In Other Waters Review – The Pursuit Of Knowledge

Publisher: Fellow Traveller Games

Developer: Jump Over The Age

Release: 2020

Rating: Everyone

Reviewed on: PC

Also on: Switch, Mac

Searching for answers is a fundamental part of our being and a core motivator for video games. It provides the impetus to push forward to hopefully achieve a satisfactory end. In Other Waters it is not that straightforward, however. The title’s exploration gameplay can lull, and the end of the story itself – while forming a resolute conclusion – dangles a more intriguing possibility than the one that is actually presented.  The journey contains absorbing elements, but is ultimately unfulfilling.

In Other Waters puts you in control of Ellery Vas, who is searching for her missing mentor in the waters of alien planet Gliese 677Cc. Exploration of the depths happens via your suit’s top-down HUD, which shows your panel of controls and the surrounding waters. Like sonar, a manually pinged signal highlights nodes that represent where you can travel, creatures, and samples you can collect with your suit. The HUD is easy to use, and its color changes nicely to convey the different moods of situations and the map’s areas. Moreover, the HUD’s topographical representation of the world’s features – including its life – is artful and appealing.

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Actually exploring Gliese 677Cc, which is the vast bulk of the title’s simple point-and-click gameplay, however, wears thin. You can only travel to specific nodes, which dulls the game’s attempt at fostering wondrous discovery on an alien world. Pointing and clicking on the screen is normal for the adventure genre, but since In Other Waters only contains a few puzzles (based on using samples you’ve gathered in specific ways), there’s not much actual gameplay breaking up the routine and rewarding your curiosity.

The story, which expands into investigating the planet’s secrets, is adequate. Its mysteries keep things ticking along, but its actual conclusion errors by hinting at more exciting, unexplored possibilities than what it actually presents. 

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In Other Waters’ traditional puzzles and other gameplay hooks are scant. In comparison, its more expressed driving force – knowledge itself – is actually endearing. Almost every node you travel to features descriptive text that not only tells you what’s happening, but which paints a picture of the planet and its indomitable life. Exploration rewards you with an understanding of the symbiosis among the organisms and the jewel of knowledge. I dove into the information data banks to put the pieces together more than I have for other games, even if most of it wasn’t immediately applicable to a specific gameplay task.

In Other Waters’ gameplay and story aren’t enough to fuel the exploration it demands, but its world building is commendable. Unfortunately, this makes it suited more towards amateur biologists and cartographers than those looking for a gripping adventure.

Score: 6.25

Summary: In Other Waters succeeds more as an exercise in world building than as an exciting adventure game.

Concept: Uncover the ancient secrets of new alien world Gliese 677Cc as you search for your missing colleague

Graphics: The gameplay HUD is both effective in its simple-looking design as well as capable of representing the wonders of the world

Sound: The chill soundtrack underplays rather than dominates the mood, which is the better choice

Playability: Not being able to see your position on the larger map except for when you’re at a base can cause you to lose your bearings

Entertainment: In Other Waters succeeds more as an exercise in world building than as an exciting adventure game

Replay: Moderately Low

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Bleeding Edge Review – Exchanging Weak Punches

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Developer: Ninja Theory

Reviewed on: Xbox One

Also on: PC

Bleeding Edge is a unique 4v4 competitive experience that shows a little flash in its third-person approach, but doesn’t deliver much of a punch in combat or enough variation in its match types and maps. Developer Ninja Theory draws clear inspiration from Blizzard’s Overwatch, delivering similar hero-focused play, with each teammate playing a critical role as a tank, support, or damage dealer. While some of the Overwatch nods are a little too obvious, like a hip, headphone-wearing healer who just happens to be from Rio De Janeiro, or a tank who can take off in a sprint to slam an opponent into a wall, Ninja Theory brings its own brand of creativity to the heroes. However, that style only goes so far, and the fun they generate flatlines after just a few hours.

Launching out of a safe zone on hoverboards towards the enemy is a fun way to kick off a match, and the introductory clash that takes place gives a good read of the strategies being deployed by both sides. Your team’s healer could be targeted by a ninja named Daemon who can turn invisible to sneak onto your backline. His stealth threat will need to be countered or he'll create chaos for your healer all match long. If you are overly aggressive in your push, you may even be lured into a zone filled with turrets by the gun-wielding Gizmo, or the witch Maeve could subdue your tank in a magical cage for an easy team assault.

