Boneworks
A physics-based VR shooter with a fully simulated body.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Boneworks is a first-person shooter virtual reality game from 2019, created and published by Stress Level Zero. Its core design revolves around a full physics system: the player controls an entire virtual body that reacts not only to real-world controller movements but also to obstacles within the game world.
Players assume the role of Arthur Ford, a rogue cybersecurity director who flees into an unfinished simulated universe. There, he fights through surreal, mysterious environments using a range of experimental physics-based weapons.
**Gameplay** Nearly every element in Boneworks is governed by physics. All objects can be interacted with, and their size, weight, and material affect how they behave. Small items like cups or hammers are easy to lift with one hand, while larger objects such as crates or barrels require more effort to move. Stationary objects like railings or mesh fences can be climbed rather than picked up.
Unlike most VR titles, which use teleportation movement and represent the player with two floating hands, Boneworks employs a fully simulated body. This body uses inverse kinematics, tracking the player’s head and hand positions. It can be physically blocked or pushed by objects in the virtual world. Analog sticks on the motion controllers move the player like in a non-VR game, with sprinting, jumping, and crouching possible either via the controllers or through real-life actions.
In combat, players can fight using any method: fists, guns, or any movable object like bricks or chairs. Enemies suffer realistic damage—they can be punched, tripped, headbutted, or sustain complex injuries such as a broken leg that slows their movement. Heavier objects with more momentum deal greater damage but require more effort to wield.
Level design is non-linear, with very little scripted game logic. Players can reach the end of a level by any means they devise. The game encourages creative problem-solving, such as stacking boxes to climb over a wall instead of finding a key. It rewards “cheating” or solving puzzles in unintended ways, much like a real-life scenario would allow.
Hidden easter eggs and rewards are scattered throughout the campaign, often inside ‘Boneboxes’ that demand extensive exploration or difficult platforming to reach. Collecting these unlocks additional content.
Beyond the main story, two post-campaign modes exist. Sandbox mode
- developer
- Stress Level Zero
- publisher
- Stress Level Zero
- release_year
- 2019
- genre
- First-person shooter, virtual reality
- platform
- Virtual reality headsets
- protagonist
- Arthur Ford
- engine
- BONEWORKS engine (fictional)
Lore & Background
Boneworks is set in Stress Level Zero's shared alternate universe, which incorporates other titles like Duck Season and Bonelab. In the 1990s, the global conglomerate Gammon discovers a strange dimension known as the Voidway, which exists outside of space and time. This dimension contains a strange quantum particle (known as void particles) which can exist in multiple places at once. Using void particles, Gammon's rival, Monogon Industries, is able to create the BONEWORKS engine, which uses artificial intelligence and void particles to create infinite instances of virtual space, accessible via VR headsets. Monogon uses the BONEWORKS engine to begin work on MythOS City, an infinite cityscape simulation designed as an endless source of virtual living space. By 1997, it is nearing completion. The player takes the role of Arthur Ford, the cybersecurity director for the MythOS project. Ford theorizes that the BONEWORKS engine could function as an entry point to the Voidway, which would allow for immortality by severing the connection between mind and body, leaving him to exist outside of space and time forever.
Reader's Guide
Boneworks represents a significant step in virtual reality game design by prioritizing physics-based interaction and a fully simulated virtual body. Unlike most VR titles that use teleportation and floating hands, Boneworks uses inverse kinematics based on the player's head and hands to control a full body that can be obstructed by the world. The game encourages creative problem-solving, allowing players to 'cheat' puzzles by stacking boxes or using objects in unintended ways, similar to real-life scenarios. Its non-linear level design features 'very little to no actual game logic', enabling players to reach the end of levels through whatever means possible. The game's combat system allows any object to be used as a weapon, with damage based on momentum and weight. Hidden 'Boneboxes' contain modules that unlock additional content, and post-story modes include Sandbox and Arena. The plot explores themes of digital immortality and corporate intrigue, culminating in Ford's escape into the Voidway. The game's development was inspired by Half-Life 2's physics-based interaction, with lead developer Brandon Laatsch aiming to push VR forward while appealing to mainstream gamers.
Did You Know?
- Boneworks uses a fully simulated body with inverse kinematics based on the player's head and hands, rather than the typical non-corporeal hands.
- The game's BONEWORKS engine is a fictional technology that uses void particles to create infinite virtual spaces.
- Players can use any object in the game as a weapon, with damage determined by the object's weight and momentum.
- The game includes hidden 'Boneboxes' that require extensive exploration or difficult platforming to reach.
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