Red Matter 2 Review – IGN
We’ve seen countless games inspired by the Cold War, red matter 2 Might be my most memorable. Sure, there’s no Tim Curry with a barely restrained chuckle in cheesy dialogue (like Command & Conquer: Red Alert), and guess who the fictional nations of Volgravia and the Atlantic Federation are based on While it doesn’t give away any prizes for playing, Vertical Robot’s sequel to 2018’s VR puzzle adventure game offers something special. Red Matter 2’s thrilling interplanetary exploration hides an intriguing story of how far one nation can triumph, with a heavy focus on puzzle solving, object interaction, and environmental storytelling that only works in VR. It is written.
As with most sequels in story-driven games, we recommend playing the original red matter Before starting this, but it’s not required – all the knowledge you need is explained in the introduction and newcomers are graciously welcomed. It begins right after your journey ends, with your escape from the Atlantic Union’s prison base. The only other major character is Beta, a Volgravian agent who provides explanations mainly through voice communication, personally, these two of hers have had some minor character development Beyond is not so memorable. That’s what the pair unravel its developers into a fun mystery.
Finding a distress call from a previously presumed dead friend, Sasha’s investigation intertwines with Volgravia’s research into the red matter, a mysterious substance with destructive potential. It also led to endless supernatural incidents that Volgravia wanted to keep hidden as we slowly uncovered the broader plot. However, including the ending), I was not disappointed with the development of the story.
There are no unexpected surprises and it proceeds naturally. Once Sasha’s mind is transferred to another body, it quickly sets the tone and makes for less twists and turns when the supernatural elements come into play. But Red Matter 2 benefits from its unwelcome gameplay.
If you’ve played the original, you’ll find the design familiar. As before, Sasha’s spacesuit comes with her pair of handheld devices that can replace grips, flashlights, scanners, and eventually guns. The controls are intuitive, and the fact that the in-game device perfectly mirrors the buttons on the Meta Quest 2 controller makes it highly immersive. . After all, Sasha is not an astronaut Superman. .
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I also particularly liked Red Matter 2’s more subtle applications for these devices. One moment cracked his 4-digit code in the vault without any visible hint. Instead of having the answer in front of you, selecting the correct number increased the controller’s vibration, which worked effectively. Complement the
Traveling between locations, Sasha only encounters strange robots and a few holographic projections, with few real human NPCs present. Aside from the occasional chat with Beta, this means Sasha relies on your observational skills to piece together what happened. It’s littered with diagrams showing how ‘s devices work, and well-hidden objects. However, spending 20 minutes for him looking for power isn’t ideal, so some of these puzzles would benefit from more signage. Also, Red Matter 2’s puzzles are a bit dull in flipping circuits and restoring his power for the fifth time, so I think a wider variety of puzzles would help. But most of the time it’s done sensibly, so whether it’s figuring out obscure clues for safe combinations or finding the right frequency for a mining device, it’s important to take your time, and nothing is in a hurry. Not achievable.
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Sasha is also equipped with a jetpack, which occasionally leads to platforming. Fear not, though. Vertical Robot supports a comfortable setting. Smooth movement is the most immersive option for me, but instead you can set your jetpack to teleport, where you can point and click to instantly flash wherever you want to go. option so you don’t have to stand for 6 hours. You can adjust walking and turning speeds, and it comes with options like optional blinds that place vignettes around the screen. Finally, you can choose your handedness for greater accessibility.
To be honest, my only major complaint is the combat that doesn’t hold its head in the middle of the story. Volgravia’s base contains two types of enemy drones: humanoids that can only be hurt by shooting at specific irritating small weak spots like shoulders, and floating mechanical eyes that make up for the lack of armor. , making it difficult to hit enemies with a nasty level of mobility. strike. There are also some nasty turrets that shoot Sasha on sight.
Using motion controls to handle guns requires a steady aim to use them well. It’s fine for less intense segments like solving puzzles, but in Red Matter 2’s shootouts? Not so much. We’ve long believed that VR is a great format for shooters, especially arcade shooters like Robo Recall and Zombieland: Headshot Fever, but the best games usually find hitting enemies this frustrating. there is no. Where they go next often requires precision shooting and guesswork, and of course there is a death hazard at point-blank range, making these segments feel rather stretched out. Thankfully, the combat doesn’t happen often enough to detract from Red Matter 2 as a whole.
Where Red Matter 2 really shines is exploration, with a retro-futuristic art style that quietly nails the tense atmosphere of these abandoned bases. You might feel like you’re walking through a horror game while crawling through corridors filled with dark vents and red matter. After testing both the PC and Quest 2 versions, I was pleasantly surprised by how realistic the Quest 2’s graphics are. This is one of the most beautiful games you can play without a PC connected to your headset.
It’s not just these quiet moments at the base that impress me. While he is visiting one of Saturn’s moons, you can go down an outdoor boardwalk. It was amazing to see the stars overhead and the giant gas giants below. Seeing how small she is in the grand scheme of things allowed Sasha’s journey to gain an immersion that only her VR could capture. The sensation was as impressive as she was when she visited her Triton, Neptune’s moon.