‘Red Matter 2’ Review – An Immersive Answer to Quest’s Arcade Offerings

Pink Matter 2 has arrived on Quest 2 and stands out as an immersive single-player journey in opposition to a backdrop of Quest’s arcade-focused library. Nonetheless does the gameplay of this sci-fi puzzler match its stand-out graphics? Be taught our full overview of Pink Matter 2 to look out out.

Pink Matter 2 Particulars:

Accessible On: Quest 2, SteamVR
Launch Date: August 18th, 2022
Price: $30
Developer: Vertical Robotic
Reviewed On: Quest 2

Gameplay

Pink Matter 2 is linear sci-fi puzzle sport with a story backdrop to keep up the movement shifting alongside. Whereas there’s a mode of projectile combat inside the sport, the true showcase is the game’s rich immersive interactions and continually sturdy technical and inventive presentation that is best-in-class on Quest 2, whereas nonetheless remaining spectacular on PC VR for the likes of a VR sport from a small workforce.

Pink Matter 2 is a direct continuation of the first sport and has significantly comparable gameplay. In case you didn’t play the first you’ll be a bit out of the loop on the story, whatever the sport making efforts to remind avid gamers of what occurred.

In short, you journey via a largely lifeless home station, following the path of a comrade who is set to thwart the unhealthy guys who’re using the mysterious and dangerous ‘crimson matter’ as a weapon.

Alongside the best way wherein you’ll uncover some really distinctive and imposing brutalist construction, pretty seen particulars on every small & grand scales, and tons of interactivity with objects on the earth.

The game’s puzzles can be found a reasonably large choice. While you’ll really do a wide range of lever pulling, button pressing, and vitality redirecting, there’s moreover some additional creative and engaging puzzles like figuring out learn to perform certain gear, using objects from the ambiance to prop open doorways, and even using a remote-controlled repairs blimp to carry out crucial duties. Whereas some duties are fairly widespread (open the door with the broken button), I didn’t actually really feel like each single mechanic overstayed its welcome.

Aside from the puzzles that you just’ll accomplish principally collectively along with your fingers, as a participant you also have a jetpack which is used for the occasional platforming half (in distinction to the first sport, avid gamers have full handbook administration over their jetpack movement). Whereas I just like the thought in precept, I found the jetpack movement too sluggish to be partaking, and in some circumstances irritating when you come up really two inches wanting the planform you wished to achieve (whereas having no functionality to utilize your fingers to tug your self up).

Previous the same old simple puzzles in Pink Matter 2 are a few creative ones, offering up that ever satisfying ‘ah-ha!’ second, nonetheless these had been equally balanced out by a handful of puzzles that felt obtuse or had totally different factors like crucial objects not being apparent enough. Simply a number of the puzzles relied on the game’s Alyx-like force-pull mechanic, nonetheless it was utilized so minimally that on numerous occasions I forgot I even had that vitality which left me rapidly caught.

For a lot of of those obtuse puzzles, a single piece of dialogue or textual content material clue might need saved frustration. Even a simple ‘current purpose’ readout would have been helpful to remind avid gamers what they’re attempting to carry out (notably useful if it is necessary to take the headset off within the midst of a puzzle after which return and forgot exactly the place you could be inside the puzzle course of).

Perhaps the one most helpful software program inside the sport is the scanner, which analyzes objects to supply clues and translate the game’s solely Russian writing. For increased or for worse, you’ll make intensive use of the gadget, and you may scan nearly any object inside the ambiance—be it a ineffective prop or a laptop present with data that’s essential to fixing the puzzle at hand.

One different essential software program that you just’ll buy half means via the game is an vitality pistol, which is the one weapon you’ll uncover inside the sport. It’s used for a handful of combat encounters in opposition to security drones. Whereas I acknowledge the need to separate up the entire puzzling with some combat for a definite tempo, I lastly found the combat to be additional of a chore than fulfilling, largely as a consequence of the reality that the enemies felt annoyingly powerful to hit.

Significantly the humanoid bots you fight—which need to be hit specifically weak spots to be destroyed—which all the time moved to dodge your pictures. And it doesn’t help that the pistol’s projectile tempo and accuracy didn’t actually really feel as a lot because the obligation. With solely a single offensive chance, combat devolved into peaking the equivalent nook for all of the fight until landing enough pictures within the appropriate place to kill the bots.

I ended up turning the combat challenge down from Common to Simple (the one two decisions) which made it additional tolerable. I like troublesome video video games, and notably shooters, moreover, I’d advocate going to Simple correct off the bat to make Pink Matter 2’s combat sections additional tolerable.

