A Chair in a Room: Greenwater
- March 30, 2016
- Wolf & Wood Interactive Ltd
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"A Chair in a Room: Greenwater" is a virtual reality psychological thriller set in the creepy town of Greenwater, Mississippi. As a patient in a mental hospital, you'll uncover disturbing memories and face supernatural forces while trying to unravel the truth behind your past. With a strong emphasis on narrative, the game features atmospheric environments and challenging puzzles that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Reviews
- Incredible atmosphere and sound design that creates a genuinely terrifying experience.
- Great use of room-scale VR, allowing for immersive exploration without relying on teleportation.
- Engaging story with psychological horror elements that keep players on edge.
- Object manipulation can be frustrating and glitchy, leading to immersion-breaking moments.
- Some puzzles are unintuitive, causing players to get stuck and lose interest.
- The game can be short, with some players completing it in just a few hours, raising concerns about value for money.
- story208 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and well-crafted, while others describe it as confusing and difficult to follow. Many appreciate the immersive atmosphere and psychological horror elements, but note that the narrative can feel disjointed or overly reliant on exposition at the end. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a strong point, though it may require players to piece together details themselves for a complete understanding.
“Such creative storytelling, demonstrating what is possible in VR.”
“The story is well crafted, it pulls you into the game with a nice fear factor that I haven't felt in many games.”
“The story is engaging, the environments are beautiful, the suspense and fear feels genuine, with only a few of the cheap (but well-placed and effective) 'jump out of the shadows' type startling moments.”
“The storyline is confusing at best.”
“Even when the story ends, you're left wondering what happened, and they give you a newspaper to read basically telling you what happened because even though you experienced it, you don't know what the hell happened.”
“The actual story and horror elements in the game are really rather shallow, depending almost entirely on the creepy setting, music, and occasional psychotic visions rather than on interesting characters.”
- atmosphere92 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its chilling and immersive qualities, effectively building tension through sound design and environmental storytelling rather than relying heavily on jump scares. Many players describe it as eerie and oppressive, creating a sense of dread that enhances the overall experience, particularly in virtual reality. While some find the atmosphere abstract or confusing at times, the consensus is that it successfully captivates and engages players throughout their journey.
“The atmosphere and sound design are stellar.”
“Masterfully done, the game uses ambiance and sound to provide a tense and suspenseful atmosphere, as well as to create a truly immersive experience.”
“The atmosphere is phenomenal and the suspense is near perfect.”
“The atmosphere didn't scare me like people said it would.”
“But the atmosphere has my skin crawling and that cold grasp on the back of my neck a few times.”
“I went back and replayed some portions of the game and the atmosphere stays, but if you know the solutions to puzzles and when some frightening scenes are, you can mostly get through the game unafraid.”
- graphics43 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics in the game have received high praise for their realism and immersive quality, particularly in VR, with many users highlighting the stunning attention to detail and atmospheric settings. While some reviews noted minor issues with clarity and a few cheesy animations, the majority agree that the visuals significantly enhance the gaming experience, making it visually compelling and engaging. However, a few users expressed disappointment with certain graphical elements, suggesting that improvements could still be made.
“Great story, very good graphics, the texturing especially is superb.”
“Besides, this probably has the best graphics of any game I've played in VR so far... the attention to detail is stunning!”
“The visuals are superb and really make you believe that you are there.”
“Sloooow, boooring and sub-par visuals.”
“Ride some weird boat into a swamp; the graphics were just white everywhere, couldn't see anything to be afraid of!”
“I wish they would have made more with visuals instead of relying so much on the sound design.”
- music41 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to create a dark and immersive atmosphere, effectively enhancing tension and contributing to the overall horror experience. While some players noted issues with the volume levels occasionally overpowering dialogue, the soundtrack is generally considered well-composed and integral to the game's ambiance. Overall, the combination of music and sound effects is seen as a key element that elevates the gameplay, making it both creepy and engaging.
“The music really sets the mood and makes everything amazing.”
“The soundtrack is great and it really fits with the environment.”
“The story was enriching, the atmosphere was terrifying, the music was fantastic, and the puzzles were just the right level of challenging!”
“Music and effects creep you out, but not enough to save it and keep it immersive.”
“The only real scare I got was basically a jumpscare caused mostly by the music/audio.”
