Maid of Sker VR just launched on major VR platforms after originally being slated for a November launch. How does this conversion fare?
Virtual reality remains the most transformative medium for immersive horror. Whether it is frantically shooting at zombies in Resident Evil 4 VR or reacting to the unexpected jumpscares in MADiSON VR, compared to the flatscreen versions of these experiences, it feels more vivid. The sense of presence, either crouching, holding items, or listening to footsteps of incoming danger, is undeniable. Maid of Sker VR is the latest video game to get the VR treatment to varying degrees of success. While it retains the eerie atmosphere of the original, it lacks the implementation of made-for-VR features that end up delivering a middle-of-the-road tale.
What is it?: A Welsh folklore survival horror VR conversion.
Platforms: Steam, Quest, PlayStation VR 2 (Reviewed on PS VR2)
Release Date: Out now
Developer/Publisher: Wales Interactive
Price: $24.99
Playing as Thomas Evans, this Welsh folklore-inspired narrative takes you to Hotel Sker, an abandoned hotel. Your estranged beloved, Elisabeth Williams, is presumably imprisoned in it according to a letter she sent. Walking through an idyllic forest turning darker as you arrive at the manor, it can be said that Maid of Sker VR is indeed a horror game. But it is decidedly less scary than its counterparts, such as Trenches VR or Exorcism of the Legion. Regardless, what stands out in this VR conversion is how well translated the setting is, immersing the mind in this 1898-set spine-chiller.
Developer Wales Interactive honed in on the gritty, down-to-earth art style juxtaposed with the more sinister themes as the story progresses. Looking at the haunted hotel, with rotten flowers scattered across the marble floor, gives an impression of melancholy as soon as you enter it. Blood stains, creaking floorboards, and misplaced furniture complete the scene to instill fear in the player. Something went very wrong here. And that is all before the possessed corpses start rummaging around the foyer.
The structure of Maid of Sker VR will be familiar to survival horror fans. Particularly of the Resident Evil type. Fundamentally a game of cat and mouse, the goal is to find four cylinders hidden across Sker Hotel to reach one of the two possible endings. What the game’s progression does well to not simply let you roam free to find the items on your own is to guide you through several story beats before doing so. Exploring the hotel’s courtyard, gardens, cemetery, and catacombs informs the player of the sinister underdealings as they sneak through.
Puzzles abound to introduce friction to the gameplay. Not too complex, some require finding a key or stealthily powering two doors’ locks to access a new area. This is where the main issues of Maid of Sker VR arise. To use a key, for instance, you must go to the main menu, click with a pointer across tabs, make the gesture to grab it, and leave the main menu again so it spawns in the world. If this sounds clumsy, in motion it is even more so. Plenty of VR games utilize a backpack to quickly access any item by “grabbing” it from their right or left shoulder, and that seems more intuitive than whatever this is.
Not only that, but the two easy-to-use tools to make things easier, a health tonic and a “phonic modulator” to briefly stun enemies, are at all times awkwardly floating around you. At the time of writing, there is no way to adjust the position of these items. On the other hand, because stealth is such an important part of the game, having to stay silent or to stop coughing from smoke or spores by holding both hands close to your mouth is thrilling.
Another noticeable issue is the way dialogue choices are done. Although not a dealbreaker considering they are so sporadic, certain sequences when speaking with Elisabeth on the phone will have you choosing between several dialogue options. Instead of picking these on the same screen where you are looking at your surroundings, the game shows a black screen to click your decision from. Paired with the brief cutscenes that are shown in-game seen through a rectangular screen, the uneven VR implementation is palpable.
Making the gesture to hold your breath is a tense, clever addition.
All of this could be forgiven if the game itself did not look so blurry, at least on PlayStation VR2. There is no dynamic foveated rendering to speak of that would help make the image sharper, and it shows. Random blinding lights in some areas can quite literally blind your character for a moment, rendering your goggles with a damaging white screen. This may seem like the complaints amount to much, but the truth is that some of these details could be ironed out for a memorable experience. As it stands, though, it leaves something to be desired.
There is a concerted effort to make Maid of Sker VR accessible to most players. Beyond the expected Snap or Smooth Turn mode with precise angles and speeds, respectively, there are various locomotion options. To move continuously guided by your head or hand, or teleport by shifting or blinking, is possible.
A seated or standing option is available. The Adaptive Triggers and Headset Haptics, both of which are prominent and enhance the terror, can be turned off as well. Lastly, for less horror-inclined players, a safe difficulty mode with no enemies to speak of allows them to soak in the game’s dreary environment stress-free.
Maid of Sker VR’s tense moments, like hiding from violent brutes while holding both your hands to stop breathing, are actions you cannot emulate elsewhere. It elevates what made the original mystery lasting. Sadly, it does not fully utilize all the richness that the medium has to offer. Clumsy menus and blurry graphics put a significant stain on an otherwise compelling thriller.
UploadVR uses a 5-Star rating system for our game reviews – you can read a breakdown of each star rating in our review guidelines.
