Into The Darkness VR

About

Into The Darkness VR is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by 9 lives and was released on May 29, 2025. It received neutral reviews from players.

Roadmap About the GameInto the Darkness VR takes full advantage of VR technology to not only tell a thrilling story that explores the effects of current technological advancement, but also allow you to fully immerse in an interactive world packed with numerous satisfying mechanics. What to expect in Into the Darkness VR: Story Mode: Start an immersive journey spread across six atmospheric l…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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47%

Audience ScoreBased on 19 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game has huge potential and features unique mechanics that are well-suited for VR, such as intuitive weapon interactions and a diagetically designed UI.
The developers have shown passion for VR and have been active in the community, engaging with fans and addressing bugs during playtesting.
The variety of weapons and the engaging combat mechanics, including melee options, provide an exciting gameplay experience.

The game suffers from poor performance and critical bugs, making it unplayable for many users, with issues like fatal errors and soft-locks.
The tutorial is poorly designed, leading to confusion and frustration for new players, with unclear instructions and a lack of essential gameplay introductions.
Despite its potential, the game feels clunky and unfinished, requiring significant polishing and optimization before it can be recommended.

story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game's story is presented as a narrative-driven first-person shooter, but the abrupt introduction to intense combat in the first mission undermines the carefully crafted escalation of risk. Players are encouraged to explore and engage with the environment, but the initial experience can feel chaotic due to physics issues and a lack of gradual skill introduction. Overall, while the setting and exploration elements are promising, the execution in the early stages may leave players feeling disoriented.
- “It advertises itself as a story-driven FPS, with physics-based movement and combat.”
- “The player begins their first mission with a powerful weapon, then engages with a few enemies in live combat at a good pace in a well-designed environment.”
- “Exploration is encouraged in the mission, as secret goodies are hidden in certain places.”
- “Dropping the player into an extreme experience as one of their first moments with the game cheapens the well-designed escalation of risk that occurs in the first mission and left my expectations ricocheting.”
- “It would be sensible to introduce the player to crouching, crawling, jumping, and climbing in safe environments prior to testing these skills in the first mission.”
- “5 minutes into the first mission, you'll hear the famous 'Wilhelm scream', which is funny to hear once, but twice in like 10 seconds?”
gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
37%
27%
The gameplay features engaging mechanics inspired by titles like Half-Life: Alyx, particularly in its intuitive pickup and throw system, but it suffers from a lack of polish and optimization in its early access state. While the introduction of unique mechanics and a compelling opening sequence sets a promising foundation, the combat feels sluggish and unrefined, with the presence of firearms undermining the potential for more interactive dismemberment experiences. Overall, the game has potential but requires significant improvements to enhance player engagement and enjoyment.
- “The player character has Half-Life: Alyx-inspired pickup and throw mechanics, which are fun to interact with and intuitive.”
- “Other mechanical ideas are present that feel utterly unique and perfectly suited to VR.”
- “The opening sequence of the game provides vital context to the game's world and introduces the character to useful and cool mechanics.”
- “This is a fundamentally important setup moment, and will affect the experience the player has for the rest of the game, as this decision impacts the entire experience of interacting with the gameplay.”
- “Unfortunately, while the enemies are an opportunity for the player to experiment with combat mechanics, the availability of a firearm at this point cheapens the opportunity to interact with dismemberment.”
- “Right now it feels like a sluggish clone of Boneworks with Half-Life: Alyx game mechanics.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's optimization is notably lacking, with poor performance issues even for a VR title built on Unreal Engine, leading to stuttering and character movement problems. Reviewers highlight that the physics are underwhelming, particularly during combat, and overall, the game feels unrefined and in need of significant optimization improvements as it remains in early access.
- “All other VR games run smoothly.”
- “This is early access, and it feels rough - much work needs to be done optimizing performance, level design, gameplay, and much more.”
- “The game's performance is poor, even for an Unreal Engine VR game.”
- “The game is so early access; it's said everywhere that it's physics-based, but the physics here is very poor, almost no impact from fighting robots (except stuttering every time you hit a robot, while the rest of the game runs smoothly).”
- “This is early access and feels rough - much work needs to be done optimizing performance, level design, gameplay, and much more.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics are considered subpar, especially given the game's performance issues, leading to disappointment among users.
- “The graphics are not that good to justify the game running this poorly.”
- “The visuals feel outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
- “Character models are bland and environments lack detail, making the game feel lifeless.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the inclusion of the iconic "Wilhelm scream," which adds a comedic touch early on; however, its overuse—appearing twice in quick succession—detracts from its initial charm.
- “Five minutes into the first mission, you'll hear the famous 'Wilhelm scream,' which is funny to hear once... but twice in like 10 seconds?”
- “The game's humor is spot-on, with clever dialogue and hilarious character interactions that keep you laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the game incorporates absurd situations and witty one-liners that catch you off guard and make you chuckle.”