Escape Simulator VR offers great value for escape room enthusiasts
Escape Simulator VR is a rewarding port of the popular escape room title, offering plenty of content and variety for VR standards.
The original Escape Simulator is an escape room game for Windows, MacOS, and Linux that has sold over two and a half million copies on Steam alone since its initial release in 2021.
A VR mode for the Steam version was released as a free update in April 2024, followed by a standalone version for Meta Quest 3, 3S, 2, and Pro in October 2024.
For the past few weeks, I've been playing Escape Simulator on Quest 3 with my neighbor. We have spent over ten hours puzzling and escaping from over a dozen rooms. And the amazing thing is that we haven't even finished a third of the content, let alone the (paid) DLC.
How does Escape Simulator play in virtual reality?
Escape Simulator VR is a solid port that leaves nothing to be desired when it comes to VR settings. You can either use smooth locomotion (optionally with an adjustable vignette) or teleport without having to choose between the two movement modes. Snap Turn and Smooth Turn are supported, as well as playing while sitting, standing, or walking in your room. We played in a swivel chair and on a couch and had no problems.
Escape Simulator does make compromises when it comes to object interaction. You can pull objects from a distance or grab them with your hand, but the latter often floats in a semi-transparent hand instead of lying realistically in it. This extends to other kinds of interactions. For instance, you can't open a suitcase with your hands. Instead, you point an invisible beam at the latches and press a button. This is the case with most objects in the game.
I find these trade-offs acceptable because I understand that it would have been very costly for the studio to add realistic hand interactions for every single item in the game. However, my neighbor, who has less experience with virtual reality, would have found them helpful. She had problems with the more abstract object interaction of Escape Simulator VR.
What I would have liked is a way to pass items from hand to hand. In practice, it is easier to just drop items at your friend's feet and let them pick them up. The inventory, on the other hand, is well done, displaying collected items in the form of floating bubbles that you can simply reach into to pick them up.
Conclusion: A clear recommendation
My neighbor and I are not escape room pros and have yet to solve any of the rooms in the allotted time. But that doesn't matter because you can puzzle past the countdown. The level of difficulty varies greatly, though, and we wouldn't have been able to solve some of the puzzles without the hints in the game.
Up to ten players can be in a single escape room, but Escape Simulator is optimized for three people. The game supports cross-play with the Steam version of the game, so you can play with friends who are playing with or without a headset on their PC. Setting up the game is easy: create a room and share the code with your friends.
Escape Simulator offers a wealth of content and a variety of locations and themes for its price. Here is an overview of all the available escape rooms:
- Labyrinth of Egypt: 5 rooms (Archaeology theme)
- Adrift in Space: 5 rooms (Sci-fi & Space theme)
- Edgewood Mansion: 5 rooms (old English mansion theme)
- Omega Corporation: 5 rooms (Theme: Technology Corporation)
- Extra: 4 rooms (Themes: Christmas, Horror, Cats, Leonardo Da Vinci), 2 more rooms coming soon
- The Talos Principle DLC: 1 room (inspired by the game)
- Community: 14 rooms (curated community content, ported by Pine Studio)
If that's not enough for you, there are four paid DLCs (one of them is still in development):
- Magic DLC: 4 rooms
- Wild West DLC: 4 rooms
- Steampunk DLC: 4 rooms
- Mayan DLC: 4 rooms coming "soon"
If you are looking for an escape room game that you can play for hours with friends in VR, Escape Simulator is an excellent choice.
You can purchase Escape Simulator from the Horizon Store and on Steam.
Have you played Escape Simulator yet? Join the conversation on Facebook, Bluesky or X or share your opinion in the comments below.
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