The Utility Room

About

The Utility Room is a single player action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by Lionel Marsden and was released on February 6, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

This VR Journey takes you to the 'behind the scenes' of the Universe. Beyond a door lies a barren landscape inhabited by strange stonefaced beings. Here, the maintenance and heavy lifting required keeps existence stable and temporal. You are a tourist. Don't do anything foolish.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 219 reviews

atmosphere11 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The Utility Room offers a unique and surreal VR experience that effectively conveys a sense of scale and insignificance, immersing players in a beautifully crafted world.
The atmosphere and sound design are exceptional, creating a hauntingly unnerving environment that resonates with fans of existential and megalophobic themes.
Despite its short length, the game is filled with memorable moments and artistic visuals that leave a lasting impression, making it a must-try for VR enthusiasts.

The game suffers from technical issues, including clunky controls and performance problems, which can detract from the overall experience.
Many players found the gameplay to be repetitive and lacking in meaningful interaction, often feeling more like a walking simulator than a traditional game.
The ending and some design choices, particularly involving the 'Bin Man,' were divisive and left some players feeling disappointed or confused about the overall narrative.

gameplay
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
76%
12%
The gameplay is characterized by a semi-unique jump mechanic and various locomotion options, including smooth and teleportation movement, but it often feels more like an interactive film or a basic platformer rather than a fully engaging experience. While the atmosphere and graphics are praised, many players find the gameplay lacking in depth and variety, with some suggesting it would be better suited as a walking simulator. Overall, the game has potential but struggles to integrate its mechanics effectively with its artistic strengths.
- “The gameplay is smooth (you can play with regular movement or use the teleport if you get motion sickness) and the world is beautifully crafted.”
- “The gameplay and smoothness have greatly improved since the initial release, and it was already good from the beginning.”
- “It features a semi-unique jump mechanic similar to stride along with a short climbing section, smooth/teleport locomotion, snap/smooth turn options, and graphics settings.”
- “This game is short and has little in actual gameplay; it's more of an interactive film. Still, I enjoyed it.”
- “Other than that, it's not even a walking simulator. For more than half of it, it's a platformer, one as basic as they get, where 'gameplay' is just a means to an end to get you through the levels.”
- “The game is really just a 3D exhibition that pretends to have a theme, story, and gameplay, but doesn't treat either seriously enough to be more than an illustration of the type of trip you'd get from huffing glue.”
atmosphere
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
44%
12%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its oppressive and immersive qualities, featuring stunning visuals, eerie soundscapes, and a sense of scale that enhances the overall experience. Many players appreciate the blend of beauty and horror, noting that it effectively builds tension and dread, although some express frustration with gameplay elements that detract from the immersion. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a significant strength, making the game a compelling journey for those who enjoy unsettling environments.
- “Everything from the scenery and the horror-like aspects of this game are beautiful, and I love games that have this sort of atmosphere.”
- “A journey through a huge wild world with some sweaty palm unsettling moments, both from a standpoint of pure atmosphere and tense knee-wobbling platforming.”
- “This game is all about atmosphere and immersion, and it takes you on a really unique journey.”
- “This game has so much going for it with its atmosphere and its scenery, and I really want to like it, but I cannot enjoy it if the gameplay can't work in tandem with the game's greatest strength.”
- “While it has some cool ideas hidden beneath it, most of its gameplay and atmosphere seems to be achieved through copy and paste, padding and lots of dull grey.”
- “The game can be scary and also silly, but maybe don't try for the melancholy almost serene atmosphere where you walk around this large landscape with just the sound of the wind blowing.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
45%
13%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their unique art aesthetic and immersive atmosphere, contributing to a surreal and sometimes horror-filled experience. While some players noted optimization issues and a lack of variety in textures, many appreciated the stunning visuals and sense of scale, especially when running on high settings with powerful hardware. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point of the game, enhancing its experimental and atmospheric qualities.
- “Seriously, the graphics and scenery are amazing.”
- “Overall, I highly recommend this game for its beautiful visuals and surreal tone as you progress through the game!”
- “Very cool visuals and environments, sense of scale is huge, great use of VR.”
- “Despite promising a trippy and surreal experience, I found the visuals and environments to be dull, with everything having the same gray rocky texture.”
- “After 30 minutes, I finally opened up the settings and turned down the graphics to the absolute lowest.”
- “The game is not optimized, but I can't remember if I had no issues towards the end when I set the graphics to low with an i7-13700KF and 3060.”
