to have learned about mod.io, but still upset with how this game has been handled by the devs for its modding community. I am loving the amount of support in mod.io though, it has a ton of mods, 40 times what nexus mods has so please use mod.io.

[@MeltingBucket]

I ain’t reading all of dat

[@CaptainsRath]

🔫 read

[@MeltingBucket]

@@CaptainsRath I read And then I remembered that I’m broke and don’t even own a headset

[@MeltingBucket]

WHY AM I WATCHING THIS 😭

[@CaptainsRath]

😂😂 that’s hilarious, I guess you can still enjoy the video without having the game, but yeah I can see the issue there

[@od149]

My main issue with this game is the fact that it is a sandbox and it doesn’t have official multiplayer support. Luckily fusion is coming out tomorrow, just don’t understand why it wasn’t a feature to begin with 😭

[@CaptainsRath]

Same here, if it launched with the game then I think opinions would be so much different and it would have been received so much better. Hyped for Fusion though and it seems that with the launch of fusion that there is going to be a big turn around for the game.

[@User-d6l6t]

@@CaptainsRathyou should realize that all of the physics reactions with every player would just destroy the quest, another reason why I’m so hyped for the quest 3

[@ithasnomen9253]

I don't get how so many people got lost on the moon level. There was a literal path that throws you to the path in a matter of seconds. I thought it was fun.. 😢

[@CaptainsRath]

Well I’m just an idiot who didn’t see the map that’s in bright blue right at the beginning, it’s all my fault as to why I hated the level 😂 At launch there was no path, it was just empty. They quickly redid the entire level because people were getting lost… like my stupid self 😂 jumping around in zero g is awesome tho

[@spriteman1925]

No there wasnt for 99% of people it updated after a bit and added that

[@CaptainsRath]

And at that point it was too late, the majority of owners already suffered through the level and deemed it as terrible. They updated it way too late.

[@yeetmaster7380]

I KNOW THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING HOW DID HE MISS THE MAP

[@CaptainsRath]

I’m just a massive idiot for missing the map 😂 it’s like I said, the only reason I hated the level was completely my fault

[@WitchHunterSiegfried]

My other issue with the avatar system is stats (not height OFC but the rest) should be able to bet set independent of proportions by modders as it makes playing as characters from other media weird, an obvious example from the mods I've used is Nero Saber being really physically weak lol which makes 0 sense

[@CaptainsRath]

Yeah I completely agree, I’m not the best with mod creation as I haven’t done much, but I know Bonelab is just lacking in everything mod tools related. I legit just stopped caring about the stats, I much prefer the straightforwardness of Boneworks due to how broken avatar stats are in Bonelab. I’m hoping that whatever update that’s supposed to come out soon will just fix all of these problems, but I honestly doubt it will do much.

[@shinu_u]

it is in my opinion much worse than boneworks, and yet $10 more expensive

[@CaptainsRath]

It definitely is worse than BONEWORKS, and that price difference is just not worth it for a glorified Quest game. But I’m hoping the SDK that’s soon to release can help make that price justified.

[@Freetaykhedidnttdonnoin]

Bro is saying this a day before bonelab fusion

[@CaptainsRath]

I was informed of this mod just a few days ago 😅 bad timing indeed, I’m hoping it’s good but at the same time, I don’t have anyone to play it with so it won’t really affect me

[@Freetaykhedidnttdonnoin]

There are public servers

[@CaptainsRath]

Oh well that’s pretty sick honestly, prob won’t play it all too much but definitely makes it worth checking out and gives me a reason to return to BONELAB again. I still think a good chunk of this video is valid though so luckily it should be fine.

[@Freetaykhedidnttdonnoin]

It’s your opinion so you cool🥴

[@BRAVO-14]

@CaptainsRath alot of pcvr people think that bonelab is bad but think of the quest users im pretty sure its directed im pretty sure for quest user consumer thats why bonelab is not bad.

