Maskmaker
Maskmaker
Game
Game2020
Paper Beast
Developer Pixel Reef
Paper Beast is a 2020 virtual reality adventure game developed and published by Pixel Reef for PlayStation 4, Windows, and PlayStation 5. The game was created by Éric Chahi, who previously worked on Another World. In the game, players are tasked to navigate a world inhabited by various digital life-forms. It received generally positive reviews upon release. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
205 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Oct 28, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
88
LovedLoved
167 positive · 22 negative
95% range 83–92%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 167 | 22 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| Lemmy * | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
455 of 487 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
89% recommend · 171 yes, 21 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 192 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (670 of 715 positive).
Players describe Paper Beast as a surreal, artistic VR experience that feels more like an interactive art piece than a conventional game. [1][2][3] Many reviewers praise its immersive world and emotional impact, with some calling it a must-play for VR users. [4][5][6] Some players criticize the game for being short, ambiguous, and lacking clear goals or direction. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
Pretty okay. Just under recommendable. It's a series of surreal animal and plant based puzzles. Sometimes it's not particularly clear what you have to do. The Japanese music was an odd choice for the game but it was cool. There's a lot of downtime in the game. Even when you have the solution to a puzzle it takes time to do it due to the fact you have to wait for animals to walk or throw/move something janky. The …
- [1]
That was the trippiest game I have played in VR yet. Do not pass this one up. The entire thing is a surreal work of art. It is stunning and beautiful. It's amazing what a small team can accomplish. It worked perfect with a Valve Index. The Japanese punk rock was a nice touch. I was not expecting that. It's short, I finished it in less than 3 hours, but I think that's perfectly fine for a game that basically …
- [3]
I do recommend Paper Beast. There are very few games that leave you with the profound knowledge that your life just got a little richer by the power of the experience they provided. Paper Beast is one of those experiences, fuelled by an amazing animation engine that manages to give life to the abstract chartaceous creatures that accompany you in its world. While the game tells no story in the traditional sense, its …
- [6]
One of the most surreal and bizarre games that virtual reality has to offer. If you have a VR headset, this is a must have.
- [2]
This is an interesting experience. The key word being "experience". This product plays more like an interactive art piece, rather than conventional game. You progress through the narrative by solving simple physics-based environmental puzzles. There are collectables as well, but mostly you just navigate to the end of the level, where you load into another map. The whole journey is very abstract and open-ended. If …
Summarised from 34 of the 208 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
89% of the 192 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Paper Beast. The complaint that keeps coming up: very short playtime (around 3 hours). Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Paper Beast received generally positive reviews upon release. Christian Donlan from Eurogamer described it as "a transformative VR odyssey", praising the game's world and the wildlife. Rick Lane from PC Gamer described the game as a unique experience but felt that the adventure mode was "constrained by the physical limits of its vignettes". During the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Paper Beast for "Immersive Reality Game of the Year" and "Immersive Reality Technical Achievement".
