Enter a surreal set of tales from the iconic series in The Twilight Zone VR.
The Twilight Zone was an anthology television series from the 1960s that was ahead of its time with prescient social commentary, timeless sci-fi narratives, and horror elements that even to this day inspire our current scary movies. Throughout its run, it has returned to viewers in different formats, such as the 1983 movie with a short directed by Steven Spielberg, or the 2019 reimagining by spooky auteur Jordan Peele.
In all its iterations, it has always maintained this poignant storytelling about issues that matter where the main character usually suffers a fate worse than death to get the point across. So The Twilight Zone VR, the latest comeback for this series, serves as the most effective way to convey this in a first-person perspective.
Developed by Pocket Money Games and published by Fun Train, The Twilight Zone VR takes a creative license with the IP, that has always toyed around with the idea of horror as with the Talky Tina episode, and goes all in with the scary elements. Playing with your perspective is an extremely effective tactic to amp up the fear factor, and this game does just that right from the get-go.
Before the game even begins, while staring at a soulless black void a small message box states “Unfortunately, The Twilight Zone VR is experiencing issues. Please wait, do not turn around.” Depending on your mileage, this way to put you on your toes can work effectively and start putting you in the mood for a good scare.
Without spoiling any major surprises, the game then shows how things work with a brief tutorial. Just by beginning to grab your bearings with The Twilight Zone VR, you can start to suspect something sinister is afoot. Why would you need to crouch and hide under a table if this was anything other than a scary game? “Perhaps the game is messing with me”, you might think to shrug it off and not let it get to your head. But make no mistake, it is a mystery game.
Of course, not in the likes of, let’s say, Outlast, but the eerie vibe persists throughout. This creative license could be questionable if you do not know anything about The Twilight Zone VR, and definitely, because the original series, although it has some episodes that can be straight up considered terror and adapted to the big screen with their sinister premise, has generally strayed to go full-on considered a horror anthology.
Regardless, in this particular instance, it works well, since with the help of virtual reality they can get the point across much easier of why a horrible person would have to learn about their faults by being transported to the Twilight Zone.
To those who do not know, each episode begins with a narration from the late great creator of the series Rod Serling, ominously setting the stage for the character who we are about to see experience the strangest moment in their life in these scenarios. The Twilight Zone VR, if anything, pays homage well to its source material as the many conventions established by it are respected and followed.
The instantly recognizable spectral soundtrack that can give you the creeps as soon as you listen to it, the new narration by a voice actor akin to the original, and the huge eye in the introduction of all episodes are all intact. If you are a fan of the series, there is much to love here.
At the end of the day, The Twilight Zone VR is a video game and not a television show, so how does it play? From the main menu, where you stare at a trippy optical illusion you can choose from three different chapters each with their own unique story and characters.
Within the confines of the game this works well because the anthology is very similar in that regard so they make it work with not too much focus on the depth of a specific story but to get the point across of each chapter, each with their own genre even.
In the first chapter, you are a lead game developer in charge of his team and, sadly like today’s crunch culture in the gaming landscape, you must pay the price for overworking your staff, causing them burnout, and in this case driving one to a tragic end. The gameplay loop, for some, might not feel as scary but for those faint of heart, there are thrills to be had in your quest to avoid your enemy and try to escape.
Serving as a hide-and-seek simulator, a brilliant element imbued into your hunter is that it is basically a copy of you. Before the game starts, it asks you to speak out some lines, and with the PSVR2 microphone, you then realize that your doppelganger is uttering those same phrases you had just recorded. To make yourself your own worst enemy is as The Twilight Zone as it gets, and to see that reflected in the chapter and consequent moral of the story is a delight to see.
The second chapter can be described as a first-person shooter. Waking up in a bunker, you must traverse a rotten wasteland infested with horrible beasts to save your daughter. The Adaptive Triggers here truly shine when firing your air gun after pumping it a few times.
Mostly working as a horror-action FPS, the monster designs reminiscent of demogorgons and other beasts from the science fiction universe at large can be startling when appearing out of nowhere in your way.
That said, there are a few issues found in this episode that the others do not suffer from. There is no option to click to hold items permanently and having to always press down the button to grab your weapon, especially when you have to hold it for a considerable amount of the chapter feels somewhat cumbersome.
When the monsters are defeated, they disappear rather abruptly and can also kill you in one hit. Thankfully, the checkpoints are plenty and fair, so while there are small gripes with it the experience can be played without much complaint.
Unquestionably the most science fiction chapter of them all, the third and final episode of The Twilight Zone VR is arguably the best. Inspired by classic episodes of the memorable series and chock full of references and easter eggs, this puzzle-based adventure has you abducted by aliens and having to figure out your way out of this situation unscathed, if it is even possible. By interacting with the environment, having a keen eye, and exploring every last recourse of your nightmare-inducing situation.
Previously released for the Meta Quest 2, this new entry for the PSVR2 boasts several new bells and whistles. Enhanced graphics and fidelity, headset haptics and use of the triggers, and gameplay upgrades are among the new features of this game. While the game never looks overly realistic, it does strike a perfect balance between its own art style and the lifelike worlds you are traversing.
Considering the overall presentation, these three unique chapters with different gameplay styles and a short runtime are worthy of a playthrough, especially if you are a fan of the series. All of the stories are connected by a single thread, and to see the care put into The Twilight Zone VR with abundant nods to its creator and what came before it is satisfying to see for the fans. Be ready to travel to another dimension – a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind, if you dare.