[@CaptainsRath]

Absolutely, as I said in the video, I don’t think it’s a bad game and that I really enjoyed it. it’s just a step down for PCVR. BUT it is a major step UP for quest users, which is why for me as a PC user it’s a bit disappointing but to many on quest it’s what many have been waiting for.

[@User-d6l6t]

@@CaptainsRath I feel like the game should be priced down

[@CaptainsRath]

@@User-d6l6t same here, this feels like a 30 dollar game at max, with often sales around 20. This isn’t a full experience.

[@thetruecat6731]

Don’t forget that level 12 is just the level you unlock the avatar switching. Nothing else. An entire level for one thing.

[@CaptainsRath]

The levels in this game are disappointing. Half of the levels are 5 minutes long and designated to unlocking a character you may never use again. Boneworks levels are nearly an hour long each, introducing new mechanics within those levels, so it feels much more like an actual level system and campaign than Bonelab.

[@DodgaOfficial]

The reason the mod support is lacking, is not because of lack of people willing to make mods. It's because the api to make mods is EXTREMELY unfinished, what you can actually do is extremely limited.

[@CaptainsRath]

Absolutely, so many people are eager to make mods for this game, but SLZ just isn’t updating the API as promised, resulting in barebones (heh) mods that don’t add anything of value.

[@DodgaOfficial]

@CaptainsRath it sucks, I remember all the promises of this being a platform that the community could turn into something amazing. I feel like the mod menu in the game was just put there to show in the trailers, it makes you THINK, that oh there will be this hub for all kinds of mods, but I don't think you can download anything from it to this day.

[@CaptainsRath]

It's very sad, so much potential basically thrown out. I think they already abandoned this game to now work on a sequel, which is even more upsetting because their promise may never get fulfilled.

[@Jonthomas123]

I wish the story was longer.

[@CaptainsRath]

I wish it was longer and more connected, like an actual story.

[@omphya6229]

Now I haven't watched the video yet but my main issues with the game are the lack of campaign, despite you needing to finish it so you can use mods. And the horrible modding support for the first 2 months of the game's launch.

[@CaptainsRath]

Well you said exactly what I covered in the video so good job! I think the modding support is still pretty bad rn, but it’s definitely getting better and will take time to get to something really good.

[@omphya6229]

@@CaptainsRath I watched the video now and I agree 100%. Great video btw.

[@CaptainsRath]

Thank you! The game has its issues but I still really like it, and with Bonelab fusion released it’s a step in the right direction for the game.

[@omphya6229]

@@CaptainsRath Oh yeah Fusion is great, it's like Entanglement but with most if not all notable issues fixed.

[@CaptainsRath]

@@omphya6229I haven’t had a chance to try it yet but I definitely will soon, the idea of Bonelab with full multiplayer lobbies like COD is awesome.

[@User-d6l6t]

Most of the shortcomings come from the quest hardware itself, it’s like putting a full $60 game on a smartphone, it just doesn’t work. Some people don’t realize that many people who never played boneworks played bonelab so many fell in love with the ideas from bonelab and not boneworks so they don’t have the same expectations as older players. Bonelab was also more available than boneworks because it is available on a cheap console and not a expensive computer. Now if boneworks was released on quest first many people would feel the idea that bonelab is super inferior than it’s predecessor.

[@CaptainsRath]

Agreed 100%. The quest is a great system for those wanting to get into VR, but the experience will always be lesser in someway. For BONELAB, it was the equivalent of getting a fraction of Boneworks with the appeal of the quest’s hardware and with the community to help make mods, so SLZ leaned into that community a bit too much to the point where the base game was lacking. Boneworks is GREAT due to having a complete game, and BONELAB is good for having greater mod support but an extremely lacking campaign.

[@anapple.4338]

The “questification” (tailoring for a quest audience) was this games biggest downfall. Down grading this games level design so it could run on quest destroyed the charm boneworks had. I’ve been a die hard fan of SLZ for quite a few years, but abandoning their original fan base has left me discouraged for the future of this series. Also we are 1/3 through the games life cycle with no major updates, an unfinished sdk (should’ve been finished on launch), and literally not a single bit of communication with the community.