The character abilities are well thought out, are nicely balanced in terms of cooldowns, and their strategies can be figured out quickly and used effectively. Ninja Theory did a nice job with the introductory 11 fighters; each approach combat in different ways, and they look amazing. One character has a snake for an arm, another rides around on a gas-filled balloon. Ninja Theory also makes sure that their unique looks are reflected in play and put to good use.

Given the third-person viewpoint, melee strikes and combos are a big part of the experience, but so are medium-range attacks – you can’t snipe in these battles, you need to be relatively close to deal any damage. Since players are twitchy in movement, a handy lock-on system keeps you glued to your target, meaning if you are close, you’re going to hit them unless they time an evasive move or parry you – both of these abilities are handled well and feel great when executed properly. The melee attacks, as powerful as they look, don’t deliver that satisfying weight of contact, and all opponents have plenty of health, so you need to hack at or shoot at them a bunch. What usually happens, if you don’t have the help of other teammates, is your opponent runs away, and you chase them, and they run more, and you chase more, picking at them slowly or disengaging entirely. The slowness of the base movements and the massive amounts of open space to maneuver steal away the intensity of the one-on-one battles. Most of the kills I achieved weren't satisfying and were either oddly played out wars of attrition or getting a lucky last shot on a running foe.

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At launch, Bleeding Edge offers two match types: Power Collection, the better of the two, sees teams collecting canisters that appear on the map and turning them in to zones for points, and Objective Control, where players capture and hold zones to score points. Power Collection has a nice risk/reward mechanic in that if you grab a canister, the opponent can kill you and take it. If you are sitting on nine canisters, you become a target and your teammates will hopefully try to protect you. While the maps deliver different hazards like moving trains, missile strikes, and electrical fences, there are only five at launch and the feeling of being in the same place again sinks in quickly.

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Longevity also isn’t found in the unlockable content for each fighter. Most of the skins are just color swaps, and the decals on the hoverboards can’t really be seen while playing. Additionally, the mods you earn for leveling up, while giving small bumps to abilities, are a lackluster reward overall. The best unlockables are taunts, which are humorous, yet you'll likely use them most in the pre-match lobby.

Bleeding Edge has plenty of potential and I had fun with it in my first couple of hours, yet lost interest in it quickly, as the battles alone weren’t enough of an allure to keep going. Like most living competitive games, there’s a chance Ninja Theory could greatly enhance the experience over time. For the time being, however, it’s entertaining for a bit and then it fades fast.

Score: 6.75

Summary: Ninja Theory's hero-based fighter has a lot going for it, but the thrills don't last long.

Concept: A 4v4 online battler that is a little slow and light on content, yet can deliver intensity when teams are strategizing

Graphics: The cartoonish fighter designs are excellently crafted and the worlds are filled with color and plenty of detail

Sound: Much like Overwatch, the fighters call out their special attacks. The sounds tied to the abilities are quite good, and the announcer calling out capture point changes is helpful

Playability: The fighter classes and abilities are nicely balanced, but most attacks just pick away at enemies and don’t make you feel that powerful

Entertainment: Bleeding Edge is engaging for a few hours and then heavy repetition sinks in

Replay: Moderate

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Yes, Your Grace Review – Somber Victories

Publisher: No More Robots

Developer: Brave At Night

Reviewed on: PC

Uncertainty and second-guessing often go hand-in-hand with the most memorable moments in choice-driven games. When you know you can have a powerful impact on an experience, the stakes feel real. Yes, Your Grace is one of the most stressful games I’ve played, because it’s not just one decision or big moment that defines everything; it’s the culmination of seemingly small decisions and never knowing which ones could change the tide of your entire playthrough. That type of unpredictability is exciting and refreshing, but it is also unforgiving, and often feels like making lucky guesses rather than executing a shrewd strategy.

Yes, Your Grace is straightforward on the surface, and only takes a few hours to complete a single run. Every week, people come to your kingdom with requests for money, resources, or assistance from your higher-ups. The game is all about resource management; you only have so much to go around, so you can’t say yes to everyone. Once you run out of cash or supplies, it’s game over. However, you can’t curry favor and reap its rewards without giving a little. You may use precious resources to forge an alliance to gain access to another kingdom’s army or spend money upfront to fund an inn that provides a weekly cut of its earnings later. Whatever you do, your decisions grow more dire as turmoil escalates and you prepare for a seemingly against-all-odds war. This is an engaging loop for the most part, but it gets repetitive because the routine never gets much of a needed shakeup. 

