Red Matter 2 establishes itself as one of the reference games for Quest 2, even outside the puzzle-adventure sphere: here’s why.
When Red Matter arrived on the market, no one expected such an immersive puzzle and adventure game: the title by Vertical Robot conquered VR lovers thanks to its simple gameplay and a short but surprising story. Although in reality it is little known to those who do not play with the helmet, we are talking about an experience not to be missed, because it offers an important level of interactivity and a valuable graphics sector.
After the announcement of Red Matter 2 in the course of April, fans’ ears have pricked up and their eyes wide open: the presentation trailer and the technical showcase have well underlined technological advancement made by the Spanish independent studio, which has managed to raise the quality of native VR titles (which run without relying on an external PC) achieving noteworthy results thanks to the Unreal Engine. Well, we have tried the work of Vertical Robot for a long time and now we can talk about it in detail.
The surprising return of the Volgravians
The events of Red Matter 2 immediately follow those of the first who, we remember, made us take on the role of an astronaut in an abandoned scientific station on Rhea, one of Saturn’s moons.
The base was managed by the Volgrovia, superpower inspired by the Soviet one during the Cold War, and was the scene of an espionage mission that gradually took on mysterious and surprising connotations, with its puzzles to be solved and the many secrets to be revealed. In the second chapter, therefore, we continue to impersonate the original protagonist, this time however on a journey to the borders of the Solar System, capable of questioning the entire narrative universe of Red Matter. Compared to the first episode we find more twistssuch as to make the return of the Volgravians even more intriguing: the narration guides us into an experience that lasts more than double that offered by the progenitor, without clichés and embellished with numerous details that enrich the background of the characters. In essence, the plot turned out to be much more than a mere frame for the gameplay and was able at times to surprise us.
Very pleasant in this area is also the pinch of comedy added in several notes to be translated from Vulgravian to English, which serves a little to break the tension that dominates in this adventure in the void of space. Some of the players most loyal to the first episode may not like this lighter dimension but in reality the title does not give up an at times horrific dimension (think of the sense of loneliness and restlessness typical of travel) or a well-balanced play structure, which is unlikely to disappoint fans of puzzle sci-fi adventures.
Of new mechanics and interactivity
Red Matter 2 raises the bar even further with regards to native VR titles on the Meta viewer hardware and has proven to have clearly surpassed its predecessor. We cannot therefore say that this sequel is one of the most beautiful games with realistic graphics available on Quest 2. Within the limits of the portable platform designed by Oculus, the Spanish team has managed to achieve important milestones thanks to the high resolution of the textures, the number of polygons and particle effects on the screen, as well as in the field of art direction and global lighting.
Of course the animations of the characters are not without smudges but the models are characterized by a considerable level of detail, while shadows and reflections react optimally to the movement of objects and light sources, including laser rays.
From asteroids …
… to the moons
The level design is clearly inspired by theBrutalist architecture from the Cold War yearsskilfully combined with sci-fi elements in much more varied settings than in the first Volgravian event: from the moon of Saturn we move into the iconic chain of asteroids that surrounds the planet in the past observed by the Cassini probe, to then skirt Pluto and get up to to Neptune, the most remote of the Solar System.
The variety of locations is also guaranteed by their dynamism, as Red Matter 2 is packed with platforming sequences that sometimes see us suspended in oblivion in the absence of fuel in the jetpack: in some contexts we will really have to throw ourselves into the dark hoping to land on a platform, in others we will explore narrow and dark corridors fearing for our lives.
Parallel to the increase in the heterogeneity of the settings are the increase of interactivity and the enhancement of the puzzle experience: Vertical Robot has improved the controls of the first Red Matter keeping the same “grabber”, and then making it more intuitive to use, since our hands they hold a controller identical to that of the Quest 2 equipped with interchangeable terminals. The classic pliers can be replaced with other gadgets, perhaps with a flare torch capable of covering different distances, related to the duration of the pressure of the dedicated trigger. We also mention the laser gun introduced by virtue of the new shooting sequences, portions of the game where we can choose whether to rely on stealth or throw ourselves into a direct challenge with robots and laser turrets. The improvement of the controls is reflected in the puzzles: among the key innovations we mention hacking with three-dimensional holograms and much more complex puzzles than in the last chapter, to be solved by inventing bizarre solutions related to the interaction with objects in the environment.
Let’s think, for example, of the possibility of stacking books or holding the buttons down with ceramic cups. In short, using the peculiarities of the various scenarios is satisfactory, even when a pinch of frustration arises for not being able to immediately solve a more difficult than average puzzle.
In terms of shooting, we liked the comparison with cybernetic opponents, net of some uncertainties of a technical nature. In fact, we happened to use the weapon while our character was moving from cover and, in specific cases, he returned to the previously occupied space, canceling the attack. On other occasions, as we were about to reach cover, we surprisingly found ourselves facing the enemy and without cover. Fortunately, we are talking about situations that occur rarely and therefore do not significantly affect the pleasure of the experience.
The robots that attempted to eliminate us turned out to be tough and able to move quickly. Breaking them down, in other words, isn’t easy, as they have the numbers to keep players busy and prevent them from easily getting past certain sections. In other words, being able to adopt is crucial the most appropriate strategygiving up on throwing himself into the middle of the battlefield without a precise plan.
A great experience in VR
The important steps forward on the graphic front, together with the pleasantness of an adventure that flows without particular hitches, allow newbies to discover the potential of virtual reality and experienced players to admire the results achieved in this area today.
Even more than Red Matter, the game mechanics are well differentiated and constitute a truly complete play package, capable of offering an adequate overview of virtual reality in native form. Without access to high-end hardware, the levels of Half Life cannot be reached: Alyx (to learn more, refer to the review of Half Life Alyx) or Boneworks, the real benchmarks for the sector but as regards the experiences that are based on SoCs designed on the basis of smartphone chips, Red Matter 2 sets a new standard. Indeed it is a product that pushes the world’s most used VR peripheral to its limitsto let anyone enjoy the beauty of this alternative playful dimension.
Red Matter 2PC Analyzed VersionRed Matter 2 is the perfect sequel to the first chapter from both a narrative and a technical point of view. The performance on Oculus Quest 2 is excellent and the graphics sector is sensational, so much so as to make this title better than many PCVR projects with more hardware resources available. The story proceeds with many more surprises than that of the predecessor and unfolds in different scenarios, presenting some new mechanics at their best. While it proved problematic in specific shooting stages, the gameplay as a whole is rich and offers several hours of fun and wonder for both VR novices and veterans alike. If you have played the progenitor of the series, know that this sequel may surprise you, thanks to a dystopian sci-fi universe at times surprising.