Though it picks up the place the prior sport left off, the story in Pink Matter 2 appears like little larger than set-dressing. It’s provided in a pattern that’s by now nearly a certainty in VR video video games—a ‘radio play’ that comes inside the kind of voices via your headphones. With nearly no direct character interaction—and no character progress—I found it easy to miss the names of the necessary factor characters and places associated to the story. Granted, the story did its job as a backdrop for fulfilling puzzles, pretty vistas, and some trippy supernatural moments, nonetheless it sadly didn’t actually really feel want it stood up by itself.

And whereas the puzzles had been often entertaining, the game lacked a ‘mechanical climax’ the place all of the items the participant has realized comes collectively in a synergistic means—which is attribute of the easiest puzzle video video games in the marketplace.

Pink Matter 2 took me nearly exactly seven hours to complete on my first playthrough. And whereas there’s not quite a bit replayability out there, it was a often fulfilling experience and a powerful value on the $30 worth stage—to not level out it was technically sound with good effectivity, sharp visuals, and no crashing or primary bugs.

Immersion

Though Pink Matter 2’s puzzle gameplay doesn’t pretty come collectively in that joyfully synergistic means, the experience is significantly bolstered by an outstanding sense of immersion. Pink Matter 2 is unquestionably one of many immersive video video games accessible on Quest 2, and to that end feels identical to good immersive video video games liked by PC VR avid gamers like Lone Echo and Half-Life: Alyx.

Developer Vertical Robotic has continued to lean on its ingenious ‘grabber’ devices—which it pioneered inside the genuine Pink Matter—because the premise of interaction inside the sport. Merely put, inside the sport you keep a multi-tool that appears to be heaps identical to the controller that’s in your fingers in precise life. The software program can toggle between grabbing, scanning, hacking, and a flashlight. It’s stunning to say, nonetheless having ‘grabbers’ that appear as if your controllers feels way more immersive than using digital ‘fingers’ to work along with points inside the sport.

The reason for the added immersion is twofold: for one, because of there’s a software program between you and the merchandise, you don’t depend on to actually really feel the kind of haptics that you simply’d in case you had been grabbing the merchandise collectively along with your exact fingers (and thus realism is preserved). And second, because you presumably can’t dexterously manipulate and precisely purpose digital objects collectively along with your exact fingers, the grabbers fairly extra exactly signify the coarse enter limitations of your VR motion controllers. Frankly, it’s very good many additional VR video video games don’t use this technique.

Collectively along with your multi-tool in hand, nearly all of the items that seems like you might presumably work along with it could definitely be picked up and carried out with. And that’s an unlimited plus because of, merely put, the core gameplay of Pink Matter 2 is definitely interacting. And as an aside, Pink Matter 2 may have the easiest paper physics I’ve however seen in a VR sport—little particulars like that truly add up!

Previous the game’s rich interactions, Pink Matter 2 is a continually good attempting sport with sturdy paintings, lighting, and environmental course. There’s enough fascinating seen particulars sprinkled all by way of the game that merely attempting at stuff is often an fascinating experience. Even the Quest 2 mannequin of the game is graphically on par with the everyday PC VR sport; subsequent to native Quest 2 video video games, it’s best-in-class.

With a sport world that feels additional interactive than not, and environments and particulars which could be worth having a look at, the world of Pink Matter 2 feels ‘robust’ in methods wherein not many VR video video games get hold of.

One second whereas collaborating in really strengthened to me merely how immersive the game could also be.

At one stage I wished to press a button to open a door whereas attempting inside the totally different course (ie: I was reaching for the button whereas not having a look at it). As I was reaching blindly in the direction of the button I was confused when my arm felt want it went ‘via’ the wall—completely if I had missed the button then the wall would have stopped my hand. Nonetheless in spite of everything there isn’t an precise wall there, no matter my thoughts anticipating that there was one.

That stage of digital embodiment is rarer than you might assume in VR—notably inside the Quest library—and Pink Matter 2 is one amongst a handful of video video games that delivers it.

Comfort

Pink Matter 2 makes use of typical joystick strolling with some sluggish jetpacking sprinkled about. For primarily essentially the most half I found the game comfortable, nonetheless for prolonged courses I’d actually really feel a creeping sense of motion discomfort. Thankfully the game helps a teleport chance which felt hundreds comfortable and is pretty ‘outlined’ as a result of the participant using their jetpack to maneuver (though it does trivialize among the many platforming sections). There are a select few components of the game the place you ought to use stick movement, even in case you’ve opted for teleport, nonetheless they’re comparatively transient.

Whereas the non-teleport jetpack movement might very effectively be an issue for people who’re extraordinarily delicate, I found it largely comfortable as a result of its sluggish and common tempo. Optionally you presumably can choose to lose altitude shortly by holding down on the stick, nonetheless in case you’re very delicate you is maybe increased of with the default sluggish descent.

The game’s comfort decisions cowl virtually all of the items on our comfort pointers, so a specific shout-out to the developer on that font.