I liked weighing the cost of various people’s needs to determine how judicious I could be from week to week. Sometimes, I played it conservative and didn’t extend my services for anything but emergencies. Other times, when I felt comfortable with my savings, I took chances and helped people dabbling in witchcraft, and others clearly not in the right frame of mind. Without spoiling any of the outcomes, I can say that I was surprised at what pays off – but those surprises can be more frustrating than rewarding because it didn’t feel like strategy mattered much in my decisions. I’d compare it to that feeling of not knowing an answer on a multiple-choice test and just blindly guessing the answer. Sometimes you expend your precious resources and only get a fraction back in return, or you have extra to spare and take a risk and end up being rewarded. In a text-heavy adventure, where the gameplay hook is being a king and making the tough choices, it feels like a missed opportunity to not have the decision-making be more rewarding.  

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My first playthrough, I played conservatively and still struggled to make ends meet, sometimes having to reload saves by a day because that’s how close it was between life and death for my kingdom. My second time around, I helped as many people as possible, but gave up my family’s happiness as a lost cause – and I was rolling in money. My biggest annoyance with Yes, Your Grace is I could never figure out what type of strategy it was aiming for. You’re instructed to be careful with what you approve, but some risky prospects and loose spending end up being fruitful; too many times being careless or frivolous worked in my favor. You’re also pushed toward certain options more than others, like constantly being nagged about the importance of a certain wedding and making an impression, which further confuses expectations. Lastly, too many random events (which you can’t plan for) can pile up and end your reign, leaving you with a sense that you were doomed from the beginning.

Despite these maddening occasions, Yes, Your Grace paints shades of gray and asks interesting questions. Before one battle, I paused when I needed to chooses between two untrustworthy allies: One saved countless lives on the battlefield but abuses his wife, and the other’s whole persona is a lie (but that fabrication makes people feel better). Yes, Your Grace is a somber tale, and there aren’t “good choices.” The game has multiple endings, with some being more satisfying than others. But just because you have some choices doesn’t mean you can avoid the hardships. What sticks with me the most about the experience is how I was forced into horrible circumstances because I had no other options. It feels as awful as you’d expect, like when I had to turn away a starving community because I couldn’t spare the funds or an agent to help them rebuild. Sometimes I aligned with people I wasn’t sure were noble, just because I needed help. Even though this aspect was disheartening, it also works for the role you’re in – a king will always have to make sacrifices and Yes, Your Grace does a fantastic job at showing this plight. 

These less-than-ideal outcomes aren’t based purely on your decisions as a player. Some of them are merely a part of the overarching narrative, such as forcing your daughter into a prearranged marriage. Yes, Your Grace is a basic tale about running a kingdom and going to war, but it shines best in how it humanizes the tale by having the king have a close relationship with his three daughters. Seeing them bond and grow is endearing, and the story does an excellent job connecting you to the king and his world. In a game with a barebones story, it gave me something to fight for.

I enjoyed Yes, Your Grace’s tense decision making, but sometimes it tries too hard to ensure the player fails. Carefully evaluating my decisions felt like a waste when it didn’t change certain outcomes or put my kingdom in a more advantageous place. I admire that the choices aren’t black-and-white, and I have fond memories of the king and his daughters, especially of the youngest and her quest for the perfect pet. But Yes, Your Grace requires too much hindsight and replaying through content to see better outcomes, which is more repetitive than eye-opening.

Score: 7.75

Summary: Yes, Your Grace excels in its tense decision making, but sometimes it tries too hard to ensure the player fails.

Concept: Put on the crown, step on to the throne, and decide the best use of your resources as a war approaches

Graphics: From your kingdom to the people you meet, everything uses a retro, pixelated aesthetic. It won’t wow you, but it has some charm

Sound: Appropriate sound effects amplify the chaos on the battlefield, and characters speak their own fictional language, which is a nice touch

Playability: Point-and-click controls are easy grasp and use, but the management decisions are what keep you up at night

Entertainment: Yes, Your Grace puts you on a roller coaster of emotions, allowing you to feel the weight of your decisions. However, sometimes things feel too arbitrary

Replay: Moderate

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Resident Evil 3 Review – A Relentless Terror

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Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom

Rating: Mature

Reviewed on: Xbox One

Also on: PlayStation 4, PC

I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of “persistence hunting” – the idea that a hunter doesn’t need to run faster than its prey as long as they chase with dogged determination. Early human hunters would often pursue their game for hours – or even days – until they’d brought down some behemoths. After an extended chase, even the healthiest creatures must collapse, beaten and exhausted from the endless pursuit. It sounds like an incredibly terrifying way to meet your end, and if you ever wanted to know how that prey feels, play Resident Evil 3.

