Well, I've been sitting here for twenty minutes, and I've been trying to get my heart rate to slow down.
So, if you're a fan of Flat Head Studio, you'll recognize “We Are One” as a puzzle game that was both clever and something you could play and feel clever about playing a game like this. “Deadly Delivery” isn’t a puzzle game - in fact, this game is something that makes you feel dumb: scared, stupid, like some kind of minimum wage goblin that can’t even catch a break. But you know what? I think this game may be the most fun I've had in VR so far this year.
A horror game based on “VR horror games!” will always require jumpscare mechanics. However, this particular title reverses this trend. The content incorporates “physics games” with humorous aspects of physics as well as horror aspects that may actually persuade someone to remove the “VR headset.”
The Grind Is Real (Too Real)
The comedy is in the pain. You and three other players are delivery goblins, heavy with college debt. The only means of payment is to carry a box in a darkness-mined, creature-laden hellhole.
The loop is quite easy: quota, fill a shopping cart, and then trudge along.
But, you know, what really gets me about this game: The physics.
All matter has mass. There was no “magic handle” to grab a box easily. You pushed the goods into the carts. My first few deliveries included yelling about how we would push a box through a door. My friend tried to help me by pulling on me, but in his attempt to pull me along, he accidentally slapped me and sent me rolling down a ledge. We could have sworn we almost missed the monster creeping in because we were laughing so hard.
When the Laughter Stops
That’s where the game snuck up on me with my defenses down. I was just preparing for just another meme game like “Lethal Company in VR.” The lights went out.
The mines go black. Pitch-black. Not ‘dark’ like a game dark. You have a dying flashlight battery, and the flares don't last long enough to have much meaning. Then there are glowing mushrooms to light your way when you can't rely on your equipment. The experience that you are hearing stems from a panicked friend's voice.
And the sound is the focal point here. Proximity chat, the sound cutting through the atmosphere. As your friend comes through the tunnel, the sound level decreases. Then comes the muffled section.
Then there was the moment - I was checking a shipping label and heard “I found the drop zone, come here” uttered by my friend.
Not friend. Not where I’m headed.
The monsters are copying you. They are learning. They can copy your movements. They can record the voice of your friends just to trick you into going into the dark. It is hard to trust the other people you are playing with. We even needed to give each other a safe word just to enter the elevator.
Jank as a Feature
Is it a perfect game? No. It has that indie VR feel to it. Sometimes your hand gets stuck to a wall. A cart will tip over for no reason at all. Those are things that points would be deducted for in a good game. It, however, belongs in this title. You are a clumsy goblin, and linear movement is a feat.
It’s frantic: you’re trying to scan a barcode while a shadowy monster is looming. You toss the scanner aside because you’re shaking in your hands. This intuitiveness is not good design. This is immersiveness.
The Payoff
Progression has a point. Not just window dressing. You get credits that allow you to upgrade it, with better lighting, scanners, speed, and so on. You can buy pets too. Progression also gives players something to look forward to, besides turning over ten times in a day. The “student loan” timer that’s running out is weirdly satisfying.
However, real skills of survival are learning to survive. You find yourself running around like a chicken with your head chopped off. Then, around hour five, you find yourself moving like some SWAT police - until someone forgets about a bomb and goes apeshit again.
Verdict
I came into this thing thinking that I wasn’t going to enjoy this as much as I do. Yes, it’s just a little bit of a rough-around-the-edges type deal. The graphics aren’t chock-full of wow. However, that vibe…that’s genius.
If you have a virtual reality headset, you have to purchase and experience this game. Just play it with friends that you won't mind yelling in their ears.
Score: 87/100
A chaotic, stressful, and downright humorous nightmare. Hands-down one of the best couch-to-coop VR experiences I’ve had in years.