[@CaptainsRath]

It’s really disappointing. If only they made a PCVR game and ported it to quest, I think it would have worked. But instead they made a quest game and ported it to PC, making it suffer in almost ever way. It’s very upsetting that the game is still in the state that it is. I made this video a while ago hoping to make an update video on it by the end of the year, hopefully talking about how it’s been redeemed in someway. But this game is basically abandoned, so it seems I won’t be doing that update video :(

[@macerpss]

I 100% agree, I personally have a lot of fun messing around with its sandbox, but its campaign is painfully average and disappointing as hell, and it bothers me a lot for this game since I was very much hoping a similar and better campaign than boneworks

[@CaptainsRath]

Yeah, I’ll still play Bonelab and enjoy it, but it will always be in the shadow of Boneworks. It had/has so much potential, but they chose to focus on the sandbox which still ended up being quite bare bones (heh). I’m probably going to make a video soon on what Boneworks did so well, because everything that this game lacks, Boneworks did better.

[@macerpss]

@@CaptainsRath looking forward for it then

[@50-percent858]

This was a great video, and basically you said everything I was thinking. Lucky they have updated it, but the key card rooms don’t suffice. I hope they can keep improving to make this game feel better.

[@CaptainsRath]

Thank you! I too hope that this game keeps improving because it has a lot going for it, it just lacks a few things that make it from being a really good game.

[@irishmonke2342]

As a person who owns the game I can agree on some parts however this game is available to people on oculus, when none works is not.

[@CaptainsRath]

Yes absolutely which is why if you only have a quest 2, then it only makes sense to get this game as it’s the only one you can get. It just sucks that quest 2 players can’t get a game on the same level as boneworks and have to settle with (imo) a bit of a lesser game.

[@prettymuchtheyeetgernade]

I bought bonelab today hopping for good gameplay and have never refunded a vr game so quickly in my life. The hands tweak out, theres too much flails that are hard to control and the base game isnt good without mods. Not worth $35 at all

[@CaptainsRath]

Yeaaaaah, it’s been made worse due to the release of patch 4 which broke all of the hand physics. Those will be fixed in patch 5. I agree tho, $35 is too high of an asking price for a 4 hour game that feels sloppily made and barely has any content without mods.

[@prettymuchtheyeetgernade]

@@CaptainsRath Do you know if i should just buy boneworks instead of playing bonelabs? i read some reviews on steam and it seems like people just really dont bonelabs comared to boneworks, i dont want to really give up one these bones games since people made it seem like theyre really good and i want to see what all the hype is about but so far bonelabs somewhat killed what hype for me

[@CaptainsRath]

@prettymuchtheyeetgernade imo I like Boneworks a heck of a lot more than Bonelab and it truly is the superior game. Maybe not as much mod support, but the campaign is easily 10+ hours in my experience, with a ton of secrets in each level. I’d say it’s worth a try, maybe pirate it for the first few hours and if you like it then buy it off steam.

[@ArthurFord_]

This message might not make sense, but I wish bone lab was like 100% story 100% sandbox 100% mods

[@CaptainsRath]

You say it might not make sense… but I 100% understand what you are saying. I wish it was a completely package, much like Half Life Alyx but with a sandbox. A full 10+ hour story, a fully customizable sandbox, and mods fully integrated. And then you can bring those mods into the story to just screw around. I think that’s what you are saying at least 😅

[@ArthurFord_]

@@CaptainsRath Yeah I’m glad you understand lol

[@foxloves_nox206]

fusion is a multiplayer mod that recently came out for bonelab. it allows for public servers and voice chat. even a few gamemodes. its pretty fun

[@CaptainsRath]

I’ve heard about it and want to try it, i haven’t had time recently though, but it can be a definite game changer for BONELAB. Crazy how this is a mod though, I feel like SLZ should have made multiplayer a main part of the game at launch.