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 205 · most liked firstThat was the trippiest game I have played in VR yet. Do not pass this one up. The entire thing is a surreal work of art. It is stunning and beautiful. It's amazing what a small team can accomplish. It worked perfect with a Valve Index. The Japanese punk rock was a nice touch. I was not expecting that. It's short, I finished it in less than 3 hours, but I think that's perfectly fine for a game that basically functions like a living interactive art museum. For those who don't have VR, you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Positive - but - look at the play times of the reviews. Story - 3 hours and that is it. Then you have the sandbox (which did not interest me). If you get it very discouted it is a fun and novel experience. But don't pay 20$!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You know that awestuck feeling you get rarely in VR of pure amazement over how suddenly immersed in the virtual world you are? This game managed that and kept me on edge the whole time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an interesting experience. The key word being "experience". This product plays more like an interactive art piece, rather than conventional game. You progress through the narrative by solving simple physics-based environmental puzzles. There are collectables as well, but mostly you just navigate to the end of the level, where you load into another map. The whole journey is very abstract and open-ended. If you enjoy stories without real plot, lots of great art and finding meaning in…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →tears in my headset
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty okay. Just under recommendable. It's a series of surreal animal and plant based puzzles. Sometimes it's not particularly clear what you have to do. The Japanese music was an odd choice for the game but it was cool. There's a lot of downtime in the game. Even when you have the solution to a puzzle it takes time to do it due to the fact you have to wait for animals to walk or throw/move something janky. The level transitions are long balloon rides into nowhere that take like 5 minutes…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I do recommend Paper Beast. There are very few games that leave you with the profound knowledge that your life just got a little richer by the power of the experience they provided. Paper Beast is one of those experiences, fuelled by an amazing animation engine that manages to give life to the abstract chartaceous creatures that accompany you in its world. While the game tells no story in the traditional sense, its scenarious are rich with emotional encounters and will leave you jaw dropped…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a game that should be mandatory for all VR users. It was an experience that I'll never forget, and if I do, I'll happily go through it again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game could have been called "meandering." Who are you? What are you doing here? What is your goal? What are the obstacles? What is at stake? This game answers exactly none of these vital questions. You walk from one "puzzle" to the next with no sense of progression, accomplishment, or changing anything for yourself or others. There's not even a sense that time is passing. There's no plot to describe. The only activity is to lead paper animals places. But where? For what purpose? This game…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A game like Paper Beast is quite literally a piece of art, one of the best games I've ever played, but has only 36 max concurrent players and "$237k gross revenue" (according to VGInsights). You take out 30% for refunds, VAT, regional pricing, the steam cut, and you are left with about $100k
positive · AI labelView post →Within circuits they dance, Paper beasts, mesmerizing, Puzzles and dreams entwined.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A remarkable unique trip through a virtual world of paper and surreal environments with very intriguing physics. Puzzle's that require simple logic, utilizing the unique tools and creatures that occupy the environment you find yourself in. Projecting you through a virtual dreamy like experience, it certainly is not like anything I have played before in VR. I managed to complete it in one sitting and took me an average of 3.2 hours, it captivated me so much I could not stop. On sale…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can't believe I only discovered this game in 2025. This is one of the best exploration experiences you can find in VR - it deserves the awards it won, and truly does feel like you just stepped onto an alien world, complete with its own animals (with their own rules of behaviour) and strange environments. This is a weird reference, but if you've read "The Three-Body Problem", this feels like the VR game in that novel - like you're actually stepping onto a real alien world, and are trying…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the most surreal and bizarre games that virtual reality has to offer. If you have a VR headset, this is a must have.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →VR no longer works properly.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When you want to hit that sweet spot between being David Attenborough and David Lynch.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →⭐- Excellent My God, now this, this made me cry. I don't know why but it made me so happy. Show them some love ❤ {If you want better REVIEWS & FREE GAMES then check out these curators} 👇👇👇 [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/42372120/] 🔶⫸ Hollow's Lantern Curator ⫷🔶 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43198361-Best-FREE-and-UPCOMING-Games/] 🔴⫸ Best FREE and UPCOMING Games ⫷🔴
