On August 12, 2018, the world of horror was changed forever. In a stunning reveal, a playable teaser by the name of P.T. was released out of the blue, hyping fans up for one of the most stunning and disappointing reveals of all time. The Exit 8 VR reminds me a lot of P.T. — atmospheric, tense, and generally just a fantastic addition to the horror genre. While Lisa may have been replaced with a Japanese businessman here, the premise is familiar enough while remaining tense and terrifying throughout its short but memorable runtime.
It Is Happening Again
The Exit 8 VR throws you directly into its world without a single note of instruction. I pushed forward, watching a single businessman walk down the hallway, holding a cellular phone in his left hand and a briefcase in his right. Posters adorn the wall to my left, and some doors to my right. I was confused — the bright fluorescent lights of this seemingly uninhabited hallway pierced directly into my eyes. I look around, and push forward, taking a few turns and ending up right back where I started.
At the end of the hallway, I notice a sign that gives me a few instructions and my main takeaway is this — pay attention to everything and let nothing pass by me. After seeing the Exit 0 change to Exit 1, I knew I was on the right track, but I quickly began second-guessing myself. Was this here last time? Wait, did this thing change ever so slightly? As I continued pushing forward, I kept an eye on my Exit number, watching it slowly increase. Then, everything went south as I must have missed a small detail that wasn’t like the others.
The Exit 8 VR is a pattern recognition game mixed with psychological horror. As I examined the world around me slowly changing or staying the same, I began to learn what made the game tick. I got too arrogant, too cocky, and would see a great run come to an end due to me not paying enough attention to the smallest changing details.
For the sake of spoilers, I will not say what any of these anomalies are — I went into the experience completely blind, and strongly suggest doing the same if you decide to try this one out. Some are extremely obvious, and some are small details that could be easily overlooked. It’s an extremely interesting way to deal with the idea of horror, making every moment unknowingly much more tense than it should be.
The goal is simple — avoid anomalies, and exit via Exit 8. If only it was that easy.
Visual Fidelity Is Fantastic on Meta Quest 3
Since The Exit 8 VR takes place in a single area, it can put excruciating detail into the smallest of objects. Virtual Reality, especially on standalone headsets, can sometimes suffer from visual deterioration that makes the experience appear muddled and much less immersive than its flat counterparts. However, The Exit 8 VR on Meta Quest 3 looks phenomenal.
If The Exit 8 VR had lost the visual clarity in its VR port, the experience would not have been anywhere near as impactful as it could have been. Posters are clear and easily readable, the singular man walking down the hallway is visible at all times with high levels of detail, and just looks great all around. Bringing the world into VR worked out surprisingly well, and I was even shocked to see the detail on my virtual hands.
In a game all about pattern recognition, visual clarity may have been one of the most important parts of the experience, and it’s nailed perfectly. Not to sound generic, but it felt exactly as if I was plopped into the hallway that I was exploring instead of just playing another video game.
Sound design is also another strong suit of The Exit 8 VR. The monotonous humming of the electricity filled the air around me, breaking up the sterile and somewhat serene feeling of this liminal space. While there isn’t much noise overall — the footsteps of the approaching or retreating man repeatedly making his way through a neverending hallway is the main source of noise — it’s executed well. Even playing without headphones, a specific type of anomaly was easily detectable because of the clarity of the sound.
The Exit 8 VR Doesn’t Overstay Its Welcome
While The Exit 8 VR may be terrifying, it’s also rather short. All in all, once I picked up on the anomaly patterns, I was able to complete a playthrough in about 20 minutes. To be fair, it took me longer than that to finally start putting the pieces together to realize what sort of hellscape I had found myself in. When I finally escaped, my experience came to a close a little more than an hour after playing.
Repeated playthroughs are encouraged, thankfully — but some of the initial shock factor may have worn off by this point. That doesn’t mean that this is a title that shouldn’t be picked up, however. Its unique blend of horror, mixed with its interesting setting and general premise is enough to freak out even the most dedicated of horror aficionados. Pair this with its price point — roughly $7 — and it’s the perfect way to spend an afternoon or two. Consider putting a friend who knows nothing about the experience inside of this world and watching their world come crumbling down around them, perhaps.
To be completely upfront and honest, I hadn’t heard anything about The Exit 8 until I was approached with this review opportunity. What started as an obtuse walking simulator through the halls of a Japanese subway building quickly turned into one of the most tense experiences I’ve had in quite a while. While the horror isn’t as in your face as some of the genre’s giants, it’s a memorable and worthwhile experience that I’m glad I got to partake in. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be scanning every room in my house when I enter it now, either.
Verdict: Recommended
The Exit 8 VR will be available on July 11, 2024, on Meta Quest. A code was provided for the purpose of this review. Reviewed on Meta Quest 3.
