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Red Matter

Red Matter Game Cover
89%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
replayability, grinding
89% User Score Based on 767 reviews

Platforms

PCPlayStation VROculus QuestPlaystation 5Playstation 4Virtual RealityOculus VRWindowsPlayStationPlayStation VR2
Red Matter Game Cover

About

Red Matter is a single player puzzle game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Vertical Robot and was released on November 10, 2018. It received positive reviews from players.

"Red Matter" is a story-driven virtual reality game set in a alternate Cold War era. As an astronaut for the "Empire," you explore a mysteriously deserted Volgravian base on Saturn's moon, Titan. Uncover the truth behind the Soviet-inspired Volgravians' research and the ominous "Red Matter" substance they created.

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89%
Audience ScoreBased on 767 reviews
story231 positive mentions
replayability6 negative mentions

  • The graphics and performance are excellent, creating an immersive atmosphere.
  • The storyline is intriguing with a nice twist at the end.
  • The puzzles are engaging and provide a satisfying challenge without being overly difficult.
  • The game is quite short, taking only about 3-4 hours to complete.
  • The control scheme can be cumbersome and may lead to frustration.
  • Some players found the puzzles to be too easy and lacking in complexity.
  • story
    470 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is generally described as intriguing and engaging, featuring a mix of mystery and sci-fi elements set in a cold war-inspired environment. While many players appreciate the atmospheric storytelling and plot twists, some find the narrative to be short, disjointed, or lacking depth, with a few noting that the puzzles are often simple and do not significantly enhance the story. Overall, the experience is enhanced by immersive graphics and sound, making it a worthwhile journey for those who enjoy story-driven VR games.

    • “Very interesting story with a huge plot twist at the end, although I wish this game was more outdoors so we could admire space; nevertheless, it was a very nice experience.”
    • “The story is well delivered.”
    • “The story is intriguing, but like everything else, there's far too little of it.”
    • “The story is confusing at least, but will grow on you over time.”
    • “The story is complete but continues seamlessly in red matter 2.”
    • “The story is the weakest part of the game.”
  • graphics
    235 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in this game have received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting their stunning detail, immersive environments, and impressive performance, particularly for a VR title. While some noted minor issues like forced anti-aliasing affecting distant visuals, the overall consensus is that the game showcases some of the best graphics in the VR industry, creating a captivating atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience. Many players expressed a desire for more VR games to achieve this level of graphic fidelity, emphasizing the game's visual appeal as a standout feature.

    • “The graphics are gorgeous, with phenomenal lighting and really detailed textures, and everything works so smooth in VR.”
    • “The visuals are incredibly detailed and are immersive enough to keep you playing the entire time.”
    • “Great atmosphere conjured through very realistic and stylish graphics, plus good use of physics.”
    • “Some reviewers are praising the graphics, but I found them to be far too simplistic.”
    • “It is a really small game at less than 3GB, and the graphics are simply not that good.”
    • “Trying to change the graphics options kind of locks up the game and causes the screen to freeze and jump around, also nauseating.”
  • atmosphere
    130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in the game is consistently praised for its stunning graphics, immersive sound design, and engaging storytelling, creating a captivating experience that draws players into its dystopian sci-fi setting. Many reviewers highlight the balance between the eerie, cold war-inspired ambiance and the puzzle-solving elements, noting that the atmosphere enhances the overall enjoyment despite the puzzles being relatively easy. Overall, the game's ability to evoke a sense of unease and wonder through its visual and auditory elements is a standout feature, making it a memorable VR experience.

    • “The atmosphere is excellent as well as you really are immersed in this fictional dystopian sci-fi Soviet era cold war style space mystery.”
    • “The atmosphere through the whole game is captivating.”
    • “Very immersive cold war-ish retrofuturistic atmosphere powered by impressive, highly realistic visuals.”
    • “The atmosphere makes it feel like it and there are some parts that are a little scary, but I wanted to be traumatized.”
    • “The real winners here are the atmosphere and how the story unfolds as you explore this base.”
    • “What the game lacks in difficulty and duration it makes up for in atmosphere and story.”
  • gameplay
    94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is generally well-received, featuring solid mechanics and engaging puzzles that balance challenge and accessibility, though many players note that the puzzles tend to be on the simpler side. The game offers a unique VR experience with immersive environments and a compelling story, but its short duration (around 2-4 hours) and some clunky movement mechanics detract from the overall experience. While the visuals and atmosphere are praised, the linear gameplay and repetitive mechanics may leave some players wanting more depth and complexity.

    • “The gameplay is great; no wonder others like to compare it to Half-Life: Alyx. Not many games of this type come close.”
    • “The graphics are wonderful, gameplay is fairly intuitive, and the puzzles strike a nice balance between intricate enough to feel rewarding and straightforward enough to rarely be frustrating.”
    • “This is one of the very few good VR games that walk you through a complete story, with nice mechanics, puzzles, graphics, and that actually immerse you in the environment.”
    • “The mechanics to solve the puzzles are a bit simplistic.”
    • “The gameplay is 100% linear; you walk around in a base scanning stuff - mostly because they are in some unknown language, so you scan them to read what is written on them.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, the puzzles are nothing special and tend to be on the easier side.”
  • music
    33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the soundtrack for enhancing the atmosphere and creating an engaging experience, while others find it repetitive and annoying. Many appreciate the cinematic quality of the music, which complements the visuals and story, but some describe it as forgettable or overly cheesy. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's ambiance, though opinions vary on its effectiveness and variety.

