Mixed reality titles are starting to find their footing and are one of the newest releases in the genre, Infinite within, piqued our interest. Read our full review.
I played a few months ago demo game from App Lab and was amazed by it expansive potential this title can bring. Now that I’ve had a chance to explore the entire release, it’s time to break down how well Infinite Inside stacks up against that potential, looking at factors like gameplay, graphics and sound quality, control scheme, and comfort options.
What is it: An innovative puzzle game that seamlessly blends VR and MR gameplay with an immersive story experience.
Platforms: Apple Vision Pro, Quest, Pico with VR/MR – Steam & PSVR 2 is VR only
Date of publication: July 12, 2024
Developer: Maze theory
Price: $12.99 (Free if you’ve played the App Lab demo – details here)
Gameplay: A complex dance of realities
At its core, Infinite Inside is a first-person adventure that delicately dances between our real living spaces and a maze-filled virtual reality. The heart of Infinite Inside remains traversing its intricate labyrinths and finding lost puzzle pieces as a quiet narrative unfolds that seamlessly blurs the lines of virtual and mixed reality.
One of the game’s interesting inclusions is its multifaceted 3D puzzles. Solving these problems requires both spatial acuity and logic, and offers a difficulty curve that feels well-designed and thought-out. This attention to detail ensures that the puzzles are difficult but not a sticking point.
Collecting puzzle pieces in the virtual realm and then returning them to be manipulated in your own living space is a new endeavor that we’re just starting to see in other titles like ASTRA, another great mixed reality experience that players can to watch. planets to collect elements which they then brought back to their ship for analysis.
Another interesting aspect of the gameplay in The Infinite Inside is the quiet narrative that builds around you. The game relies on a subtle blend of on-screen text and mime elements to tell a story that unfolds as the player solves puzzles and obtains the necessary keys that unlock further chapters. Infinite Inside skillfully combines all these elements into an experience that is both challenging and satisfying.
Graphics and sound: A feast for the senses
Maze Theory has created a richly detailed environment in Infinite Inside with high-quality textures and lighting that enhance the immersive feeling. The level of artistry here is commendable and the attention to the smallest details does not go unnoticed.
Mixed reality – virtual reality
While it looks good in both Mixed and Virtual Reality modes, Infinite Inside could be a real surprise if it took advantage of the extra power that headsets like the Quest 3 offer. When playing Quest 3, it’s immediately apparent that its beautiful graphics are affected by some serious aliasing. The game has some hard angles as part of its architecture and a lot of contrast between light and dark areas, so the aliasing really comes through in most scenes. Our review was conducted on the Quest 3, but your results may vary on other headsets.
I reached out to Ian Hambleton, CEO of Maze Theory, to ask. He informed me that while the game won’t be optimized to take full advantage of the additional graphics power Quest 3 offers at launch, Maze Theory is exploring the possibilities of this in a potential post-launch Quest 3-only update. Hambleton also said it would depend heavily on testing.
With the Infinite Inside art style, the game takes on a semi-realistic look that falls somewhere between realism and surrealism. The overall look of the game complements its narrative and the use of good lighting and shadows also helps create its immersive atmosphere. This further enhances the magical feeling when transitioning between mixed and virtual reality.
The visual fidelity of Infinite Inside is astounding, and its sound performance deserves a mention as well. The use of ambient sounds and the relaxed musical score add significantly to the immersive experience that Infinite Inside provides.
Control scheme and convenience: a mixed blessing
In terms of comfort, Infinite Inside makes it ideal for VR beginners in its virtual reality sequences by mitigating motion sickness through node-based teleportation. While node-based teleportation is great for individuals prone to VR sickness, it doesn’t suit more advanced gamers like myself who prefer traditional unrestricted movement methods when playing in VR.
Maze Theory said they tested wand-based artificial locomotion, but it “lost a lot of the magic”. Hambleton added that they “may even introduce a move counter, so players have to complete it in as few moves as possible”.
One thing that is improved in the full version compared to the demo is the interaction with objects. While it’s still somewhat refined at times in the launcher, while playing the demo there were times when my gaming hands couldn’t grasp the puzzle pieces or they just started flying away. It seems to have improved a lot now and I only saw very minor glitches on the hands while playing the review.
Conclusion
Infinite Inside is a great addition to the growing number of new mixed reality experiences we’ve seen recently. It features intricate mazes and satisfying puzzles that rarely feel too difficult or too easy, all with smooth transitions between VR and MR elements. The occasionally spirited object manipulation could do with a bit of refinement, but Maze Theory’s ambition meets convincing execution here, and I think most maze fans will enjoy it.
UploadVR uses a 5-star rating system for our game reviews – you can read the star breakdown in our review guidelines.