[@Matty_magpie]

the end part with the cab has my by far favorite soundtrack ever in bonelab 😭

[@CaptainsRath]

I loved it, it oozed with style. But honestly, as being “the end of the game” it was a very bad ending.

[@commodorejones8044]

has your opinion changed on this since this video?

[@CaptainsRath]

Well I did make a follow up video, but I still express the same concern that SLZ is basically leaving us in the dark. I’m thinking of making another video tho because they have delayed the update indefinitely again since making this newer video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/on2VoHmQiLxog5o

[@commodorejones8044]

@@CaptainsRath Alright

[@MajoraMZC]

This is a great video! Keep pushing!

[@CaptainsRath]

Thanks! I’m happy you enjoyed it!

[@TijnvanGimst]

Still. The boneworks soundtrack is wayyyy superior. The music in boneworks had emotion and told a story. In bonelab its only there to fill the silence, or ramp you up in battle.

[@CaptainsRath]

I’ve honestly been back and forth on the soundtrack stuff rn. Switching from “I like Boneworks more vibey, chill, and story driven soundtrack” and then switching to “I like bonelabs more upbeat soundtrack and use of vocals, pushing me to fight.” Bonelab soundtrack has individuals songs as better, so go on Spotify and listen there (especially the ones with vocals) and I’d say it’s better as something to listen to. But to tell story and to chill to, it’s Boneworks all the way.

[@TijnvanGimst]

@@CaptainsRath i personally cant vibe with the vocal tracks of bonelab such as "My Control" (abysmal song), outside of the last one "dont fence me in" I can see why you think bonelab's OSTplays better when playing them as individual songs. And i know why. The songs in bonelab do in no way connect to the game, which results in the songs feeling empty and useless during gameplay (for me at least) Outside of gaming, and just on spotify, the songs of bonelab will indeed be jammy and fun to listen to. But everyone has their own prefference. I am not a fan of bonelab as a whole. I also think it is a dissapointment.

[@CaptainsRath]

Yeah in the end it also comes down to just personal preference. I think Bonelab is just a watered down version of Boneworks in a ton of ways, which is sad because we were promised more. And at this point it looks like Bonelab is probably abandoned by SLZ as they work on their next project.

[@TijnvanGimst]

@@CaptainsRath are they? Already working on their next project? Please let it be good. And please let it be "The hall of the machine king" U with me?

[@CaptainsRath]

Haha I heard of that, and I really hope that is what they are working on! I don’t know what the project is, but all signs show that they are working on something new. It’s a rumor with some fact behind it.

[@yeetmaster7380]

You do kind of make a point because bonelab not that long and the story does not make sense at all but boneworks give you instructions and last longer and you not give you a tutorial

[@CaptainsRath]

Yeah BONELAB was a very loosely connected game, whereas Boneworks feels complete with a full story and full sandbox.

[@Pikmin.-]

boneworks had a better ost

[@CaptainsRath]

Someone else said the same thing, so here is what I said to them. I honestly love both, I think they both have different vibes though. The BONELAB soundtrack seems more alive with voices and many instruments and sounds, where as BONEWORKS is more relaxing and calm and something I’d listen to while studying or working. BONELAB is higher quality though so it is technically “better” but it doesn’t have the same vibe.

[@maxmaxed2887]

Frankly Bonelab felt super chocking , I can't play it for more than 15 min. Wish I didn't buy it

[@CaptainsRath]

I’m happy I got it but I wish I didn’t buy it at launch for full price. It’s a $15 game at max. BONEWORKS was $30 at launch and was a bigger, more completely package well worth the price.

[@BrandonBurt9046]

110 likes for 1 year keep going

[@theshenaniganizer1054]

Good review, this game is just an overpriced tech demo, which is PAINFULLY ironic because that was literally a joke in boneworks

[@CaptainsRath]

Thanks! It really does feel like a tech demo which sucks because it’s a basically a step back from Boneworks, which was the tech demo, but absolutely (atleast to me) did not feel like a tech demo.

