The remastered edition of “A Chair In A Room” emerged on the Oculus Store on October 31, 2018, inviting players into a deeply unsettling VR experience. While it may be relatively new to the Oculus Store, don’t let the limited number of reviews fool you. This game boasts a stellar 9/10 rating on Steam, backed by over 500 reviews. A veteran in the VR landscape, many will recall its initial Oculus debut in the summer of 2014.
So, what enhancements does this remastered version offer?
- Enhanced Locomotion: In addition to teleportation and the original ‘flexible room scale’ locomotion, players can now enjoy free movement, crouching, and free rotation.
- Flexible Room Scale on Oculus: If you have three cameras and a 2.5m x 2.5m play area, immerse yourself in the game at a 1:1 scale, minimizing the need for additional locomotion.
- Reworked Physics and Interactions: Expect more realistic and engaging interactions within the game world.
- Improved Artwork and Audio: The game features updated textures, post-processing effects, a remastered soundtrack, and a revamped audio engine for a more immersive experience.
- Enhanced Guidance: Additional cues and clues have been added to aid players in navigating the puzzles and story.
- Optimized Performance: Expect smoother gameplay and faster loading times thanks to significant optimizations.
- Cloud Saves and Achievements: Added achievements to unlock and cloud saves to preserve your progress.
Visually, the remastered edition shines. While some textures, particularly those of wooden objects, could still benefit from further refinement, the overall graphics quality is exceptional.
More or less where you start – oh, there’s a chair in the room, too 😉
The game features impressive hand models with excellent Touch support. The level of detail extends to minute details like the ultra-fine hairs on your skin.
Another room – it actually has a chair in it too – no, not the toilet 😉
The texture quality rivals that of Lone Echo. Holding a postcard feels incredibly real, with the surface designed with special reflections to give it an aged and worn appearance. Even wall-mounted clocks work in real-time, showcasing the game’s meticulous attention to detail.
For newcomers, “A Chair in a Room: Greenwater” is a VR horror game set in America’s Deep South, exploring themes of institutional corruption, religious immorality, and murder through the lens of your own psyche. You begin as patient no. 6079 at The Greenwater Institute, with no memory of your past.
You can likely achieve solid 90 FPS with super sampling at 1.5 on a GTX 970 and 2.0 on a GTX 1080 or better. The Rift CV1 resolution feels remarkably sharp, even when examining small details. The game lacks in-game video settings, making super sampling via tools like the Oculus Tray Tool your primary method for improving graphics.
While there are spooky moments, “A Chair in a Room: Greenwater” leans more toward suspense and psychological thriller elements than outright horror.
One Steam reviewer criticized the puzzles as either too simple or unintuitive, citing the random appearance of objects. However, this criticism misses the point: as a psychiatric patient experiencing hallucinations, unexpected changes are inherent to the game’s narrative and design.
Despite some slightly dated design elements and potential for improved polygon counts, “A Chair in a Room: Greenwater” remains a standout adventure game in the VR space.
