Red Matter
Genres: Puzzle, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Story Rich, Atmospheric, Adventure
Play modes: singleplayer, VRONLY
Release Date: 10-11-2018
Developer: Vertical Robot
Our verdict
8/10
- Difficulty: Easy
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 3–4 h
Red Matter is a VR-only sci-fi puzzle adventure. As Agent Epsilon, you search an abandoned Volgravian research base on Saturn's moon Rhea in an alternate Cold War, using motion-controller tools that grab, scan, translate and light up the world. It suits VR owners who want a story-driven puzzle game with no combat.
The game holds a Very Positive rating from nearly 800 Steam reviews, with SteamSpy tags pointing to atmosphere, a strong soundtrack and its Cold War setting. The two detailed reviews here praise the eerie mood without jump scares and the weighty, realistic handling of dials, switches and circuit boards. Puzzles are described as fairly simple but satisfying, built into the machinery of the base, and one player was pleasantly surprised by where the story went.
It is short, with reviewers finishing in about three to four hours, and the ending feels abrupt to some. Physics objects such as chairs can send items flying, including a circuit board one player nearly lost. Still a good pick for headset owners, best bought on sale given the length.
Pros
- Brutalist Cold War moon base with a creepy, combat-free mood
- Controller tools for scanning and translating feel natural in VR
- Hands-on puzzles with dials, switches and circuit repairs
Cons
- Finished in three to four hours
- Puzzles are fairly simple and the ending feels abrupt
- Loose physics can send key items flying
About
THE MISSION IS SIMPLE. THE TRUTH IS NOT.
You are Agent Epsilon, an Atlantic Union astronaut sent to investigate an abandoned Volgravian research base on Rhea, one of Saturn’s moons.
What begins as a covert recovery mission soon becomes something far stranger.
Red Matter is a story-driven VR puzzle adventure set in a dystopian Cold War where every room, object and document may hold part of the truth. Explore an isolated facility, restore forgotten machinery and follow the evidence left behind by a crew that vanished.
INVESTIGATE EVERY DETAIL
Scan objects, translate Volgravian documents and search the facility for clues.
Propaganda, personal belongings, research records and the environments themselves reveal a mystery that rewards observation and curiosity. Nothing is quite what it seems—and the deeper you investigate, the more unsettling the truth becomes.
SOLVE THE FACILITY
Repair circuits. Operate unfamiliar machinery. Decode information. Manipulate objects with your own hands.
Every puzzle is built into the world around you, turning the facility itself into something to understand, unlock and investigate.
TOOLS BUILT FOR VR
Your motion controllers become multifunctional devices for grabbing, scanning, translating and illuminating the world around you.
Turn dials, pull switches, examine objects and operate technology naturally as you uncover what happened on Rhea.
A RETRO-FUTURE COLD WAR IN SPACE
Step onto the hostile surface of Rhea and descend into imposing brutalist corridors, underground installations and secret laboratories.
Detailed environments, upgraded 4K textures, rich materials and atmospheric lighting bring Red Matter’s retro-futuristic world to life.
The tension comes from isolation, surveillance and the feeling that something went terribly wrong here.
MOVE YOUR WAY
Explore using smooth locomotion, teleport or dash, with multiple movement options designed to let you experience the facility your way.
UNCOVER THE TRUTH
Every clue brings you closer.
Every discovery raises another question.
And some secrets were buried for a reason.
