VR developers continue to prove that there is no single formula for making a great virtual reality experience, and this latest batch of releases takes that idea in several very different directions. From the kinetic mix of puzzles, parkour and combat in Hyperstacks to the more focused escape-room design of Amelia’s Escape, these games each explore a different way of putting players directly into their worlds. Walkabout Mini Golf adds another inventive course to an already dependable VR favorite, while Irusu Cricket VR demonstrates how surprisingly effective a traditional sport can become when the player is physically standing at the crease.
Hyperstacks review (Quest)
Hyperstacks throws a lot at its VR audience, combining puzzle-solving, parkour, combat and level creation into an experience that is at its most impressive when those elements collide. The campaign provides a useful introduction to its systems through a cast of colorful characters and a lobby that gives the game a little personality, although the writing is more charming than genuinely memorable. More importantly, the campaign does a good job of gradually expanding what is possible, with new mechanics providing a reason to keep pushing forward rather than simply serving as a collection of disconnected VR experiments.
Movement is easily one of Hyperstacks’ strongest aspects. Climbing, grappling, zip lines, jumping, teleportation and other traversal options make getting around feel properly physical, while the combination of speed and verticality can produce some wonderfully exhilarating moments. The puzzles are similarly effective, particularly when simple interactions are combined into more complicated logic problems through the Greenlink system. Combat is enjoyable and makes good use of physical aiming and movement, although it can occasionally feel less naturally integrated than the game’s puzzles and parkour, with some encounters resembling straightforward shooting galleries rather than clever extensions of the surrounding mechanics.
The controls generally support this physical approach well, with different locomotion and turning options making the game relatively flexible for a VR title, although some sections can leave the player wondering what the game actually expects them to do. Unclear instructions, particularly around certain mechanics, can interrupt the otherwise satisfying flow, and there are moments where it is difficult to tell whether a problem is caused by a confusing objective, an obscure interaction or an actual bug. That lack of clarity is frustrating precisely because the underlying systems are so enjoyable. The colorful, stylised presentation complements the playful tone nicely, with appealing characters and a cohesive visual identity, even if the relatively simple graphical presentation will not impress anyone looking for cutting-edge VR visuals.
Where Hyperstacks really distinguishes itself, however, is with its level editor. It is accessible enough to encourage experimentation while offering enough systems, hazards, enemies, movement mechanics and logic elements to produce considerably more elaborate creations, and the resulting community content gives the game considerably more longevity than its campaign alone could provide. We particularly like the way the editor turns the game’s mechanics into building blocks, allowing players to experiment with combinations that the campaign has only begun to demonstrate. Hyperstacks can sometimes feel like several good VR games competing for attention rather than one perfectly focused experience, and the onboarding could certainly be clearer, but its combination of kinetic movement, inventive puzzles and creative tools makes it an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a VR game that encourages both playing and making.
Amelia’s Escape review (Quest)
Amelia’s Escape takes a familiar VR escape-room setup and gives it just enough narrative intrigue to make the premise more interesting than simply finding keys and entering codes. Amelia wakes up trapped in the workshop of Ron, a scientist obsessed with time travel, and escaping becomes a way of gradually uncovering what happened and why she was taken. The story is not particularly deep, and the short runtime leaves little room for its characters or backstory to develop properly, but the combination of environmental storytelling and puzzle solving works reasonably well. There is also something appealing about being left alone to investigate the room rather than constantly being pointed towards the next objective, although players who prefer a more story-heavy puzzle adventure may find the balance tilted too heavily towards the escape-room mechanics.
The actual puzzles are generally the stronger part of the experience. The room is packed with objects to examine and mechanisms to manipulate, while the relatively open structure means solutions can be approached in a less rigid order. Some puzzles are satisfyingly straightforward, while others demand considerably more searching and experimentation, making the absence of a hint system something of a double-edged sword. Getting stuck can feel rewarding when the solution finally clicks, but it can also become frustrating when the problem is not the puzzle itself but simply finding the one object or interaction that the game expects.
That problem extends to the controls. Amelia’s Escape supports both teleportation and smooth movement, as well as snap and smooth turning, and the experience can be played comfortably seated, which makes the basic VR implementation fairly accommodating. Unfortunately, object interaction is not always as intuitive as it should be. Some items can be difficult to identify as interactive, while certain switches and numerical inputs can be overly sensitive or awkward to manipulate. There are also occasional physics and collision issues, which can make an otherwise clever puzzle feel unnecessarily fiddly. The presentation fares better, however, with a convincing workshop environment that rewards looking around and a clean visual style that performs well on Quest hardware. The atmosphere is helped further by competent voice acting and an appropriately unobtrusive audio presentation.
The biggest problem with Amelia’s Escape is therefore not that the escape room itself is poor, but that there simply isn’t enough of it. Depending on how quickly the puzzles are solved, the experience can be completed in well under an hour, and reaching the end of the first room leaves the distinct impression that another chapter should be waiting. That makes the experience difficult to recommend at its full price, particularly when the narrative has only just begun to establish itself. There is a good foundation here: the physical interaction suits VR, the room is enjoyable to investigate, and several of the puzzles provide that satisfying little spark when their solutions become clear. We just wish Amelia’s escape had been considerably longer, more polished and willing to give its promising story room to develop.