As with last year’s Resident Evil 2, Capcom’s newest remake is a smart update to the PlayStation classic. Many of the elements from the 1999 release have been remixed in this retelling of Jill Valentine's escape from Raccoon City’s zombie outbreak. Capcom’s original release was a more action-focused experience than previous entries, and this remake continues that tradition, but that isn’t a bad thing since these firefights are so compelling. The action takes place from an over-the-shoulder, third-person perspective. Lining up a perfect headshot takes skill, as zombies stagger forward in erratic patterns, but the gunplay feels precise and exciting. My stomach regularly lurched into my throat as even small groups of undead crawled toward me. But when my back was against the wall, watching those zombie heads pop like melons proved especially satisfying.

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Between firefights, Jill scavenges for meager supplies and collects various keys that open new areas, and I loved hunting down the right key or tool to unlock each new room. However, since Jill has less downtime between set-piece moments, she has fewer puzzles to complete than Resident Evil 2 or even the original Resident Evil 3. That is disappointing mainly because the few puzzles you encounter are so well done; they offer a nice change of pace, and I liked figuring out how to reroute subway trains or calculating the correct chemical mixture to create vaccines. Resident Evil 3’s pace doesn’t suffer much from this renewed focus on combat, and the moment-to-moment action remains compelling.

The biggest reason Jill rarely has a second to catch her breath is Nemesis. This 10-foot monster was created in one of Umbrella’s labs for the sole purpose of assassinating Jill. Nemesis is a grotesque figure who might send shivers down your spine with just one look, but this monster is even more imposing in motion. Unlike Resident Evil 2’s Mr. X, Nemesis is nimble and fast enough to keep pace with you. He follows you around the map, can leap in front of you to block your path, and reaches out to trip you with his tendrils. Whenever Nemesis shows up, you need to either run or dig in for a resource-draining battle. This makes each encounter with him as thrilling as it is terrifying, and when you do finally escape Nemesis' grasp, the sense of relief is palpable.

The journey is full of relentless beatdowns, and you’d be foolish to try to take down every enemy you encounter. Jill’s new dodge maneuver allows her to escape almost every conflict without a scratch – if you can pull it off consistently. When you time Jill’s dodge perfectly, you slow time and have the chance to squeeze off a few free headshots. Unfortunately, the timing window for this dodge feels off; even near the end of the game, I still got hit by enemies even after I was sure I had properly dodged. That inconsistency is unfortunate, because dodging is incredibly empowering when it works.

 

Your race through Raccoon City is the main course, but the Resistance multiplayer mode is also worth a look. In this asymmetrical 4v1 mode, groups of survivors work together to kill hordes of zombies and find several keys, which allow them to escape Umbrella's labs. I appreciate the variety among the survivors, since some heroes excel in close-quarters combat while others function as support classes. I found a good routine sitting back from the front lines, disabling traps, and helping my teammates find useful equipment, but charging into the fray is also exciting. When you get a really good team together, you feel like you can overcome even the deadliest traps. 

Playing as a survivor in Resistance was a fun diversion, but I got a greater thrill when I took on the mantle of a mastermind. These devious characters work from the shadows and scheme to keep the survivors in line. As a match builds, masterminds accumulate a steady stream of resources, which they can spend to set up traps and unleashing hordes of undead monsters. I laughed with sick glee after saving up a mountain of resources to spend in a single room that tied up my survivors for several minutes, which ultimately won me the match. Masterminds offer a more strategic level of play that I haven’t seen in a Resident Evil game before, and I hope Capcom continues to iterate on these mechanics down the road.

With this remake, Capcom has greatly improved one of my least-loved entries in the series. Resident Evil 3’s greater focus on action affords you fewer opportunities to stop and think, but Jill's adventure is an incredible thrill ride. From the first moment that Nemesis burst through the wall and reached out with one of his tendrils, I felt my heart begin to race. I don’t think it slowed down again until the credits rolled.

