MADiSON [Meta Quest 3]

MADiSON has quite the reputation when it comes to VR. After bringing a VR port of its acclaimed horror game to PSVR2, it has been seen by the community as one of the best examples of the genre in virtual reality. It’s scary, it’s immersive, and it’s a whole lot of fun.

Lacking a PSVR2, I never got the chance to play the game – and I actively avoided the Switch version just in case I ever got the chance to play the game one day in VR. Thankfully that day has now come – even if the release came without any prior notice. Still, that didn’t stop me from hammering the game out in a single day just so I could give you my thoughts!

Many thanks to the developer for the review code. Interested in MADiSON? Get a discount on the game by using our affiliate link. It really helps the site out!

PICTURE PERFECT
In MADiSON, you step into the shoes of a teenager called Luca who is trapped in a sinister manor with a dark past. Unfortunately, he has also been possessed by the titular demon, and is forced to complete a gruesome ritual for her. It’s going to be hard to resist her, due to there being multiple evil entities about, but with his trusty Polaroid Camera by his side, he at least has a chance to escape these twisted corridors and the demon’s grasp upon his soul.

The gameplay of MADiSON focuses on exploration, puzzle-solving, and the use of your camera – which is an integral part of both the narrative and the core mechanics. It’s not only used to light up the dark areas of the environment, but if can also be used to reveal hidden clues, and trigger supernatural events. It feels really satisfying in VR too, as you need to shake the photo to develop the image, which adds a nostalgic sense of realism to those that grew up with the technology.

Whilst the camera is probably the highlight of the immersive controls, almost everything else done by Luca is done in an interactive manner too. It tries to go for realism where possible, especially when picking up items or opening doors, but there are occasional concessions made to allow for things to be triggered from a distance. Given that many flat game conversion often have issues with item manipulation, the telekinesis used it completely understandable. Unfortunately there are some elements that haven’t been altered, so you will need to use regular button presses to examine certain areas or place items into the storage safe. Thankfully though, such immersion-breaking moments are quite infrequent, so doesn’t affect the overall impact of the game.

Which is a good thing, as this immersion into the game’s world is absolutely intentional. From the VR controls to the dark and claustrophobic environments that create a sense of dread, you’ll find yourself on edge all the way through. As someone who doesn’t get scared in horror games easily, I found myself feeling quite anxious a lot of the time – which, for a game without any combat, is certainly a compliment. A lot of that is down to the game trying to play with your expectations quite frequently. Sure, using your camera at key moments are likely to evoke a jump scare – but not always. And those scares may very well come when you least expect it too. I laughed when I saw the game promote being “scientifically proven to be the scariest game of all time”, but after playing it you can really see that they do know what they’re doing when it comes to horror.

The terrifying nature of the experience will no doubt prove to be one of the main deciding factors of the game though, as this game is definitely not for the feint of heart. With it’s foreboding atmosphere, jump scares, and disturbing imagery, it’s enough to put a lot of people off. But given that there aren’t many great horror games currently on the headset, I actually appreciate that they’re happy to alienate those people in order to provide an intense and terrifying experience.

Gameplay aside, MADiSON works really well on the Quest outside of a handful of moments; however, the real question was just how good this port would be. With it being playable on the Meta Quest 2, and the download size being so small, I know that many have been concerned that it wouldn’t fare all that well. Thankfully though, it’s not that bad – even if the game has some very clear concessions. One thing that’s apparent from the offset is that some of the textures don’t look quite as sharp, and – as you progress – certain things will look pretty bad. In particular, whenever you encounter any form of water, it tends to look pretty underwhelming. Perhaps the game isn’t quite as crisp as it could be due to the game’s compatibility with the previous Quest, but I hope that a future patch can help sharpen things up a bit. 

What saves the game’s presentation though is the lighting, and that alone makes everything look far better. Not only does darkness help obscure some of the blurry textures, but the impressive lighting effects also helps add a sense of realism that may otherwise have been absent. In particular, the camera flash which gives you a momentary flash of light really helps keep you immersed as you wander around.

Aside from how the game looks, technically it’s very solid. Performance was smooth throughout with only the rare hitch at inconsequential moments. I didn’t encounter any bugs either (aside from a multitude of cockroaches!), although admittedly there were moments when my arms clipped through walls or my hands seemed to twist in awkward directions. Again, nothing game-breaking, but I do hope these can be smoothed out in an update.

VERDICT
Even with the notable visual sacrifices, MADiSON has still made a solid transition to the Meta Quest 3. It’s a hauntingly creepy VR game that will have you perched on the edge of your seat from start to finish. If you can’t get the game on another platform, then this is definitely worth the purchase for horror aficionados.