Review by Jon Donnis
Exit Condition One Escape Room is a remarkable VR title for the Meta Quest that pushes the escape room genre into fresh territory. From the moment you wake up in a cryogenic storage facility and are greeted by a robot warning of a security system failure, the game grips you. Its premise is simple yet intriguing: repair the portal and escape before it's too late. What unfolds is a puzzle-filled adventure that challenges both your mind and your creativity.
The story sets the mood perfectly, drawing you into a futuristic world filled with mystery. The game's five levels are impressively varied, each offering a new environment and its own unique challenges. You'll move from a small, confined room to a vast, cathedral-like space, with puzzles that grow more complex and inventive as you progress. The attention to detail in these spaces creates a fully immersive experience that feels alive and responsive.
One of the standout features is how the game handles physical space. It is designed for roomscale VR, meaning if you have a 2m x 3m area, you can walk, climb, and interact with the environment without using traditional locomotion controls. For players who lack that kind of space, the game offers alternative movement options, ensuring it's accessible to everyone. The physics integration is excellent, with every object behaving realistically, and your hands always feel connected to the world around you. These small touches make interacting with the game feel natural and satisfying.
The puzzles are the heart of the experience, and they are nothing short of brilliant. They are challenging but logical, with solutions that reward observation and experimentation. Whether you're rewiring circuits, controlling drones, or playing mini-games, the variety keeps things fresh and exciting. There are even moments that require you to dance or get crafty, making sure you're always engaged. The addition of collectibles and achievements encourages replayability, while the optional mini-games, like the match-3 shooting challenge, are so well-designed they could stand alone as separate experiences.
Even the end credits offer interaction, a testament to the thoughtfulness that went into crafting every detail. The game encourages you to think, explore, and embrace its world in a way that many VR experiences don't.
The campaign offers a solid 8 hours of gameplay on a first run, which feels just right for the type of experience it delivers. For the price, it's great value, especially with the added replayability from collectibles and mini-games. The developer, Damon Poole, has clearly poured passion into this project. The ongoing updates and responsiveness to feedback show a genuine commitment to making the game as enjoyable as possible.
Exit Condition One Escape Room is a clever, well-designed, and engaging title that truly makes the most of what VR has to offer. It isn't perfect. The physical space requirements could limit some players, and a few puzzles might be a bit too challenging for beginners. That said, it's still a fantastic experience that deserves a place in any puzzle fan's library. For those who can take full advantage of its features, it's unforgettable. I'd give it a solid 8.5 out of 10. This is a game that proves VR can offer so much more than just entertainment, it can deliver something truly special.
Out now on MetaQuest at
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