The Room VR: A Dark Matter
- March 26, 2020
- Fireproof Games
- 4h median play time
The Room VR: A Dark Matter Review – An Atmospheric Powerhouse
Get on Steam"The Room VR: A Dark Matter" is a virtual reality game that transports players to the British Institute of Archaeology in 1908. Players must solve puzzles and uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of an Egyptologist. The game features cryptic locations, strange gadgets, and an otherworldly discovery that blurs the line between reality and illusion. Designed specifically for VR, players can fully immerse themselves in the game's eerie world.
Reviews
- Stunning visuals and immersive atmosphere that enhances the puzzle-solving experience.
- Clever and engaging puzzles that are challenging but not overly difficult, providing a satisfying sense of accomplishment.
- Excellent use of VR mechanics that make the gameplay feel more interactive and tactile.
- The game is relatively short, typically taking around 3-5 hours to complete, which some players feel does not justify the price.
- Limited movement options, as players can only teleport to predefined spots rather than freely exploring the environment.
- Some puzzles may feel too easy or straightforward, lacking the complexity found in previous titles in the series.
- story352 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story in this game is generally described as intriguing and atmospheric, continuing the lore established in previous titles of "The Room" series, though it often lacks depth and clarity. While some players appreciated the minimalistic storytelling approach and the connection to earlier games, others found the narrative vague and underdeveloped, with a reliance on reading notes rather than engaging dialogue. Overall, the game is praised for its immersive experience and visual storytelling, but opinions vary on the effectiveness and engagement of the plot itself.
“The story is intriguing, the puzzles challenging but not crazy difficult to figure out.”
“The story continues the lore you've learned from the other games, and if you enjoyed them, you'll like this one just as much.”
“The story is crafted well and is a wonderful continuation of the rest of the games.”
“The story is also basically non-existent; everything is explained via letters you read with absolutely no voice acting or NPCs at all.”
“The story feels a bit Lovecraftian which was a plus for me.”
“The story is still very poorly told with cryptic, boring and basically useless texts and it ultimately goes nowhere like the other games in the series.”
- graphics314 mentions
- 74 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics in this game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals and immersive atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting the breathtaking detail and artistic design of the environments. Players noted that the graphics enhance the overall experience, making it feel engaging and lifelike, particularly in VR. While some mentioned minor limitations compared to other high-end titles, the consensus is that the game's visual quality is exceptional and a significant draw for players.
“It has a great atmosphere which totally immerses you, the graphics are top notch, the detail on all the surfaces is breathtaking.”
“The graphics are outstanding and the puzzles, although simpler than the original games, are incredible fun and satisfying once you figure them out.”
“The atmosphere and visuals are excellent, VR is perfect for this genre - the developers have spent a long time creating a very immersive feeling and a great storyline.”
“I understand this game is meant to also run on standalone headsets like the Quest 2, but it still feels like the PC release could have had better graphics, especially since both this game and Half-Life: Alyx came out the same month.”
“Additionally, likely as a sacrifice to accommodate lower powered VR setups, the game's graphical fidelity has taken a pretty big hit.”
“And because of the move to VR, the visuals aren't as good as in the previous games, though the game's still charming.”
- atmosphere246 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, enhanced by stunning graphics, detailed environments, and a well-crafted sound design. Players appreciate the eerie yet engaging ambiance that avoids jump scares, creating a sense of mystery and tension throughout the experience. Overall, the game successfully translates the atmospheric elements of the "The Room" series into a compelling VR setting, making it a standout title for fans of atmospheric puzzle games.
“The atmosphere of the game is truly captivating, giving me goosebumps at times, particularly during the climactic ending, which was exceptionally well-executed and enjoyable.”
“The atmosphere and visuals are excellent.”
“The atmosphere was phenomenal, and gave me many moments of just being in awe.”
“Unfortunately, the game does not have a smooth turning option, which completely ruins the atmosphere.”
“While there are some potentially creepy things, it's mostly the atmosphere.”
“I feel at this point that VR could've come a little further and that Fireproof Games should've aimed a little higher, not necessarily for more content, but for a little more interaction with things and more atmosphere.”
- gameplay216 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this VR puzzle game is generally praised for its engaging mechanics and atmospheric design, effectively translating the series' established puzzle elements into a virtual reality format. While the puzzles are well-balanced and introduce new mechanics throughout, many players note the game's short duration (around 3-5 hours) and some finicky controls as drawbacks, leading to mixed feelings about its value at full price. Overall, it offers a solid experience for puzzle enthusiasts, particularly those familiar with the series, but may feel lacking in depth and innovation for some players.
“The gameplay is engaging and just challenging enough without being frustrating.”
“The puzzles are engaging and make use of VR mechanics pretty well, even though most of them are on the easy side.”
“The gameplay translates perfectly into VR.”
“I wouldn't recommend this for $30 - it's very short at about 3.5 hours and the mechanics are dated by modern VR standards - but it's not a bad little puzzle game, if you can get it on sale.”
“Which is why the actual gameplay being so disappointing is a massive let down for the game overall.”
“If spending $30 for 3-4 hours of gameplay bothers you, then don't buy.”