Walkabout Mini Golf – Gloop Lair and Fur N’ Feathers Cosmetic Pack review (Quest)
Walkabout Mini Golf has never really needed much of an excuse to add another course to its already impressive collection, but Gloop Lair at least comes with a suitably ridiculous one. This time, a ’90s-inspired teenage supervillain has transformed a city’s water supply into hazardous gloop, leaving players to putt their way through everything from a skate park and factory to drainage systems and laboratories. It is an appropriately silly premise for a game that has always understood that mini golf works best when it is allowed to be playful, and the course’s heavy dose of neon, retro references and industrial absurdity makes it one of the more distinctive additions yet.
The real star, however, is the gloop itself. Balls lose momentum when passing through it, forcing players to rethink shot strength and angles rather than simply relying on the muscle memory built up across other Walkabout courses. Proximity mines can also be used to redirect the ball, while conveyor belts, moving machinery, ramps, wind and other environmental tricks turn several holes into miniature putting puzzles. The result is a course that can be considerably more technical than its colorful presentation initially suggests, although that unpredictability can occasionally make a carefully judged shot feel more chaotic than skilful. Still, the risk-and-reward approach works particularly well, offering plenty of opportunities to experiment with different routes and shot strengths.
Visually, Gloop Lair is another strong showcase for Walkabout Mini Golf’s ability to build an entire identity around a course rather than simply dressing up a collection of holes. The neon colors, glowing goo, disco-inspired touches and deliberately over-the-top environments make the ’90s theme immediately apparent, while the progression through its different zones keeps the scenery from becoming repetitive. The same attention to detail extends to the course’s extra content, with collectible balls on the easier version and a clue-based fox hunt on the night course providing reasons to return after the initial eighteen holes. The technical difficulty, especially at night, will not necessarily appeal to everyone, but experienced players looking for a more demanding round should find plenty to chew on.
The accompanying Fur ’n Feathers pack is a much simpler proposition, but it complements the course nicely rather than attempting to be something it is not. Four animal avatars – bear, lion, dog and chicken – can each be customised with eight color options, alongside a new ball trail and hole celebration. It does not add anything substantial to the golfing itself, so its appeal naturally depends on how much value is placed on personalising the player’s appearance and celebrations. Taken together, though, the two releases demonstrate why Walkabout Mini Golf remains such a dependable VR experience: Gloop Lair adds a genuinely interesting twist to the putting while surrounding it with a wonderfully silly setting, and Fur ’n Feathers provides some extra personality for those who want it.
Irusu Cricket VR review (Quest)
Irusu Cricket VR understands that the appeal of bringing cricket into VR is less about recreating a traditional sports game and more about putting the player at the crease. Picking up the virtual bat and physically judging an incoming delivery creates an immediate sense of involvement, and when a shot connects properly, the combination of motion tracking, haptic feedback and ball physics makes for some genuinely satisfying moments. The accessible controls also mean that newcomers can get into a match without having to master an intimidating control scheme first, while different match lengths and practice options provide a reasonable starting point for more committed players. We found the basic batting loop surprisingly enjoyable, although the experience does not always interpret every swing and contact as consistently as its simulation ambitions suggest.
That physicality is easily Irusu Cricket VR’s biggest strength, but the rest of the cricket experience is somewhat less convincing. Bowling and fielding provide enough variety to stop matches from feeling completely static, and the different stadiums help give proceedings some visual character, while features such as statistics, customisation and the various match formats add a welcome sense of progression. At the same time, the AI can make matches feel predictable, and there is not yet quite enough depth in the broader career and challenge structure to give the batting mechanics the longevity they deserve. The game has the foundations of a compelling cricket simulator, but it currently feels more like a particularly good batting experience surrounded by a work-in-progress game.
Visually, Irusu Cricket VR makes a solid first impression, with detailed stadium environments and generally smooth presentation helping sell the illusion of actually being on the pitch. Crowd reactions and the surrounding match atmosphere add to that immersion without becoming overly distracting, although the presentation is not consistently polished enough to make the whole package feel premium. The same applies to the overall refinement: some aspects feel carefully considered, while others still have the rough edges expected from an Early Access release. We particularly liked how the combination of physical controls and stadium atmosphere makes even a short match feel involving, but the experience would benefit considerably from further refinement to its physics, AI and content variety.
Irusu Cricket VR therefore gets the most important part right: cricket in VR is fun when the player is actually swinging the bat, judging the delivery and watching the consequences unfold. That core interaction has enough immediacy to make the game worth exploring, particularly for cricket fans, but it is surrounded by a package that still needs more polish and replayable content. We came away feeling that there is a genuinely worthwhile cricket experience here rather than simply a proof of concept, yet it is difficult to ignore the gap between its promising foundation and the fuller simulation it could eventually become. For now, Irusu Cricket VR is best viewed as a solid starting point with plenty of room to grow rather than the finished cricket simulator it is aiming to be.