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Score: 9

Summary: A Relentless Terror

Concept: Return to the Raccoon City zombie outbreak in this third-person shooter than reworks everything, including enemies, puzzles, and environments

Graphics: Resident Evil 3 looks clean and crisp, and the monster designs are appropriately grotesque

Sound: The soundtrack is intense, which matches the emphasis on action. Ambient effects and zombie moans set you on edge even when the bullets aren’t flying

Playability: Like the Resident Evil 2 remake, the over-the-shoulder gunplay feels good. Unfortunately, Jill’s dodge is a bit inconsistent

Entertainment: This is another spectacular remake for the series, and Nemesis is an imposing enemy who relentlessly chases you throughout the game.

Replay: Moderately high

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Persona 5 Royal Review – Revealing Its True Form

Publisher: Atlus

Developer: Atlus

Release: 2020

Rating: Mature

Reviewed on: PlayStation 4

When it launched in 2017, Persona 5 represented the next evolution of the Persona formula. Persona 5 Royal amplifies the stellar turn-based combat and masterful social mechanics, as well as the complex systems surrounding them. But it also adds new characters, story arcs, and a meaty post-game palace that ventures even deeper into the world’s lore to deliver the definitive way to experience Persona 5.

The gameplay loop of the original remains intact: You hunt for corrupted individuals, infiltrate dungeons based on their personalities, and battle through tons of enemies – all while going to school and developing relationships with various confidants. Connecting with people from all walks of life, learning their stories, and strengthening your bonds remains rewarding from both a character development standpoint and in the way these relationships give you useful perks. If you haven’t played Persona 5 before, this is the perfect way to start.

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Even if you did play the original release, Royal gives you plenty of reasons to return. In addition to restructuring the way you level up your relationship with Akechi, leading to more meaningful interactions with this important character, Royal adds Kasumi and Maruki, two all-new confidants. While I like the stories of both characters, I especially love the bonuses they give along the way: Kasumi increases your HP and gives you an awesome dodge ability for when a shadow is about to ambush you, while Maruki raises Joker’s maximum SP, which comes in handy during lengthy palace infiltrations.

Kasumi and Maruki offer humorous and heartfelt interactions, and while Kasumi eventually joins your party as a full-fledged Phantom Thief, that doesn’t happen until the new post-game palace. While I’m disappointed she isn’t in your party for the vast majority of the game, her constant presence in the story means you’re already familiar with her when the time comes. That new palace and its surrounding arc serve up an interesting look at the weird way the world works following the events of the original conclusion, and offers puzzles, dungeon elements, and is unique from the other palaces in the game. I was initially worried that the addition of a new final boss battle would take away from what made the original finale special, but without spoiling it, this new end boss delivers a climactic and cinematic endcap to your journey as the Phantom Thieves.

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In the 100 hours leading up to that post-game content, I loved revisiting the original palaces with their minor additions. Joker now has access to a grappling hook, which lets him swing to new points in palaces to find hidden treasure chests or the new collectible Will Seeds. Each palace’s three Will Seeds are often hidden behind grappling sequences, puzzles, or difficult battles, but if you collect all three and bring the resulting item to a new character Jose in Mementos, you earn valuable accessories to equip to your characters. While they all give you powerful perks or moves, my favorite was one that buffed an ally’s next magic attack to an extreme degree; I can’t tell you how many times that move helped me turn the tide of battle. As you progress through the story, you also accumulate Showtime moves, team-up attacks that play out through funny, over-the-top cutscenes that also have the capacity to get you out of hot water if you're in trouble in a palace.

Revisiting the memorable battles against palace rulers is made even more fun as they now have additional forms that play off the themes of their sins. Since the palaces are based on the cognitions of the palace rulers, I loved seeing how they incorporated the bosses’ transgressions and twisted views in unique ways. While each of these forms adds something exciting or compelling to the way the battles play out, one boss battle operates on a time limit, and Royal’s version adds additional dialogue and a new form without adding time to the clock, leading to frustration. Regardless of that one misfire, thanks to these additions, the palace boss battles are overall better than those in the original game.

With so many additions and improvements, Persona 5 Royal is an improved version of what was already one of the best RPGs of the last decade. Whether you’ve been itching to enjoy the Phantom Thieves’ journey again or looking to experience it for the first time, Royal wears its crown well.

Score: 9.25

Summary: Whether you're looking to replay Persona 5 or experience the Phantom Thieves' adventure for the first time, Royal is your best bet.

