Not a lot of good to find in this game rebuilt for VR.
Evil Inside VR by JanduSoft and Bowl of Tentacles, is rebuilt from the 2021 console release of the same name, for virtual reality (VR).
The VR version released May. 7 on the PlayStaion VR2, and Quest headsets.
Players will wander slowly around the house, walking the same corridor over and over – with some puzzles and jumpscares added for the smallest amount of depth.
Billed as a psychological horror experience, players take on the role of Mark who is now responsible for caring for his younger sibling; this comes after his mother was killed and his father imprisoned for the crime.
Mark decides to attempt contacting his mother’s spirit with a Ouija board. However, the séance goes awry as the board explodes, and Mark awakens in a twisted version of his house.
Your goal, though it’s not really explained, is to find the exploded broken pieces.
The game starts off with cutscenes played in front of your face, almost as if you’re watching them on a projector. From here, you are thrust into one ‘L’ shaped hallway of your house, doomed to wander it for the next 45 to 60 minutes.
That’s right, the game is extremely short and is essentially akin to The Exit 8 VR and other walking simulations, except for the barely there story and aforementioned “depth.”
As you progress on each go around of the hallway, something will be different. Whether a new space is open for you to explore, or an item exists with which you need to interact, you’ll need to do a little work to keep things progressing.
It might take some exploration before you’re able to get a new door to open and the game can progress – this can probably be attributed to some bugs – but that’s basically the entirety of the game.
Graphics are the best part of Evil Inside VR, so let’s start there.
Things look good in headset.
Playing on Quest the game has more detail than you’d expect; this gives it more life than Mark’s mother. This works well since the developers basically bet the house on the creepy and tense moments that come from each new turn around the hallway.
Whether it’s the change of lighting or creepy noises, these all add to the foreboding feelings on which the game’s “horror” aspects are hinged. The game makes you feel uncomfortable and worried about what could be around the corner, even if it’s not very scary. We can thank the fact that things look good for that.
If graphics didn’t look as good as they did, the game would certainly have no selling point.
Since the other aspects aren’t great, many will probably avoid this game like its console-based sister.
When a jumpscare appears, they’re not detailed demons or creatures coming to get you. Rather, you’ll see an almost pixelated baby head or a ghostly grotesque figure appear for a brief moment, hardly making this a horror game the average VR user would mention.
Mechanically speaking the game is as basic as you can get. You’ll walk with thumbsticks, grab with grip, use an item with the trigger and crouch with ‘A’ or ‘X.’
You can’t sprint, which makes sense since the game wants you to wander slowly and feel scared as if something is lurking nearby. However, movement here could definitely be quicker, as your walking speed is akin to that of a senior citizen with back problems.
Nevermind the abysmal turn speed, which even when set to 100, is like you’re struggling to perform the task while wearing a full-body cast.
Overall, Evil Inside VR is an experience that will certainly not be for everyone. With the repetitive gameplay, shallow story, and lack of anything that makes this worthwhile, the game will probably find itself lost to the recesses of their respective headset’s stores.
Since the game is extremely linear there’s really nothing to bring players back – this isn’t even something that should be broken out to introduce friends and family to VR.
On Quest, those who are interested can at least refund and get their $20 back, unless they somehow take longer than two hours to finish.
As a mercy, let’s save you the pain, annoyance and time in your life, that will come if you choose to play this game.
Spoiler ahead.
In the end we find out that Mark was the one who killed his mother, and supposition leaves us to believe that this cycle of violence will continue.
You’re welcome.
Evil Inside VR, was reviewed on the Quest 3 after receiving a pre-release review key through PressEngine.
