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Red Matter 2

Red Matter 2 is one of VR’s finest adventures yet. With an intriguing mystery, impressive graphics, and intuitive design, Vertical Robot’s sequel pushes the Meta Quest 2 to its limits to nearly match the PCVR experience.
89%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
replayability, grinding
91% User Score Based on 326 reviews
Critic Score 86%Based on 5 reviews

Platforms

PCPCPlaystation 5Playstation 5WindowsWindowsPlayStationPlayStationVirtual RealityVirtual RealityPlayStation VR2PlayStation VR2
Buy Nowfrom €17.99
Buy NowGet on Steam€17.99

About

"Red Matter 2" is a narrative-driven virtual reality puzzle adventure game set in a alternate Cold War scenario. Players uncover the secrets of a mysterious research facility on a desolate moon, while navigating a tense geopolitical conflict. Utilizing cutting-edge technology and telekinetic abilities, players must solve challenging puzzles, evade deadly traps, and make impactful decisions that shape the game's branching storyline.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Red Matter 2 screenshot
Red Matter 2 screenshot
Red Matter 2 screenshot
Red Matter 2 screenshot
Red Matter 2 screenshot
Red Matter 2 screenshot
Red Matter 2 screenshot
Red Matter 2 screenshot
Red Matter 2 screenshot
Red Matter 2 screenshot
Red Matter 2 screenshot

91%
Audience ScoreBased on 331 reviews
story99 positive mentions
replayability2 negative mentions
  • Stunning graphics and environments that create an immersive experience.
  • Engaging puzzles that are well-designed and provide a satisfying challenge.
  • Improved gameplay mechanics and controls compared to the first game, enhancing the overall experience.
  • Combat mechanics feel clunky and detract from the puzzle-solving focus of the game.
  • Some puzzles are overly simplistic, lacking the depth found in the first game.
  • The voiced protagonist and constant dialogue can break immersion and feel unnecessary.
  • story
    231 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in the game is generally praised for its intrigue and depth, effectively continuing the narrative from the first installment while offering engaging character development and environmental storytelling. While some players noted predictable elements and a linear progression, the overall experience is described as immersive and captivating, enhanced by stunning visuals and atmospheric design. Many reviewers recommend playing the first game to fully appreciate the storyline, which is complemented by well-integrated puzzles and a rich setting.

    • “The story is intriguing and the visuals are stunning, and do a fantastic job at imparting the awe-inspiring scale of the surrounding environments.”
    • “The story kept me engaged throughout.”
    • “Red Matter 2 is a crowning achievement in the VR gaming landscape, setting an incredibly high bar for immersive storytelling and visual splendor!”
    • “The story and the way it is narrated are way too lazy.”
    • “The story is just okay; but the setting and mechanics and attention to props & details are spectacular.”
    • “Basic puzzle solver/escape room gameplay with a serviceable story that is almost completely hampered by unnecessary and poorly implemented shooting sections.”
  • graphics
    122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting their stunning quality, detailed environments, and impressive art direction that enhances immersion. Players noted the game's ability to maintain high frame rates and smooth performance even on demanding settings, contributing to an overall polished visual experience. While some critiques mentioned occasional issues like excessive bloom or monotonous visuals, the consensus is that the graphics are among the best seen in VR, often compared favorably to titles like Half-Life: Alyx.

    • “Thanks to the graphical bells and whistles and the physics interactions, the game does a great job at making you feel you're there, in this alt-cold war environment.”
    • “The story is intriguing and the visuals are stunning, and do a fantastic job at imparting the awe-inspiring scale of the surrounding environments.”
    • “The graphics are high quality while the plot is rich with all kinds of twists and turns.”
    • “The graphics are crisp, clear and boringly monotonous.”
    • “Neither the story, graphics, mechanics or gameplay managed to keep me interested.”
    • “You only have graphics options to set dynamic and indirect shadows on or off, so you cannot set antialiasing or other advanced options at all, only the shadows.”
  • gameplay
    79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Red Matter 2 has received mixed reviews, with many praising its immersive VR mechanics, engaging puzzles, and stunning visuals, while others criticize the repetitive and poorly implemented shooting mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Players appreciate the balance of puzzle difficulty and the innovative use of tools, but some find the combat elements frustrating and unnecessary. Overall, while the game offers a compelling atmosphere and improved mechanics over its predecessor, it struggles with certain gameplay aspects that may not appeal to all players.

    • “Outstanding gameplay, breathtaking scenery, fun puzzles to solve, fascinating storyline, intuitive mechanics and usage of tools.”
    • “Gameplay is smooth and intuitive and makes great use of VR space.”
    • “The devs' innovative ideas for hand tools, movement mechanics, and everything just made this an absolute joy to play through.”
    • “Red Matter 2 is more than twice the size of the original and one of the best looking/optimized VR games, but its gameplay is just tolerable rather than exciting.”
    • “Honestly bored out of my mind, the puzzles are super simplistic (I'm talking like connect the pipes minigame, and put thing in hole shaped like the thing) and most of the gameplay is just walking down corridors.”
    • “Basic puzzle solver/escape room gameplay with a serviceable story that is almost completely hampered by unnecessary and poorly implemented shooting sections.”
  • atmosphere
    45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its immersive and visually stunning design, often described as chilling yet not overtly horror-like, with a strong retro-sci-fi aesthetic. Many players appreciate the combination of excellent graphics, detailed environments, and a compelling soundtrack that enhances the overall experience, although some note that certain gameplay elements can detract from the atmosphere. Overall, the game successfully creates a captivating and atmospheric setting that draws players into its story and exploration.

