Amelia’s Escape VR promises more than it ultimately delivers with a story that feels like it was just getting started when it ends.
I am not going to bury the lead here. Amelia’s Escape is too short. I have played a number of environmental puzzle games in VR and can only recall a few that were less than two hours long: The Curious Tale of Stolen Pets, the first A Fisherman’s Tale, Rogue Escape (if you figure out the controls quickly), and this game.
What is it? An escape room-style puzzle game
Platforms: Steam, Quest
Release Date: July 23, 2026
Developer: Reality Syndrome Symphony
Price: $14.99
0:00/0:33
After finishing in just over one hour, I was not even upset at the runtime, though I think for the price, there is nowhere near enough game here. I was frustrated because the story being set up was legitimately fascinating and felt incomplete. You play as the titular Amelia, a young British girl on a train to an unknown location when blue lights and streaks flash all around you. Then, after a few ‘stops’ you end up in the room that comprises the full game, a bunker-like science lab where a seemingly mad scientist obsessed with time travel has brought you. It is impossible to go any deeper into the story here without major spoilers, so I will just say that it feels like the start of a larger story without a proper payoff.
That all said, if you are just there for the puzzles, this is still a good time. Amelia’s Escape is the type of game where you just sit there until you figure it out. The ‘escape’ is through a door locked by multiple keycards scattered throughout the room. To locate them all, you have to pay attention to everything in the room, more specifically any object you can interact with. Most escape room games like this in VR only allow you to interact with things you need to interact with.
Comfort
Amelia’s Escape utilizes stick-based locomotion with options for smooth or snap turning and teleport movement. There is also a motion vignette, but a lack of customization for any of these options. If you have a fairly large space, roomscale is an option as well.
0:00/0:42
That does not mean the game is too easy. Instead, you’ll hold an object and think, ‘What do I do with this?’ There are context clues and Amelia occasionally says a bit too much, but this is still a game that requires you to think logically. Okay, this says the number 1, but what does that mean? There were three keycards I figured out in the first few minutes in the room, with the remaining batch taking the rest of the hour, walking back and forth, holding some random object unsure of its purpose. If you have played Myst or the I Expect You To Die series, this will feel very familiar to you.
PC Specs Used
My PC uses a Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and an RTX 5070 Ti GPU.
This review was conducted using a Meta Quest 3
Amelia’s Escape does not have any settings to adjust graphics.
You can find the minimum and recommended specs on theSteampage to learn more.
0:00/0:34
Visually, Amelia’s Escape is on the bland side. After a few minutes exploring the room and realizing very little in the room could be interacted with, I started working out keycards with the things I could touch. The grab interactions were mostly jank free, but the hand/grab animations (or lack thereof) stick out. I also had to reset the room when one of the keycards I found fell through the floor and could not be retrieved. Thankfully, I remembered the solutions and caught up quickly even with some objects and lock boxes randomized to new locations.
Amelia’s Escape VR – The Final Verdict
Amelia’s Escape offers a satisfying bit of puzzle gameplay, but it is let down by an abrupt ending and a story that left me unfulfilled. Puzzle game lovers will get something out of this, but even then the short length makes it hard to justify its current $14.99 price tag. There are other similar games in the same price range with more to offer. Hardcore puzzle gamers only.
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