[@User-d6l6t]

If this game wasn’t limited to the quest I feel that your opinion would change

[@maxmaxed2887]

Also Music SUCKS in both Bonelab and Boneworks. I turn these idiotic loops off as soon as I start playing to avoid headache

[@CaptainsRath]

Nah the soundtracks both slap imo, they are super well made.

[@maxmaxed2887]

@@CaptainsRath Ok there are some good tracks, but most of the game is this weird random sound ambience which frankly would be better without it at all.

[@CaptainsRath]

@@maxmaxed2887 it has some bland tracks yeah, but imo I think the good/special ones out weigh the blander ones. But again, it’s personal preference and is only my opinion.

[@80TheMadLord08]

Saying "Jimmy Wong (Wish Dragon)" like it's insult, shows your ignorance to how close he is with the Stress Level Zero guys...

[@CaptainsRath]

I don’t think you realized it’s a joke, and I never even put it forward as a bad thing as it ISN’T a bad thing. It’s just really odd (and kinda funny) as someone who didn’t know what I was getting into and then just meeting Jimmy Wong. If I’m correct, doesn’t he personally know someone on the SLZ team irl? And wasn’t he the original Bonelab MC? Well he’s set to be the MC in the next game so he won’t stay like this glorified unlock system.

[@CRISTAREWANDOSEWEY]

@@CaptainsRathalso every bonelab player gives a fuck about jay lmao

[@CaptainsRath]

Yeah I noticed that. Just saying as someone who didn’t know his ties to the game when playing Bonelab for the first time, it was really weird and random.

[@The_Grace_God]

I bought the game for like 10 dollars since when did it go up

[@CaptainsRath]

It’s been 40 USD since launch, I got it for $40 and it’s fine but idk if it’s worth any more than that, rn I’d say worth $30.

[@stevengilley5107]

I preferred the soundtrack in boneworks

[@CaptainsRath]

I honestly love both, I think they both have different vibes though. The BONELAB soundtrack seems more alive with voices and many instruments and sounds, where as BONEWORKS is more relaxing and calm and something I’d listen to while studying or working.

[@stevengilley5107]

@@CaptainsRath agree completely bonelab's seams more action'y almost like it's pushing me forward ya know I like it but I like the chill vibe better lol

[@CaptainsRath]

That’s respectable, I think I like both and they both have their moments, it’s just Bonelab fit Bonelab’s campaign more than boneworks did for boneworks campaign. Except museum theme, that will always stay on top 🔥🔥

[@bighead-qm3jg]

Should I get Bonelab or boneworks? Just need to know which is better

[@CaptainsRath]

I’m not entirely sure as I got both, but it seems that Boneworks is being ported through mods into BONELAB. If you don’t have a PCVR then you can only play BONELAB. I personally like Boneworks more than BONELAB, but BONELAB has a future with its mods and updates whereas Boneworks is basically done but has a much better campaign.

[@SB-Boi]

Bonelab is more active and it’s better overall

[@YukiTheFox1337]

probalby Bonelab because someone is remaking all the Boneworks levels for Bonelab

[@maxmaxed2887]

Btw this SANDBOX bs is tiresome. It just screams 'WE ARE LAZY DEV WHO DONT GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ACTUAL GAMEPLAY AND PLOT". All of these Sandbox VR games are a huge turnoff and only work for kids. That is why Alyx is so popular - there is ZERO sandbox aspect to it

[@CaptainsRath]

I think it works for certain games like Blade and Sorcery which has really great mod support. But rn, BONELAB is TERRIBLE mod support from the devs so the whole “make your own game” aspect falls incredibly flat. BONEWORKS did it a lot better as the campaign was well done along with the sandbox and mod support. Alyx has community content if you count that as sandbox.

[@maxmaxed2887]

@@CaptainsRath Yeah but we are talking about core game here, right. Mods are mods

[@CaptainsRath]

Very true, mods are mods. Alyx’s core gameplay/story is amazing. Having the community content is just a cherry on top. It’s the same with BONEWORKS, but the opposite with BONELAB where almost everything falls flat.