    • “That was a nice, gentle-paced puzzle game with an interesting story and a wonderful atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere is chilling at times without being outright horror.”
    • “Absolutely great and atmospheric story-driven exploration game with Soviet vibes, light puzzles, and incredible visuals and controls.”
    • “Only superb visuals and atmosphere save it from being boring.”
    • “The graphics and overall atmosphere felt unconvincing.”
    • “Firstly the atmosphere is ruined by the voiced protagonist and constant banter with beta.”
  • music
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received high praise for its immersive quality and atmospheric design, with many reviewers highlighting the soundtrack as a standout feature that enhances the overall experience. While some noted that the music can become repetitive, the majority appreciated its orchestral influences and ability to evoke a strong sense of place, particularly within the retro-post-Soviet aesthetic. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a key element that contributes to the game's engaging ambiance and storytelling.

    • “The attention to detail in this game is awesome, the retro-post-Soviet ambiance and the intriguing soundtrack make this game an incredible sci-fi experience.”
    • “The soundtrack is perfect and huge, it makes the whole experience so immersive that you are lost in it, and that is the whole meaning of a great VR experience!”
    • “Music gets a bit repetitive.”
    • “The background music is not quite to my taste - but can be turned down.”
    • “Just like the first game, it has the tension of a horror game through its atmosphere and music, but none of the actual horror elements you would expect a horror game to have.”
  • optimization
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the optimization of the game has received high praise, with many users reporting excellent performance and smooth gameplay across various hardware configurations, including lower-end systems. The graphics are noted as stunning and well-optimized, maintaining a consistent frame rate even on high settings. However, some players experienced inconsistent performance in certain environments, indicating that while the game is generally well-optimized, there are occasional hiccups.

    • “It's a very enjoyable storytelling game with some interesting puzzles, great graphics with perfect optimization, constant 90 fps without any drops on the highest settings with Ryzen 5800X and RTX 3080 12GB, and with a lot of room to spare (according to fpsvr graphs).”
    • “Good story, beautiful graphics, well-optimized graphic engine, good mixture of puzzles, exploration, storytelling, and action.”
    • “Excellent VR game with silky smooth performance and stunning vistas.”
    • “Shooting challenges the performance, is not satisfying, is boring, done poorly; targets are just annoying, and the task cannot be simply completed brainlessly to keep having fun with the real game.”
    • “Performance-wise, I found it to be hit or miss.”
    • “Some environments are very fluid, while others seem to be stuttering for no reason.”
  • emotional
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the game deeply emotional, often becoming so engrossed in its intelligent and suspenseful narrative that they play for extended periods despite physical discomfort. The immersive world and intricate interactions evoke strong feelings, making the experience reminiscent of the impactful storytelling found in titles like Half-Life: Alyx.

    • “If there is any good judging scheme for a game, it is that I completed this game pretty much in one massive session of the holidays - my back was killing me from standing in VR for so long, I was hungry, tired, emotional, but I just couldn't stop!”
    • “It weaves a narrative that is both intelligent, mysterious, suspenseful, and emotional.”
    • “Honestly, this game is like playing Half-Life: Alyx for the first time. The story, the setting, and the environments were all fantastic. The world felt so real that I usually just spent time messing around in one room, touching and interacting with everything to see how they interacted together. It blew my mind how much stuff fit together.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers limited replayability, primarily due to a lack of engaging content beyond its impressive visuals, which some players may revisit occasionally. Overall, many users feel that the game does not provide sufficient incentives for repeated playthroughs.

    • “Not much replay value, in my opinion.”
    • “Lack of replayability; mandatory vignetting when too close to objects.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and slow, particularly criticizing the slow text decoding and movement speed, which detracts from the overall experience. Many feel that the mechanics, such as leaving paper cards with questions and answers, are impractical and suggest that a more streamlined diary function would improve gameplay.

    • “The last battle was a bit tedious.”
    • “The text message decoding is so tedious and slow, like looking at a first-generation fax machine. Even with the walking speed set to the fastest, it still feels like moving in mud.”
    • “Text decoding of messages is still tedious and doesn't make sense that people would leave paper cards with questions and others with answers. I believe an actual diary function (voiced or not) would work better.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features a dry sense of humor that adds an entertaining layer to the story, with moments of unpredictability that keep players engaged. However, some users noted that the writing can occasionally be poorly executed, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “The pseudo AI has a real welcome sense of dry humor, and there are times you can trust it and times when you can’t. Fortunately, the game doesn't end when you 'die' as a result of one of the times you shouldn’t have followed it, but it is an entertaining addition that serves to lighten the story at appropriate places.”
    • “My only complaint would be that while the overall story was fantastic, the writing is sometimes just hilariously bad.”
  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, users report a stable experience with no significant bugs or glitches, highlighting that the game looks and runs smoothly.

    • “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches.”
    • “I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it never lags or stutters.”
    • “The performance is impressive, providing a seamless experience throughout.”

86%Critics’ scoreBased on 5 critic reviews

Buy Red Matter 2

7h Median play time
6h Average play time
4-9h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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