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Paper Beast is one of those rare experiences that feels less like a conventional game and more like a place you simply *exist* in for a few dreamlike hours. Developed by Pixel Reef and published alongside PID Games and Dear Villagers, it presents a surreal ecosystem born from the digital detritus of the internet—data transformed into delicate origami creatures and abstract landscapes. What makes Paper Beast remarkable is how fully it commits to non-verbal storytelling. There are no tutorials…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The store page classifies this as "An exploration and adventure game", which imho is way off. This is a physics based puzzler set in a trippy paranormal universe. The main gameplay loop through the levels basically consists of moving creatures and/or objects from one area to another. This is accomplished by utilizing objects that have terraforming abilities, connecting objects/creatures to others, or sometimes luring/scaring creatures in a certain direction with objects that act as bait or the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →6/10 Bizarre, weird vr experience. its a puzzle game of sorts. less then 3 hrs. total game play. A thought, being drunk or get mushroom should give better experience.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Didn't read reviews, took 2 tabs, went to a different world, incredible
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just because it's artsy doesn't mean that it is good. The entire game is completely ambiguous which personally I hate in a game. I have no specific goal or reason to care about the world. I don't know why I'm there or what any importance of anything is. The entire game is me pressing random things until something happens. It's not very fun. Graphics are not fun. Everything looks like it's made out of paper. Very basic polygon shapes. Everything is slow and tedious. I guess it's a puzzle game…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been with many VR games at this point. Most are for a thrill and fun. Sure there are few that manage to captivate me with a very unique experience, But many are just a glorified experience with VR label tagging on it. Luckily Paper Beast, To me, is a few and one of a kind of VR experience. Same as many game you probably have been experience at this point, You are put in a strange world with strange landscape. Far as eye can see dune of sand, Bright blue sky that by staring too long and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an amazing game, of the highest order. I think. Tbh I have no clue what's going on and nothing makes sense but hey that's the point. I think. It has some really really heartbreaking moments (I think they were heartbreaking idk music got very sad and the guy collapses soooo idk) and some really good stuff. I think. Buy it? Idk do you like looking around you going what the ♥♥♥♥ is that, that's glowing and that's paper drinking water because if you do this games for you
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolutely mindblowing atmospheric experience. It's definitely a slow burn and takes some patience, but it's worth it. I haven't even completed the game and had to leave this review: This is the first VR game to make me take a break so i didn't get tears in my HMD lmfao. I could just be a hormonal mess but if you haven't tried this out yet, you really should. Thank you to the devs for creating this, hands down my new favorite VR experience
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Have you played Paper Beast? It's not quite Moebius, more of a Dali, but it's probably the closest to this vibe when it comes to VR games and it's *awesome*.
positive · AI labelView post →Had some fungus and went into this what an amazing experience
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →That was absolutely beautiful. I had no idea what to expect going into this, and I'm not sure how to describe what I just experienced. Paper Beast is the most unique experience I've had in VR
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Going into this, I expected a lot of 'spectacle' and creativity, what I didn't expect to find was a fully engaging game! Surreal? Sure. It puts me in mind of games like Zenoclash. It can be a bit scary sometimes, but only because of the way the game handles the player (a common issue in VR gaming, someone should write a design document to address this). The 'characters', because there are a few that you become familiar with during the game, are charming and interesting to watch. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game looks neat, but VR IS CURRENTLY BROKEN FOR VALVE INDEX In discussions devs have posted: "We are not responsible for the SteamVR update that seem to broke the game. Please don't forget the game has been built by a very tiny team, fixing such issue is done on our personal free time and takes a lot of time. Also we don't have every headset existing on the market to test all use cases." Noticed this game was put on sale and had to leave this review to help others know they'd be buying a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wow... just wow. It's short and it's more of an experience than a game, but the visual spectacle and beautiful chaos of physics is mesmerizing. This game is a hidden gem, and I wish I had played it sooner.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mostly a walking simulator. yeah, it has puzzles, and has a very interesting art style, but by the end of the day it just isn't for me. Still giving it a thumbs up because if you want to walk around interesting places in vr, and have a few puzzles thrown at you, then this would probably be a really good game for you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →thought is would be a big open world, its mostly being stuck in a cave with almost nothing trying to get to the next tiny cave room. everything from what i played is just sooo empty. if i could sum this game up in one sentence move is not available for now! 3/10 i think if you buy this you also get a the non vr game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I haven't finished the game yet, but the experience so far has been mesmerizing. To anyone on the fence, this is a hidden gem when it comes to immersive VR games and I highly recommend. I really do hope that this game studio will continue thriving and give us more experiences like this in the future.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ONE OF THE BEST VR GAMES