[@TarekInnit]

Can my comment get featured? Pls

[@TarekInnit]

Only a question; hehe

[@CaptainsRath]

I can like your comment, but I can’t pin it because if I’m mine isn’t pinned then people won’t read it and will think I hate this game 😂

[@TarekInnit]

@@CaptainsRath lol, can i get my comment get featured in the next vid, as a mention, pwease 👉👈

[@CaptainsRath]

If it’s a worthwhile comment then maybe 😁

[@TarekInnit]

@@CaptainsRath i need it

[@mythicbatch6739]

This video is not very valid you seem like you only went to Nexus mods for mods did you try mod io and there are further levels in the campaign that give you the option to use another character this game is not supposed to give you the story boneworks does it supposed to set the backbone to something bigger do more research next time pleas

[@CaptainsRath]

I’ve never even heard of mod.io until this point, so thanks for letting me know. I’m scrolling through an a ton of the mods and a lot are simply character changes, which gets boring pretty fast. I do think mods will get better as the SDK gets better, but that will definitely come overtime. And I do state multiple times throughout the entirety of the video that Bonelab isn’t about the story, it’s just that unlike boneworks, it’s campaign mode just isn’t fleshed out in anyway but it’s supposed to be what leads up to the story in whatever SLZ’s next game is. EDIT: Looking more into mod.io, I see why I’ve never heard of it, it has very few games compared to nexus mods and it seems to have quest 2 support, which I don’t have so I don’t care for it. It’s cool that it has that support, but as a pc user, this feels like a massive slap in the face as I now have to get another service, make another account, and set up another game to be used with another mod installer.

[@ManGuyPersonGuyPersonMan]

The story isn’t the point of bone lab

[@CaptainsRath]

I say that in the video, I only talk about story for the first 1 and a half then talk about everything else and how the game ISN’T about the story.

[@ManGuyPersonGuyPersonMan]

@@CaptainsRath oh…

[@CRISTAREWANDOSEWEY]

I think yall dont know the purpose of bonelab, the purpose is MODDING not playing the story 😐

[@CaptainsRath]

Well first, I don’t think you watched the video or maybe you just missed it, because literally one of the sentences I say in this video is that Bonelab is not about the story, but is about the mods. At the time of making this video well over a year ago, mods were garbage due to the SDK’s limitations. So even if you are to say that Bonelab is made for mods, that doesn’t help its case. Second, I did make an updated video not too long ago specifically about the mods in this game and how they were lacking substance. In both videos I mention that Bonelab is made for modding and not story, but still express how the content given to you from the start (without mods) is an actual joke compared to Boneworks. The game became known as quite a scam in the VR space by PC players who bought a more expensive downgraded version of Boneworks. And third, this is an old video. With patch 4 just dropping and the next 5 patches well on their way, I will be making another video to hopefully address the issues this game had with its mod support and that will hopefully be a lot more positive than my previous two videos. Still tho, when reviewing something you go over EVERYTHING, not just what “the purpose” is.

[@Mrx-zk7bz]

Bone lab isn’t a disappoint both bone works and bone lab are amazing games

[@CaptainsRath]

In comparison to Boneworks, Bonelab is a disappointment. It’s a fine game and like I said I did really enjoy it, but Boneworks was just better in a lot of ways.

[@Mrx-zk7bz]

@@CaptainsRath my bad dude i do agree with you I just think disappointment is a little harsh of a word sorry if I offended u

[@CaptainsRath]

Not at all man you are all good! I can see disappointment being a bit harsh, but I can’t think of another word to fit how BONELAB was disappointing compared to Boneworks. Not that it was bad in anyway, just we went from something so intuitive and great to something that may be a bit lesser in some ways.

[@Loleylikescats]

Bro just because you dislike bonelab that doesn’t give you ANY right to BE RACIST TO ASIANS

[@CaptainsRath]

Huh? When was I racist to Asians 😂 and I say throughout the video that I LIKE Bonelab, so both of your statements are wrong.

[@Cring-z7e]

No

[@CaptainsRath]

No