“The one thing I didn't like so much is that it relies a bit too much on music and sound effects to put the player into a scary mood, especially towards the end.”
- gameplay36 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews are mixed, highlighting a lack of depth and occasional boredom, with many players finding the mechanics basic and sometimes frustrating, particularly with object interactions. However, the game is praised for its immersive atmosphere and compelling narrative, especially when played in a larger space that minimizes the need for locomotion mechanics. While some players enjoyed the puzzle-solving elements, others noted technical issues and a short overall gameplay length, averaging around 2.5 to 3 hours.
“High visual quality, smooth gameplay.”
“One cool thing about this game is with a decently sized play space, you can play the whole game with little to no locomotion mechanics; it makes it very immersive.”
“Aside from a few weird bugs, the gameplay, puzzles, and story create such a great atmosphere.”
“Lack of gameplay, boring.”
“Don't expect action; gameplay tends to center more around interactions with objects and simple puzzles.”
“The gameplay is pretty basic, but I had a lot of trouble with some stuff like grabbing items, opening doors, etc. as the game just wouldn't allow me to do that.”
- stability21 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, particularly with its physics system and object interactions, leading to frequent glitches such as items failing to trigger or disappearing. While some players find these bugs detract from the experience, others still enjoy the game despite its technical shortcomings. Overall, the consensus is that the game feels outdated and buggy, especially in comparison to more recent titles.
“The physics system is not great and most of the interactions are buggy and sometimes do not trigger.”
“This game is extremely buggy and forces you to replay chapters due to items disappearing or being unable to open doors or interact with items.”
“It suffers from many technical glitches; objects get stuck together, fall through the world, don't move like a real-world counterpart, and many times just don't make sense.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game has minimal replayability, with most reviewers noting its short playtime of around three hours and limited alternate endings. While it may be enjoyable for a single run, the lack of significant replay value makes it less appealing for repeated playthroughs. Overall, it is recommended for a one-time experience rather than ongoing engagement.
“I don't think it has much replayability, but it is seriously worth a run through.”
“Its relatively short given that I don't think it has huge amounts of replay value, however I would still wholly recommend it.”
“Overall, I enjoyed this game, but I find the price to be a bit on the expensive side, especially since this game has minimal to no replayability.”
“But for a full playtime of ~3 hours, with no obvious replay value (one possible alternate ending?), and with all the aforementioned problems, I absolutely do not recommend it.”
“Replayability is pretty low - the downside of any 'mystery puzzle' game - but you'll delight in watching your friends freak out as they give it a go...”
- emotional7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its immersive storytelling and complex themes, resonating particularly with players who have experienced emotional manipulation or challenging backgrounds. While some found the emotional impact to be less effective, others appreciated the suspenseful atmosphere and depth of the narrative, contributing to a compelling and engaging experience. Overall, the game is noted for its ability to evoke strong feelings, especially in a horror context.
“Non-fanboy gushing about the game -- creepy, puzzle- and escape-oriented, in-depth (albeit at times transparent) story, and fairly emotional.”
“It only took me 2 hours to beat the game, but I don't regret buying it at all as it provided a very immersive, emotional experience.”
“The story is interesting, emotional, and quite complex.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by unexpected comedic moments, such as playful jump scares reminiscent of popular animated shows, and amusing interactions with items that elicit laughter rather than fear. Players often find themselves laughing at the absurdity of situations, contributing to a lighthearted atmosphere despite the game's intended tension.
“Even the jump scares were to me the equivalent of Rick jumping out and saying, 'Morty, come on, you got to come with me, I got a surprise for you, Morty.' It just resulted in me laughing.”
“My daughter just sits there laughing at me as I am in total shock.”
“It was just another neat visual, and watching the shadows cast by only a pair of disembodied hands made me laugh a few times.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is generally well-optimized for low-spec rigs, providing smooth performance with minimal hiccups; however, users have noted slightly longer loading times and occasional texture pop-in, particularly on lower-end hardware like the GTX 970.
“Very well optimized for low-spec rigs.”
“Performance is just fine; no hiccups in my experience, but the loading times are slightly longer than they seem they should be.”
“I feel like most other games either feel too short, arcade-like, not optimized for VR, or simply not fun.”
“There was also some texture pop-in in the on-rails sections, but this may be due to my GTX 970 being on the lower end of the performance scale.”