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was the peak VR experience I didn't know existed, didn't know I wanted, and became obsessed with once I tried it out. It's hard to describe; trying too hard to describe it would spoil it. But if you like the idea of a VR experience that's very puzzle-based, gives very few clues on how to solve the puzzles, yet rewards experimenting... this, get this. Wonderful soundtrack too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the best VR experiences I have had. A great mix of puzzle solving and art - and the sandbox mode is great too! Amazing job.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Status: Beaten This is what VR was made for and how VR games should feel and look. An amazing surreal world with its own rules and physics-based puzzles where you actully interact with the environment. Mesmerizing moments you want to capture with screenshots, some really jaw-dropping scenes powered by a great direction, it's a memorable unique game, not just something on your backlog to beat and go on. The environment is very low-poly and some objects don't have textures, but characters are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Strange, unique and magical - a true VR gem.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An absolute masterpiece. If 10 out of 10 is perfect, I give Paper Beast a 10 to the power of infinity, its that good. Half Life Alyx was good but this is literally god tier VR magic. From graphical design, music and audio, animation, engagement and story telling, Paper Beast beats anything I’ve ever played over the past 4 years. Paper Beast will blow your mind.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Drugs, lots of drugs to create such beautiful vistas
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the coolest VR experiences I've had so far, incredibly unique and jaw dropping moments. From here on out this will be the first thing I show someone who's never put on a headset.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An absolute masterpiece! I was so fascinated by the world building and pure creativity of the team! Well done.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't even remember buying this game, but I gave it a shot, and immediately played through the whole thing. Wonderful experience, but some issues with the controls, at least on the index. If you've played From Dust, you'll have fun with this. EDIT: Well, turns out they both were created by the same person! Sandbox by default gets you to click in the tumbsticks to zoom in and out and fly around, which can negatively affect the life of them, after re-binding to use the thumbpad, I have had no…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing game, a must-have for every VR player. This game is so awesome, I loved every part of it and interacting with the environment and world is so fun and seeing how things react and I also give headpats to the creatures
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Last Guardian - few games have built pivotal moments in the story around player actions as effectively. Paper Beast - a VR game so maybe a hassle to access, but from the creator of Another World (Eric Chahi) and explores similar ideas with less brutal difficulty.
neutral · AI labelView post →Wonderful. One of those rare completely different games. Good puzzles, unique graphics and just all around great game. Very pretty and weirdly emotional.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →~ I don't know what the attraction was for this "ground breaking" VR game. I did not like it; the graphics and game play both suck, It's boring and pointless.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pure art, in the most positive sense of the word. Pictures totally fail to prepare me for the depth of this work and the power of the feelings it can evoke.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I finished up a ~70% complete playthru of #PaperBeast that I started back in 2021! Fantastic, overlooked game from #EricChahi #PixelReefStudios which nails that old Vive-era VR game vibe. If you enjoyed #AnotherWorld back in the day, you owe it to yourself to try this biomimetic sandbox adventure.
positive · AI labelView post →Paper beasts might mean something and it might mean nothing. For me, it was an unexpected spiritual awakening. beautiful environments, animals that quite literally thrive on their own in front of you, amazing worldbuilding and aesthetics, silly, creepy, and powerful. The only thing I wish this game had was more features in sandbox, which is already plenty, but some from the main game are still missing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a good game but it feels incomplete. I would never suggest buying this game at full price. I got excited when it started to feel like From Dust, but then it just ended. Sandbox mode is great but only provides another hour or so of entertainment and excludes some of the signature beasts that are in the story mode. The interactions between beasts feel very lacking.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yes! I finally played through Another World for the first time a few years back. I always wanted to play it as a kid but never got a chance to. I really liked it, but I think Heart of Darkness is still my favorite Chahi game. I still need to play Paper Beast as well.
neutral · AI labelView post →Super chill. Feels like a lucid dream.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think I saw god ngl
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The controls are frustrating. Most of the time, you can't tell whether you are playing the game vs just letting it happen (or worse, only getting in the way).
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I hope they expand this universe.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it's okay i guess from an artistic perspective but it's not really a 'game' .. more of an abstract experience, a journey where you float around pulling these weird paper creatures with your controllers. I found it grew boring fast.. If that's your thing then cool have fun, but honestly though there are free titles like The Lab more engaging and interesting than Paper Beast
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →words can't describe how beautiful and amazing this experience is....bravo
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the best VR games I've played. I don't have any hours on steam cus I played it on viveport.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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