The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR

The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR
Information
VR/AR	Virtual Reality
Developer	Supermassive Games
Publisher	Supermassive Games
Platform	PlayStation VR2
Device	PlayStation VR2
Operating System	PlayStation 5
Type	Game
Genre	On-rails shooter, Horror
Input Device	PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers
Play Area	Seated
Game Mode	Single-player
Release Date	March 16, 2023
Price	US $39.99
App Store	PlayStation Store
Website	https://www.supermassivegames.com/games/switchback-vr

See also: VR Apps and VR Games

The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR is a virtual reality on-rails shooter developed and published by Supermassive Games for the PlayStation VR2. It was released on March 16, 2023, exclusively on Sony's PSVR2 headset for the PlayStation 5.

The game is a spin-off of Supermassive's The Dark Pictures Anthology series of cinematic horror games, and a spiritual successor to the studio's 2016 PlayStation VR title Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. Players ride a mine cart or roller coaster through a series of haunted environments and shoot enemies with dual pistols. Switchback was one of the launch-window titles for the PSVR2 and was built specifically around the headset's eye tracking hardware. Reviews were mixed, with an aggregate score of 64 on Metacritic and an average score of 68 with 41% of critics recommending it on OpenCritic.

Gameplay

Switchback VR is a seated, on-rails shooter. The player travels along a fixed track aboard a mine cart or roller coaster car while enemies appear on either side, and progresses through the level by aiming and firing with the two PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers, each mapped to a pistol with unlimited ammunition. Reloading is performed by flicking the controllers downward, and players lean their head and body to dodge environmental obstacles such as low beams and swinging hazards.

Beyond the default pistols the game gives the player additional tools at scripted points, including a flare gun, a stun gun, and a UV light used to reveal or weaken certain enemies. The campaign runs about four to five hours and is split into themed levels drawn from the first season of The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan, Little Hope, House of Ashes, and The Devil in Me. Settings include the derelict freighter SS Ourang Medan, the abandoned New England town of Little Hope, the Akkadian desert and alien temple of House of Ashes, and a replica of serial killer H. H. Holmes's "Murder Castle" from The Devil in Me. Each level can be replayed across three difficulty settings to chase higher scores, and levels contain optional collectibles.

The PSVR2's eye tracking is used as a horror mechanic rather than only for foveated rendering. Certain mannequin enemies stop moving while the player is looking at them and advance only when the player blinks, so closing the eyes lets the figures rush forward and reposition. The game also uses the headset's built-in rumble motor, the adaptive triggers of the Sense controllers, and 3D audio.

Development

Switchback VR was developed by Supermassive Games, a British studio based in Guildford that previously made the PlayStation 4 horror game Until Dawn (2015) and its PlayStation VR spin-off Until Dawn: Rush of Blood (2016). Switchback reuses the on-rails, dual-pistol structure of Rush of Blood and reframes it within The Dark Pictures Anthology continuity. The game was built on Unreal Engine 4 and directed by Alejandro Arque Gallardo and Will Doyle, with a musical score by Jason Graves. Unlike the main Dark Pictures Anthology entries, which were published by Bandai Namco, Switchback was self-published by Supermassive.

The game was announced on November 2, 2022, as part of Sony's reveal of launch titles for the PlayStation VR2. It was originally scheduled to ship alongside the headset on February 22, 2023, but in January 2023 Supermassive delayed it by about three weeks to March 16, 2023.

Release

Platform	Region	Release date
PlayStation VR2 (on PlayStation 5)	Worldwide	March 16, 2023

The game launched at US $39.99 and requires the PlayStation VR2 headset; it is not playable on the original PlayStation VR or in flat-screen mode. On October 18, 2023, Supermassive added a free Horde Mode update, an arcade survival mode in which the player descends through escalating waves of enemies between roller-coaster drops, earning power-ups for headshot streaks and again using eye tracking to spawn enemies on a blink.

Reception

Switchback VR received mixed reviews. It holds a score of 64 out of 100 on Metacritic for the PlayStation 5 version, and on OpenCritic it has an average score of 68 with 41% of critics recommending it.

Reviewers generally praised the gunplay, enemy designs, and the use of PSVR2 hardware, while criticising repetitive jump scares, thin combat variety, the absence of comfort options for the constant artificial motion, and visual issues such as texture pop-in. Harry Baker of UploadVR recommended the game, calling it an enjoyable arcade horror shooter with "fantastic enemy designs," while noting that its scares grow predictable and that it offers no comfort settings. Taylor Lyles of IGN scored it 6 out of 10. Sammy Barker of Push Square was more negative, scoring it 4 out of 10 and describing it as "a scruffy game that fails to match up to its well-liked PSVR predecessor," citing low-budget visuals and weak level design. At the higher end, PlayStation Universe's Neil Bolt rated it 9 out of 10 and God is a Geek's Adam Cook gave it 8.5 out of 10.

Publication	Reviewer	Score
PlayStation Universe	Neil Bolt	9 / 10
God is a Geek	Adam Cook	8.5 / 10
Destructoid	Chris Carter	7.5 / 10
TheSixthAxis	Tuffcub	7 / 10
IGN	Taylor Lyles	6 / 10
Metro GameCentral	Nick Gillett	5 / 10
Push Square	Sammy Barker	4 / 10