Red Matter was widely well received, and when it released on the Quest it got praise for how nice it looked. The sequel has now released, and I really could not wait to get back into the series – and wanted to see what they could do with the Quest 2. But, did the sequel impress as much as first?
Story
The story continues from where the first left off, after you have broken free from the simulation that kept your mind hostage and you are trying to escape the Atlantic Union base. However, you receive a distress signal from an old friend, the question is can you rescue him?
Gameplay
If you played the first, you will instantly use to the tool used for the majority of the gameplay. These tools looks like controllers in your hand, and have the layout of the buttons on your controller. Where you think having these controller in your hand in the game might be immersion breaking – but for me it brings some extra immersion as you feel like you are holding them in your own hands.
On this tool, the claws to pick up items, the scanner to translate notes and give you information on objects littered around the station and the torch return. But, they have brought in new uses for the tool and introduced a node to hack terminals and a projectile weapon.
With this in mind, the game continues to carry on the with the puzzle elements from the first – which is not a bad thing. But, the new tools and even the weapon bring new levels to the puzzles – and some will certainly leave you scratching your head. Then the weapon also brings combat into the game, but, this is about half-way through and the puzzles still take the centre stage.
Presentation
As previously mentioned the team at Vertical Robot did a fantastic job making Red Matter look great on Quest, and they have knocked it out the park with Red Matter 2. I can honestly say this is the best looking game I have seen on the standalone device and the first one I have went into thinking I would be happy getting these visuals on PCVR. Honestly, you will not believe the what they have managed to do with the Quest 2 hardware, I was often left with my jaw on the ground on what has been achieved. Everything just looks outstanding, I really find it hard to put into words what they have achieved – you just need to see it.
Adding to this a fantastic use of audio, as they did in the first from the environmental sounds, the general ambience, the voice acting and the sounds of interacting, throwing and breaking objects are great.
With all of this put together, and it is really hard not to get dragged in and fully immersed in the settings and world of Red Matter 2.
Comfort/Controls
When it comes to comfort, as this is coming from a VR studio with plenty of VR experience, they have covered all areas. This includes seated and standing modes, and all the locomotion settings to keep it comfortable for all users.
As mentioned in the gameplay, it looks like you have the controllers in your hand, and this really makes it easy to remember and memorise the controls. They are really simple to use and works for every element of the game and switching through the uses of your tool.
Longevity
The game took me around five-hours to complete, with getting stumped on some of the puzzles – which was nearly double the time it took for Red Matter. So, I was impressed that they have also increased the playtime on top of how nice it all looks – bringing a double bonus. Now, after playing through it for the review, I do feel like I could go back and playthrough it again – and with the game being cross-buy on Meta platforms I will certainly be checking it out on PCVR.
Reviewed using Oculus Quest 2
For the purposes of transparency, this review was created using a review code provided by the company or their respective PR company. The use of a press code does not affect my judgement of the product.
Review Overview
Red Matter 2 continues from where Red Matter left off and improves on every aspect, with the introduction of new elements in the puzzles made possible with the new tool additions. With the pojectile weapon also bringing in combat about half way through the game – however, it seems like they could have made more use from the combat. One thing you will find with Red Matter 2, is you will be left many times questioning how is this possible on a standalone device and have your jaw hitting the floor. This is something you really to experience yourself to see the marvel what the team at Vertical Robot have acheived with this game.
