Following the surreal storytelling of A Fisherman’s Tale and Maskmaker, InnerspaceVR takes a noticeably different direction with Spymaster. Instead of dreamlike puzzles and abstract worlds, the studio dives headfirst into spy fiction, building an Early Access VR adventure around covert missions, gadgetry and time manipulation. The premise itself is fairly straightforward, centering around the sinister PROTOCORE organisation and its all-seeing surveillance network, but the real hook lies in the C.A.S.S.E.T.T.E. device that allows players to rewind time and coordinate multiple agents across the same mission. While the story rarely rises above familiar espionage clichés, the gameplay systems wrapped around it immediately feel fresh in a way many VR releases struggle to achieve.
Rather than controlling a single operative, missions revolve around managing a small team of specialists whose actions overlap through rewinding and replaying timelines. TIC handles direct combat with a pistol, Mulligan disables electronics with a taser, and OSCR uses stealth and disguise to infiltrate areas unnoticed. The structure creates a fascinating balancing act where players are constantly planning routes, synchronising actions and correcting mistakes in real time. One operative might need to disable cameras so another can sneak through moments later, while rooftop escapes and environmental puzzles require careful timing between multiple agents. It is the sort of mechanic that feels inherently designed for VR, especially when rewinding time pulls up a giant holographic tactical map that can be manipulated physically with your hands. Watching previous runs play out while planning the next step gives missions a satisfying “solo co-op” dynamic that remains engaging throughout.
What keeps the experience from becoming overly methodical is the amount of movement integrated into each mission. Climbing ladders, ziplining across rooftops, physically sprinting by pumping your arms and interacting directly with gadgets helps maintain momentum even when solving intricate sequencing puzzles. The best missions successfully blend stealth, traversal and puzzle-solving together rather than isolating them into separate gameplay styles. Earlier stages are forgiving enough to encourage experimentation, while later levels start demanding tighter execution and better optimisation if bonus objectives are to be completed. At the same time, the rewind system occasionally undermines the tension it is trying to create. Because mistakes can be corrected almost instantly, missions sometimes lose the sense of danger typically associated with espionage games, and repeatedly rewinding small errors can make certain sections feel more tedious than thrilling. Perhaps the game would benefit from stricter limitations or cooldowns to preserve a stronger sense of accomplishment, but we’ll see how Early Access pans out.
The controls generally work well, though the Early Access label remains very noticeable in places. Movement feels smooth overall and the interaction systems are intuitive enough after a short adjustment period, but technical inconsistencies can interrupt the flow. Climbing ladders sometimes feels unreliable, rewinding can behave unpredictably, and objects occasionally disappear or interact strangle with the environment. There are also instances where character behaviour breaks during replay sequences, forcing sections to be restarted. None of these issues completely derail the experience, particularly since the rewind structure naturally softens the frustration of failure, but they do prevent the game from feeling fully polished right now. Some smaller design decisions also stand out awkwardly, such as relying entirely on physical crouching without offering a dedicated crouch input, which some VR players aren’t as comfortable with.
Visually, Spymaster lands somewhere between minimalist and stylish. Character models use a deliberately simple polygonal look that occasionally borders on underdeveloped, especially during conversations where facial animation is almost entirely absent. NPCs speaking with motionless mouths can make dramatic scenes unintentionally stiff, and some cutscenes resemble crude animations more than fully realised performances. Yet the environments themselves fare much better. The bright colour palette, exaggerated architecture and detailed mission spaces create strong atmosphere throughout, particularly when infiltrating lavish parties or moving across neon-lit rooftops. In VR, the scale and layout of these environments carry much of the immersion, and the game often succeeds through environmental design even when character presentation falls short. Audio similarly does enough to support the experience without becoming especially memorable, though the voice acting at least injects some personality into the otherwise generic spy narrative.
Performance on Meta Quest 3 is impressively stable considering how much simultaneous activity is taking place during missions. The stylised visuals clearly help maintain a smooth framerate, and we saw no technical instability despite the EA status of the game. Comfort settings are also handled reasonably well, making the movement-heavy gameplay surprisingly manageable even during longer sessions. The larger issue is simply the current amount of content. In its present Early Access form, the campaign is relatively short, with only a handful of main missions available before the game ends rather abruptly. There are challenge stages and replay incentives through bonus objectives and time optimisation, but players hoping for a lengthy spy epic may find themselves reaching the credits far sooner than expected. The good news is that the core gameplay loop remains compelling enough to leave players wanting more rather than feeling exhausted by repetition.
Spymaster ultimately succeeds because its central idea is so strong. Coordinating multiple timelines and agents creates moments that genuinely feel unique to VR, and the game repeatedly finds clever ways to build puzzles and action sequences around that mechanic. The surrounding elements do not always match the quality of the core concept. The story lacks impact, the current build still carries a fair amount of jank, and the Early Access structure leaves the experience feeling incomplete. Even so, there is already enough creativity and charm here to make Spymaster easy to recommend for VR enthusiasts looking for something outside the usual rhythm games and shooters. If InnerspaceVR can continue polishing the rough edges while expanding the mission count, this could easily grow into one of the more memorable spy-themed VR adventures available on Meta Quest.
Score: 7.5/10