I wanted to hold off on writing a review for this game (the very first review I've written for any game on Steam) until I beat the vanilla experience without any modifiers.

Where to start? I have never been so encapsulated by a game's atmosphere aside from Half-Life: Alyx. The sound design sets the bar higher for any horror game I've played in recent memory. This game has quite a lot in common with another one of my favorite horror games, Alien: Isolation. Exploring the derelict corridors of an infected ship without any idea what's hiding around the corner is an intense feeling that is further heightened by the VR platform.

The enemies come in many variations which is quite refreshing to see in an indie game. Each one is terrifying in their own right, though the ones who've given me the most scares are the headcrab-like spiders and the flying telekinetic balls of flesh that fling objects at your head at deadly velocity. The monsters who teleport in the darkness and You-Know-Who are two other contenders that sent shivers down my spine.

The story is told in brief audio recordings and texts that you can find littered around the ship. They sow the seeds of a greater narrative that I personally enjoyed very much. I've yet to find all of the recordings but look forward to piecing together the rest of the puzzle. From what I can tell, the story is set after the ship's hyper drive malfunctions and sends the passengers into the orbit of a celestial body and some sort of massive extra-solar entity that seems to lie dormant just outside. You can see the thing through the limited windows and holes in the ship. If I had to guess, I'd say that's the main cause for the growths seen all over the walls in certain areas, as well as the monsters that are spawned in them.

As far as cons go, I only had a few gripes here and there. For instance, certain areas are hard to access which can become a hassle when trying to light up hallways. Luckily I have plenty of space to work with, so it only bugged me a few times. There are some visual bugs that are pretty clear, including a thin line of light that I only saw towards the end of the game. Occasionally enemies will be able to hit you through doors if you're too close after shutting them.

Overall, if you have a VR headset and you like horror games, this is perfect for you. There's plenty of replayability on account of it being a rogue-like, and the story is intriguing enough on its own to warrant repeat playthroughs to find out just what happened on this ship. The game throws you plenty of hardballs and I still find that it surprises me even when I thought I knew what it had to offer.

9/10, would ♥♥♥♥ my pants again.

Walked up to a headcrab, killed it. Turned around to look for ammo, ♥♥♥♥ myself because another one jumps at me at lightning speed.
10/10