BONEWORKS

BONEWORKS launched December 10, 2019 from Stress Level Zero, and it didn't just push VR forward—it redefined what physics-based interaction meant in virtual reality. This wasn't teleportation and floating hands; this was a fully simulated body with inverse kinematics, where your virtual self responded to real-world input AND environmental obstructions. Weapons had weight, momentum, and realistic handling. You could grab, climb, punch, shoot, and manipulate nearly every object in the world based on size, weight, and material. Critics compared it to Half-Life for its aesthetics and puzzles, calling it "one of the best VR gun-adventure games on the market." On launch day, BONEWORKS topped Steam's best-sellers and player counts, and the community consensus was clear: this was the "pre and post BONEWORKS" dividing line for VR interaction systems. StreamerHouse's 305-viewer peak in 2020 came as the game's influence spread—it "single-handedly ushered in a new era" of physics-driven VR design. The game was janky, demanding, and occasionally frustrating, but it proved that VR could simulate presence and physicality in ways flatscreen games never could. Stress Level Zero created an "incredible engine for a captivating VR adventure," and every VR dev since has either copied BONEWORKS or pretended they came up with the ideas first.