While the journey is brief, The Exit 8 VR packs a lot of unnerving atmosphere and enticing discovery into its runtime
The moment I started up The Exit 8 VR and found myself standing in the sterile white hallway of an underground metro station, I knew I was in for an unnerving experience. The goal seems simple - make my way through the repeating passageways, watching for any anomalies, and progress from Exit 0 to Exit 8. Easy enough, right?
Not so fast. As I slowly walked through the first time, everything appeared normal. But on my second pass, I noticed a poster was hanging at a slightly different angle. And then a few runs later, one of the regular doors was completely missing. Staying alert and checking every tiny detail was essential.
The atmospheric ambient electrical humming and the echoing footsteps of the other guy passing me in the empty hall helped envelope me in a strange sense of isolation and paranoia. I constantly found myself second-guessing if something looked "off" or not. Experiencing this in VR really enhances the feelings of being in this weird, confusing space.
Some of the anomalies truly unsettled me. Without spoiling anything, let's just say apparitions are involved. You will see faces where you should not. The guy that walks past you might have a creepy smile or no face or he might be a couple of feet higher than he should be. Discovering them in VR ratcheted up the scare factor tenfold. A couple of these anomalies nearly had me ripping the headset off in a panic!
Progress came in fits and starts as I constantly looped back to Exit 0. But the accomplished feeling of inching closer to the end, like unraveling a mystery, kept me engaged throughout. Within an hour or so, I had spotted all the anomalies and reached the conclusion. The Exit 8 is not about the destination, it's all about the creepy and unsettling journey.
While the journey is brief, The Exit 8 VR packs a lot of unnerving atmosphere and enticing discovery into its runtime. Its unsettling presentation and anxiety-inducing gameplay sucked me in for the full ride. If you're a fan of psychological horror and searching for subtle scares, this quest has plenty to offer. I highly recommend this experience and I really wish these developers or others take this concept and build more upon it. Thanks for reading!
The game was reviewed on a Quest 3 via a promo copy provided by the developers. The Exit 8 is available on Meta Quest.