Concept: Get the Phantom Thieves back together for this director’s cut of Persona 5, which includes new characters, gameplay mechanics, and areas

Graphics: The visuals haven’t changed from the initial release, but even three years later, Persona 5 still oozes style and visual flair

Sound: One of the best soundtracks of the generation is supplemented by new tracks that diversify and strengthen the musical offerings. The new voice actors slide seamlessly into place with the already excellent cast from the original game

Playability: With complex social systems and superb turn-based combat already present, Royal adds gameplay enhancements great and small

Entertainment: While new characters and a new post-game palace are the biggest selling points, the tweaks and improvements make this the best way to experience one of the best RPGs in recent memory

Replay: Moderately high

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The Room VR: A Dark Matter Review – An Atmospheric Powerhouse

Publisher: Fireproof Games

Developer: Fireproof Games

Rating: Mature

Reviewed on: Quest

Also on: Rift, Vive

In 2012, a group of ex-Criterion developers who had worked on the Burnout series formed Fireproof Games. They released The Room, a moody puzzler that had players manipulating a virtual puzzle box with a nearly endless supply of hidden compartments. The Room was a mobile hit and spawned several sequels that took full advantage of mobile's touch interface. With A Dark Matter, Fireproof takes its series into the bold new world of virtual reality, and the series’ puzzle mechanics translate perfectly to this medium.

Despite a name implying otherwise, The Room games have grown far beyond a single room. During your journey in A Dark Matter, you visit the storehouses of an Egyptian museum, a desolate cathedral, and a witch’s hovel. In each area, you discover strange contraptions and puzzle boxes, all of which you can physically manipulate in a variety of ways. The VR controls are intuitive and approachable since you can simply reach out and grab things with touch controllers, and I loved working out how each machine operated with my bare hands. After tinkering with a series of pullies, I lifted the lid off a sarcophagus and staggered back in delight and horror. In another area, I matched the symbols in a spell book and added ingredients to a boiling cauldron, then watched in wonder as the pot summoned forth a magic mirror.

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A Dark Matter’s puzzles are full of supernatural spectacle, but the underlying logic is easy to follow. However, knowing exactly where to go next can be challenging, because you can easily overlook interactive objects if you’re not careful. Fortunately, Fireproof’s hint system is only a button press away. I called on these hints to nudge me in the right direction a handful of times, but I never felt like they ruined the puzzle solutions. However, successive hints do spell out exactly what you need to do if you get completely stuck.

At the beginning of A Dark Matter, players assume the role of a police inspector tasked with investigating a number of missing person cases spread across Victorian England. However, as you dive deeper into these cases, you uncover a supernatural plot that involves a Cthulhu-like entity and an ancient Egyptian burial ground. This story doesn’t go much deeper than the initial interesting premise, and it leaves you with some disappointingly unresolved mysteries, but I still enjoyed the ride.

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What A Dark Matter lacks in plot development, it makes up for in atmosphere. Even when playing The Room games on my iPad, I would occasionally feel the need to look over my shoulder. A Dark Matter takes the series’ ghostly environments to a whole new level. It isn’t a traditional horror game; you don’t have to worry about getting attacked by monsters, but the atmosphere is unnerving. During several moments, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone else was watching me. I even hesitated to move down a darkened hall because I wasn’t ready to face the unknown. A lot of this enhanced atmosphere is due to the inherent immersion provided by VR, but A Dark Matter’s atmosphere is also incredibly affecting and exhilarating in its own right, and almost worth the price of admission alone.

I always make time to play new installments of The Room on mobile, so I was curious to see how well that formula translates to virtual reality. Thankfully, it is a perfect fit for VR, and the series’ barebone narrative makes this is a great chance for newcomers to jump onboard. The puzzle-box gameplay is great for VR, and Fireproof’s moody environments should delight fans of atmospheric horror. In some ways, A Dark Matter is the culmination of everything Fireproof has done on mobile, but I also hope that it is a new beginning for the series in VR.

Score: 8.5

Summary: With A Dark Matter, Fireproof takes its mobile series into the bold new world of virtual reality, and the haunting journey translates perfectly.

Concept: Explore a series of supernatural incidents by solving a variety of puzzles, but only if you prevent an otherworldly entity from driving you insane

Graphics: The eerie environments are even spookier than the mobile games thanks to VR, but some objects stand out for their lack of detail

Sound: A subtle-but-effective soundtrack set the hairs on the back of my neck on edge

Playability: In VR, you can physically reach out and manipulate most of the objects in the environment. Determining which tools to use on each object is usually straightforward

Entertainment: A Dark Matter’s simple puzzles are a nice diversion, and exploring Fireproof’s creepy world is thrilling

Replay: Moderate

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