story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The game's story is described as vague and nonsensical, yet intriguing enough to inspire player theories and discussions. While some players found it lacking in depth and coherence, others appreciated its unique presentation and the immersive experience it offers, likening it to a surreal art piece rather than a traditional narrative. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop for exploration than a central focus, leaving players with a mix of confusion and fascination.
- “This is truly a one of a kind game, and I had a really fun time on my first playthrough experiencing it with some friends as I explored the odd landscape and progressed through the story.”
- “The utility room is a very compelling title that employs VR to tell a story and provide an experience that is just not possible in other media.”
- “The story, although making little to no sense, is very cool to make up theories of, and I have about 5 different ones.”
- “The game is really just a 3D exhibition that pretends to have a theme, story, and gameplay, but doesn't treat either seriously enough to be more than an illustration of the type of trip you'd get from huffing glue.”
- “This is a special game; there isn't much to do apart from walking around and watching the same yet totally different environments, with a story that makes basically no sense, yet it works so well with what the game aims to be.”
- “The end parts after the 'incident' were weird, and I didn't enjoy the stare of the hairy meatball, though it wrapped up the story of our characters' mistake pretty well.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it satisfactory while others praise its excellence and atmospheric qualities. Notably, the soundtrack enhances the game's immersive experience, transitioning from a reserved start to more dynamic compositions during gameplay. Overall, the sound design, including the music, is highlighted as a standout feature, particularly for its price point.
- “The music and sound design is excellent in my opinion (please release the soundtrack, Mr. Developer).”
- “Its uncanny, creepy, and accompanied by one of the best soundtracks in a VR game I have heard to date.”
- “The visuals, atmosphere, and sound design (including music) are all very good, especially for this price point.”
- “It starts off so reserved, you are just drifting in the pitch black void of space towards these giant doors at the edge of the universe with no music, no narration, and no control.”
- “Later in the game you're jumping between rocks and going down slides while they suddenly start playing music for the first time and it just kinda feels game-y.”
- “Tpost - basically a playable Igorrr music video.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting its immersive world and unique ability to evoke feelings of vitality and excitement. While some mention minor discomfort related to motion, the overall sentiment is that the game delivers a profound and unparalleled emotional experience.
- “I loved how the place made me feel throughout the whole thing; I loved the premise and it felt like it delivered a complete imaginative world.”
- “I have never felt anything like the way this made me feel.”
- “It made me feel swift and full of life.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's optimization is inconsistent, with some users experiencing severe stuttering and crashes, particularly on high-end setups like the 4090, while others report smoother performance on lower settings or different hardware configurations. Overall, it appears that while some players enjoy a well-optimized experience, many face significant performance issues that detract from gameplay.
- “I played it using the Vive Pro 2 paired with a 2060 and got good performance.”
- “This is a beautifully weird cough-syrup-overdose of a well optimized VR game that manages to spook and soothe at the same time.”
- “Game has insane stuttering (sub 10fps) and crashes consistently for me right after the first cave of 'the view' on a 4090.”
- “I played on Index with a 3080, and the performance was a bit choppy, and smooth locomotion wound up jittering the camera up and down a lot due to the geometry of the terrain oscillating.”
- “The game is not optimized, but I can't remember if I had no issues towards the end when I set the graphics to low with an i7-13700KF and 3060.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The game exhibits significant stability issues, with users reporting numerous bugs, including mismatched shading causing flickering. Despite these problems, it performs well overall, particularly given its scale, though it is notably problematic on the Index headset.
- “Runs great considering the scale.”
- “The game maintains impressive stability even during intense gameplay.”
- “I experienced minimal lag, which is remarkable for such a large game.”
- “The game is buggy as frick - the shading of the left and right eye renders of some objects don't match, causing flickering.”
- “The game is buggy, especially on Index.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is perceived as a mix of unintentional comedy and cheap gags, with some players finding certain scary moments amusing rather than frightening, such as the humorous depiction of a moai statue running over characters.
- “Maybe I'm just desensitized, but a decent amount of the scares in that sequence I found funny, weird, or just kind of cheap, to be honest.”
- “Funny moai runs you over”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with some describing it as requiring a "second life" to endure. The initial excitement quickly turns into frustration due to repetitive parkour challenges that feel misleading.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Sadly, the game almost immediately puts you into a series of tedious parkour jumps that honestly felt like a bait and switch.”