Red Matter is a Stunning Achievement on Quest

Red Matter is a puzzle adventure game, built from the ground up for VR. Originally released in 2018 for PC VR platforms, the title has been ported to the Oculus Quest with stunning results.

Oculus Quest has been a series of ups and downs for fans of VR. Oculus set out to create the first all-in-one VR headset that would provide quality VR without being tethered to a PC, and they mostly achieved that. Without a doubt, there’s something magical about the Quest with its lack of wires, creating a truly freeing VR experience. It comes at a cost though. Many games have to be graphically compromised to run on the all-in-one headset. Many ports, while being fun to play, are severely downgraded in visual quality.

Developer Vertical Robot was able to achieve something unlike any other port we’ve seen so far on the Quest. From the very start of the game, it’s clear that a lot of extra time and care went into the optimization, creating a much closer parity to the PC version. What they’ve created looks better than even some PC VR games, but on the Quest.

Graphics don’t automatically make a game good of course, but Red Matter is also a lot of fun to play. Focused around puzzles and problem solving, the game is just tricky enough to be rewarding, without being too hard or frustrating. Though it’s a linear experience, exploring around the moon base will also keep you hooked from puzzle to puzzle. Described as a “dystopian sci-fi cold war,” the story and setting are also a really neat aspect to the overall package. Though it’s clearly not a horror game, it doesn’t shy away from being creepy either. Red Matter creates a haunting and lonely atmosphere that will keep you looking over you shoulder. While other games might rely on jump scares to freak out the player, Red Matter focuses on creating a vibe that will leave you uneasy.

Overall, Red Matter is a fantastic addition to the Quest library for both casual and hardcore VR players. If puzzles are your thing, or maybe you just love to see something that’s technically stunning, you’ll want to check it out for sure. The work they’ve done porting the game to the Quest is incredible and has set a new standard for ports on the system.

Red Matter was provided to Handsome Phantom at no cost by the publisher, but this had no effect on the author’s opinion.