- replayability45 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with many reviewers noting that once the puzzles are solved, there is little incentive to play again. The short playtime of 3-5 hours further compounds this issue, leading to a consensus that the game offers minimal replay value, making it feel overpriced for the content provided. While some players enjoyed the experience, they expressed a desire for additional content or alternate endings to enhance replayability.
“Most of the replay value is either months later when you've forgotten things, or making other people play through it.”
“Good replayability.”
“Even for a smaller play time and less replay value, this game is absolutely worth it in my opinion.”
“There's no replay value since once you've solved the puzzles there's no reason to replay the game only to do the puzzles all over again.”
“The only downside to this game is that there is not enough of it; at 3-5 hours you will be done with no additional content or replay value.”
“Unfortunately, this means the game isn't likely to take more than a few hours to get through and there's little to no replayability.”
- music40 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a haunting soundtrack that complements the visuals and gameplay. Reviewers noted that the sound design effectively creates a sense of place, contributing to the game's engaging narrative and puzzle-solving elements. While some mentioned a lack of background music in certain areas, the overall impression is that the music significantly elevates the game's ambiance and emotional impact.
“Great mystical soundtrack and ambient sounds as well!”
“The soundtrack perfectly fits to give the entire ordeal an eerily haunting, spine-tingling feel.”
“The atmosphere, art style, and music are excellent.”
“Cons: snap turn and teleport forced movement (not an issue, just preference), lack of background music, somewhat finicky object interaction and the lack of object interaction feedback (items not apparently interactable).”
“I was drawn into the sequence by the visuals, sound and music then completely let down when the stone door seemed to make no sound at all when it closed completely.”
“However, other than that, there isn't much in terms of music.”
- optimization13 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game is highly praised, with users noting excellent performance and smooth gameplay in VR, even on various hardware setups. While some mention minor issues like memory leaks and graphical glitches, the majority find the game visually appealing and well-polished, making it a recommended experience for VR users. The game effectively balances high detail with performance, ensuring an immersive experience without significant technical drawbacks.
“Pretty similar from gameplay but optimized for VR - really liked it a lot!”
“It felt very well optimized for VR while staying visually consistent and nice to look at.”
“Fireproof Games always delivers smooth, highly optimized 3D room games... and it amazed me how they delivered such high details on the iPad.”
“The deal breaker for me are the memory leaks, gradual performance loss over an hour or two, and graphical glitches.”
“If the price seems a little high, you should try some other VR games out there and see how buggy they can get or how poorly optimized they are.”
“I haven't seen anything that broke the immersion, a really well polished and optimized game.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly in certain chapters and during puzzle-solving. While some challenges are engaging, the repetitive nature of grinding can detract from the experience, leading to a mixed reception. Despite this, many still recommend the game for its fun settings and atmosphere.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It can be tedious at times with the teleportation and puzzles.”
“A few puzzles were a bit tedious.”
- stability10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Overall, user reviews on stability are mixed; while some players report significant issues like memory leaks and performance degradation over time, others experience minimal glitches and smooth gameplay. Many commend the game's performance on mid-range hardware, highlighting that it runs well with only minor bugs, particularly in specific mechanics like turning wheels. The consensus suggests that while there are areas for improvement, the game generally offers a stable experience compared to other VR titles.
“It runs great and looks great, even on a mid-range card (RTX 2060 Super).”
“I believe that the kind of games people could get behind if they were smooth and bug-free.”
“The deal breaker for me are the memory leaks, gradual performance loss over an hour or two, and graphical glitches.”
“The only thing I would say that needs to be improved is turning wheels in the game; it was always a bit buggy for me.”
“(Played on an Acer WMR set with only a couple of small glitches in the beginning.)”
- emotional7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report a strong emotional engagement with the game, feeling a sense of accomplishment when solving puzzles independently and experiencing an immersive atmosphere enhanced by VR elements. The creepy ambiance, characterized by unsettling sounds, heightens tension and involvement, making players feel like an integral part of the game world. Overall, the combination of interactive puzzles and atmospheric design fosters a deep emotional connection to the experience.
“The atmosphere in this game is so creepy; the footsteps, creaks, and thunder really made me feel on edge.”
“This game really brought me in and made me feel part of it for a while.”
“Smooth turns and slides made me feel more present in all the mobile versions.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely regarded as funny, contributing positively to the overall experience.
“The humor in this game is absolutely hilarious, with clever jokes and witty dialogue that kept me laughing throughout.”
“I love how the game uses absurd situations and quirky characters to create a lighthearted atmosphere that never takes itself too seriously.”
“The comedic timing in the cutscenes is spot on, making even the most mundane tasks feel entertaining and enjoyable.”
Critic Reviews
The Room VR: A Dark Matter Review
The Room VR: A Dark Matter offers an enjoyable and impressively polished VR puzzler while it lasts.
70%The Room VR: A Dark Matter GBAtemp review
An amazing experience that has to be seen to be believed. The Room VR: A Dark Matter takes Fireproof Games' established escape room genre to the next level and elevates it to incredible heights of an outstanding adventure thanks to the power of VR. I completely recommend this to any VR buffs out there, there is no reason not to enjoy this game.
90%The Room VR: A Dark Matter
The Room VR: A Dark Matter Review – An Atmospheric Powerhouse
85%
