As a former competitive tenpin bowler, I took the liberty to compare the existing virtual reality bowling games in the market to do a detailed comparison on which is the most realistic.
The verdict has always been Premium Bowling. First, let’s start with some history lessons.
How Premium Bowling Was Invented
Premium Bowling is the successor to Bowling Evolution which was released in 2006 by Sadetta Games. It is an indie game development company based in Hämeenlinna, Finland, the same country that gave birth to Angry Birds.
Bowling Evolution was a pre-VR game meant for PC so you get to play it with your mouse and keyboard.
Sadetta has come a long way since then. They have phased out Bowling Evolution and are now focusing on Premium Bowling. We could figure that whatever lessons or experience they gained from developing their maiden bowling game is channeled toward Premium Bowling. You betcha!
Just like its predecessor, Premium Bowling VR game is designed to offer a realistic bowling experience, but this time they up the ante by immersing it in the virtual reality world. It currently supports VR headsets for Meta/Oculus and Steam platforms. This means it covers Rift, Quest, HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality, Pimax and others while still supporting PC users without headsets.
Gameplay Realism
The game features accurate physics simulations to replicate the movements and interactions of a real bowling ball and pins. It also includes a variety of bowling alleys with different lane surfaces and oil patterns to play solo or challenge other players.
Additionally, the game offers customizable options for ball weight, finger placement, and release style to cater to individual preferences and playstyles.
I, for instance, made the same mistakes that I often make in my hook release when I play the game as I play in real-life. This shows how real the game can be.
What Bowlers Think
Based on gamers’ reviews, many players truly find Premium Bowling to be highly realistic compared to others like ForeVR Bowl. However, some have noted that the graphics and visuals could be improved and that there are occasional glitches or bugs that can affect gameplay.
The glitches often only appear during multiplayer mode, probably due to Internet connectivity. Nonetheless, Sadetta is perpetually improving the game and it is reflected in their game updates. If you purchased the game, you get to experience the progression they made.
Things You Can Exclusively Do in VR Bowling
There’re compelling features in virtual reality that can’t be offered in the real world. For example, you get to know the speed (in mph) and RPM of your ball.
Another nature of virtual reality is you can’t feel the weight of your ball when playing. Such as me, I use a 13-pounder IRL (in real life) but in this VR bowling game, I bowl with a 16 lbs ball. Perhaps that’s the reason why it’s easier to hit a perfect game!
You also don’t really need to stride toward the lane to release your ball. In fact, walking or no walking doesn’t make much of a difference to me since there’s no need to create momentum by swinging a heavy ball. But you still get to sweat it out in the virtual alley. I started to sweat after my first game.
The last thing to add is you can actually do overhand bowling without any feeling any guilt. Overhand bowling means throwing the ball “over your head,” almost like pitching a baseball. This is often frowned upon in actual bowling alleys with the fear that you might break a hole on the lane.
Final Thoughts
Overall, while there may be some areas for improvement, but Premium Bowling VR game provides a realistic and enjoyable bowling experience in virtual reality. That’s the reason why we chose to support it on our VR tournaments platform.
If you’re not convinced yet, check out the review video below by a retired professional real-world bowler who’s comparing three VR bowling games – Sports Scramble, Premium Bowling and ForeVR Bowl.
Disclaimer: We are not sponsored or affiliated with Premium Bowling game developer, Sadetta Games.