    • “I liked the story, the music, and the atmosphere.”
    • “The sound mix is good, especially the amazing musical soundtrack.”
    • “The soundtrack is nice and builds the atmosphere well.”
    • “The whole game feels so fake and pretend; it was driving me nuts, and the soundtrack never changes. It's always the same annoying soundtrack.”
    • “I would only recommend this game if you gave it to your 8-year-old to play with a pack of Twizzlers and some headphones playing the Street Surfers soundtrack, with the entire in-game sound and subtitles turned entirely off because the game is more interesting and better without any sound or subtitles at all.”
    • “Without that catharsis, all those ominous musical scores and sudden sound effects, no matter how effective, just get a bit wearing.”
  • optimization
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its excellent graphics and solid performance, with most players experiencing smooth gameplay on a range of hardware. While some users noted occasional FPS drops and minor stuttering, these issues were generally considered manageable and did not detract significantly from the overall experience. The game is well-optimized for various systems, making it accessible to a wide audience.

    • “It seems well optimized, and it’s always refreshing to have a game work the way it is supposed to.”
    • “Additionally, the graphics are well optimized and my PC was able to play the game with minimal issues.”
    • “I only have an RX 480 with 8GB of memory and an i7 3770 non-K CPU with 16GB of memory, and this game's performance was smooth and flawless, a credit to the programming prowess of the developers.”
    • “I don't have this stuttering issue in other games.”
    • “Performance and/or Linux-specific bugs.”
    • “My only small complaint is the controls aren't optimized for the Index controllers; you basically play on the old Vive wands.”
  • replayability
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game is criticized for its short length, typically around 3-5 hours, and a lack of meaningful replayability, with many reviewers suggesting it feels more like a one-time experience or tech demo. While some players appreciate the initial enjoyment, they recommend waiting for a sale due to the limited content and fixed story structure that offers little incentive to replay.

    • “There is some replayability just to appreciate that.”
    • “I don't see there being much replay value in this for me, however, it's something I'll share with my parents, and get some extra playtime and value that way.”
    • “Would rank this as one of my favorite VR games although there's barely any replay value.”
    • “I don't think I can recommend this at full price as it's basically 3 hours with no replayability.”
    • “While I still recommend this game, I think you should wait for a good sale; don't pay full price for a 4-5 hour experience with zero replayability.”
    • “Its short and it doesn't have any replay value.”
  • grinding
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in relation to puzzles and movement mechanics, which can feel slow and repetitive. While some appreciate the novelty of certain gameplay elements, many express a desire for a more streamlined experience rather than extended hours of grindy content lacking substance.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
    • “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
    • “I didn't care for the puzzles at all and found them to be mind-numbingly tedious.”
    • “I'd rather have few-hour long experiences rather than a game that has '200 hours of content' that's just the same grindy filler with no substance.”
    • “Puzzles were all easy and sometimes kind of tedious so don't expect a challenge if you're into that sort of thing.”
  • stability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while many players report smooth gameplay and no significant glitches, some experience issues such as random freezes and crashes when accessing the options menu. Physics interactions can be clunky, but the core game mechanics generally function well. Despite these drawbacks, the game is praised for its performance and visual quality.

    • “Other than that, the game runs great and looks great with an interesting story and setting.”
    • “Really good game, had no glitches and had nice difficult puzzles, also chess.”
    • “The major issue with this game is that it randomly freezes, requiring you to kill the process and restart from the same save game location.”
    • “A little buggy for me; just going into the options menu would crash the game, but the actual game mechanics worked very well with no issues.”
    • “Physics interaction is clunky and buggy, but it works.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is well-received, featuring funny moments and creative elements, such as a humorous computer-hacking puzzle and entertaining videotapes that provide a light-hearted break from the story's subtle tension. Players appreciate the blend of humor with the game's engaging narrative and atmospheric setting.

    • “It's well done, story-driven, with super background music, some funny moments, a constant subtle scary atmosphere (without any monsters or jump scares), and has some beautiful views on a strange planet.”
    • “It has a wonderful, funny, and creative computer-hacking puzzle!”
    • “For devs - the videotapes were so funny! Thanks for that tension reliever.”
  • emotional
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the game emotionally immersive, likening it to a space horror movie that effectively draws them into its narrative and setting. The combination of mystery, intrigue, and emotional depth creates a compelling experience that resonates with players, making them feel as if they are truly part of the story.

    • “The game made me feel like I was part of a space horror movie, something I wish more games had.”
    • “I'm very new to VR, and this game made me feel like I was literally there.”
    • “I adore the story and setting, and it really made me feel like I was exploring a Russian space base.”
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4h Median play time
4h Average play time
3-5h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 20 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Red Matter is a puzzle game with science fiction theme.

Red Matter is available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Virtual Reality and others.

On average players spend around 4 hours playing Red Matter.

Red Matter was released on November 10, 2018.

Red Matter was developed by Vertical Robot.

Red Matter has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

Red Matter is a single player game.

Similar games include The Room VR: A Dark Matter, Red Matter 2, Ghost Town, The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed, Deliver Us The Moon and others.