Metamorphosis VR Review – Buggy Bug Game

Metamorphosis VR Review

Metamorphosis VR is the second version of this game. The first was the well-received flat version released in 2020 by developer Ovid Works. This time it's game developer Black Sun Productions making a virtual reality version. One of the crucial decisions Black Sun made was to make its version on the independent platform Meta. A decision that seems to have a big impact on the game's launch status. This is more true if you're playing on a Quest 2, which is what I have, rather than a Quest 3.

Metamorphosis VR is a metaphysical fable that takes a normal guy and turns him into an insect. A cockroach, to be more specific. The game's story is loosely based on the story of surrealist writer Frank Kafka's short novel, The Metamorphosis. Black Sun Productions saw the opportunity to take advantage of the novel's absurd setting and flat gameplay to magnify those aspects in virtual reality. The change in scale of the everyday world that a human being and then an insect perceives is perfect for virtual reality.

In Metamorphosis VR, you play the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, an employee who wakes up one morning in an unfamiliar room. He is in a state of mental confusion, having woken up after a birthday party held at his boss's house. As he leaves the house, the world around him changes. The portraits in the lobby grow larger and taller on the walls. What is more disturbing is that, from certain angles, the faces of the people in the paintings take on insectoid appearances.

When Gregor reaches the end of the hallway, his hands have turned into insect appendages, like those of an ant or, in this case, a cockroach. The transformation is complete when you walk into a room and the scale of everything is off. The furniture, books, ironing board and everything else in the room are on a gigantic scale.

History and scale

From this point on, the game focuses on two things: navigating environments and saving your friend. As you progress through the levels, you will find a good part of the story that you can experience. The game is very narrative. There are around 4,000 lines of spoken dialogue led by Gary Schyman (Bioshock) and Mikolai Stroinski (Diablo, Witcher). Twenty other voice actors complete the narration.

However, the goals of the game developers exceed the technical limitations of the hardware. There are jarring cases of clipping when climbing or interacting with objects. This is even more shocking due to the scale of the game. Cutting off a chair leg or a book cover really destroys the feeling of immersion and, more importantly, the illusion of change of scale.

From the beginning, the game puts players on their heels. There are no options. You can't select any VR comfort options, you can't select gentle turns instead of fast turns, nor can you calibrate your height. The game allows you to play sitting or standing. The lack of options may not be a deal breaker, but these are things VR gamers have come to expect. Players must have the ability to make decisions in order to adapt the game to their preferred play style.

Metamorphosis VR Options and Moves

To be fair, there are a few options within the game. You can move through the game in two ways. The first method is by movement. This rarely turns out to be an optimal choice. The only real-time movement that works is when a virtual reality game simulates swimming. In Metamorphosis VR, you can imitate the movement of insects by moving your arms back and forth. This gets old quickly. Fortunately, you can also use the left stick to move.

Another thing with using motion controls is that they are quite awkward when trying to mimic the movement of a human. Trying to do it with a creature with a different number of limbs, with a different number of joints, just doesn't seem intuitive at all. Additionally, jumping is very floaty and makes it difficult to judge distances.

Where the game shines is in its sense of scale. Walking into a room and seeing everyday objects on such a monstrously large scale is both disturbing and impressive. There is a palpable feeling of height as you cruise. However, the graphics are very Questy and are spoiled by pop-ups. Not only distant objects, but also close ones. The game is also affected by audio glitches with sound effects not synchronized correctly.

Metamorphosis VR has limited replayability with three different endings. The game also includes the two levels that were released as DLC for the flat game. One of the new endings is a “Win” result in which you save your friend and regain his human form.

A different point of view

Exploration takes up most of the game, and as an insect you must employ a new mindset. You will enter areas that are not possible as a human, such as crevices. Additionally, you can use sticky liquids to help you climb. Fortunately, if you die, you will restart at the point just before you died.

Metamorphosis VR leaves one with the impression that the scope of the game exceeds the platform on which it was developed. Either it needed more time in the oven or the game should have been created as a PCVR title. Unfortunately, a very familiar story is playing out here, as the developers claim that they have an upcoming patch that will rectify many of the launch issues encountered. Hopefully the patch will do that, but it's another case of a game closing the barn doors after the horses from the initial reception have already escaped.

While the narrative, environments, and narrative may intrigue, Metamorphosis VR has too many technical issues to allow one to truly enjoy the experience.

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