In today’s roundup of recent VR releases, we’re reviewing Cave Crave, Hide the Corpse and Squishies – Roll them Home! – all of which are available for PlayStation as well as Meta Quest.
Cave Crave review (PSVR2)
From the moment you pull on your headset and settle into Cave Crave, it’s clear this isn’t just another VR game meant to be fun or gimmicky – it’s a claustrophobic, tactile spelunking simulator that demands real physical engagement. Armed only with climbing tools, chalk, a headlamp and sheer determination, you squeeze, shimmy, and ram your way through beautifully rendered tunnels. The game leans into tight-space traversal, including breath-holding mechanics that (when done well) spark genuine tension as you push through narrow crevices. These mechanics form the backbone of the experience – intuitive, precise, and immersive enough to make even seasoned VR gamers sweat.
What stands out most is how each tool feels meaningful: the hammer that smashes stalactites, the scraper that keeps your grip intact, the spike you lodge for climbing – and chalk you use to mark twists in dark corridors. These aren’t tacked-on gimmicks but essential mechanics that reward cautious planning and spatial awareness. Even crudely placed chalk drawings become lifelines in Horror Mode’s more twisted layouts. And while content is currently limited to six story levels (plus Tourist and Horror modes), the sense of presence and mechanical quality delivers satisfying tension and replayability.
Visually, the environments are surprisingly crisp for VR, with realistic textures on dripping rock and wet floors. Lighting plays a major role in atmosphere: the adjustable headlamp – complete with infrared sensor – casts shadows that creep along walls, accentuating every nook and crack. The PSVR2’s OLED display bring much deeper blacks and greater visual fidelity than what you’d get on the Quest version, and the audio complements this perfectly: water drips, distant echoing footsteps, and the satisfying crack of rock – all mixed with minimal music to preserve the sense of isolation.
That said, a few flaws temper the wow factor. Some visual bugs were seen, and content enthusiasts may find the game light until more updates arrive. But with developer roadmaps already in motion, the foundations feel strong. For fans of immersive VR and authentic exploration, Cave Crave is an exceptional debut – and one well worth spelunking through.
Hide the Corpse review (Quest)
Hide the Corpse greets you with a twisted premise and a wicked grin: you’re tasked with hiding a body in increasingly bizarre scenarios – modern apartments, art museums, spaceships and even sunken vessels. It thrives on brightly absurd setups that somehow feel fresh and audacious every time you wobble a corpse into a hiding spot. The premise itself smirks at moral boundaries without ever taking itself too seriously, offering a satirical spin that quickly becomes oddly compelling.
The core gameplay is surprisingly robust, blending frantic physics-based chaos with light puzzle logic. Dragging, tossing, stuffing, and sometimes even time-shifting the body into unlikely spots – like a futuristic time machine – feels viscerally fun. With each four‑minute round you can rewind, reassess, and refine your techniques, learning the quirks of each environment as you go. That sense of iterative trial‑and‑error is well done here, balancing messy mayhem and emergent strategy.
In Meta Quest on Quest 3, visuals are serviceable but not attention‑grabbing – objects lack fine detail and lighting can be flat, though the art style leans into cartoonish exaggeration so it fits. Audio is light and playful – sound effects of dragging and slapping are satisfying in their audio weight, but there’s minimal ambiance or bespoke music beyond some quirky cues. Controls work very well considering the physics: grabbing objects, registering fingerprints to be erased, and manipulating the corpse with motion-tracked precision mostly stays sticky and intuitive – a good fit for VR motion controls.
That said, these basics aren’t enough for everyone. Repetition sets in quickly – once you know all hiding spots, the fun loop loses novelty – and some levels feel too similar in structure. Also, during crowded physics moments, collision bugs can appear, letting the body glitch through walls or get stuck in geometry – breaking immersion. Still, Hide the Corpse stands out for its darkly comedic concept and approachable VR mechanics. It’s a breezy, bizarre party‑friendly diversion rather than a deep or long‑lasting experience – but in its gleeful chaos, it nails delightful absurdity.
Squishies – Roll them Home! review (Quest)
Squishies – Roll Them Home! lands on Meta Quest as an enhanced port of the original PSVR release, bringing its quirky charm and inventive gameplay to a wider audience. The standout feature here is the fully unlocked content combined with refined controls tailored for the Quest’s standalone hardware. Motion controls feel natural, letting you blow and suck air to guide the lovable, round Squishies through 100 increasingly complex levels across five distinct alien worlds. The ability to physically rotate and tilt each level adds a tactile layer of puzzle-solving that remains fresh throughout the journey.
Visually, the Meta Quest version retains the vibrant pixel-art inspired aesthetic but benefits from smoother performance and better graphical fidelity compared to the earlier PSVR release. The colorful, whimsical environments teem with playful details and hidden surprises that reward exploration. Players will appreciate the newly added Mixed Reality mode as well, which cleverly blends the game world with the player’s real surroundings – ideal for those with limited play space or who want a more immersive experience. This fresh mode feels like a smart adaptation for Quest users, though mastering the nuanced air controls can still take some practice.
Gameplay-wise, Squishies strikes a solid balance between accessibility and challenge. Each level tasks you with guiding these cheeky creatures to safety while collecting crystals, hidden eggs, and racing against the clock. The game’s physics-driven platforming and puzzle elements remain engaging, with a pace that encourages experimentation without harsh penalties. The Meta Quest version’s revamped community backend also shines by letting players design and share their own puzzles through a robust level editor. This feature adds tremendous replay value and creative freedom, expanding the game well beyond its main campaign.
While the game’s formula isn’t revolutionary, the Meta Quest port successfully enhances an already charming experience by optimizing it for the platform’s controls and hardware. It delivers a casual yet satisfying puzzle-platformer with a quirky personality, perfect for VR newcomers and families looking for something light-hearted but thoughtfully designed. Minor control quirks persist when navigating tight spots, but they’re outweighed by the overall polished presentation and joyful gameplay. In the crowded VR puzzle space, Squishies stands out thanks to its unique mechanics, playful tone, and community-driven content that keeps you rolling. A few years after the PSVR release, this one stands the test of time.
Press Play Media 