The paranormal puzzle game Ghost Town represents a progression in virtual reality.

      One of my favorite aspects of closely following the video game industry as part of my career is witnessing its evolution over time. It's delightful to observe how mobile games have transformed from playing Snake on my phone to offering console-quality experiences. Likewise, it’s fulfilling to track a studio’s journey from its initial game to more ambitious projects decades later. Ghost Town allows me to witness both of these advancements simultaneously.

      The new VR puzzle game represents the latest endeavor by Fireproof Games. If you have played numerous mobile games over the years, you might recognize this name as the developer of The Room, a fantastic series of atmospheric escape room games. After achieving success with four mobile titles, Fireproof expanded its capabilities with The Room VR: A Dark Matter in 2020, a must-play VR title that showcased the studio’s potential. Now, five years later, Fireproof has once again elevated both its own standards and the realm of VR gaming with Ghost Town.

      In The Room series, players primarily engage with a sequence of puzzle boxes while a haunting backstory unfolds in the background. Ghost Town diverges significantly as it prioritizes narrative, weaving its tactile puzzles into an engaging story. The adventure follows Edith Penrose, a ghost hunter on a mission to locate her brother after a paranormal occurrence. Her journey takes her from the coasts of Scotland to a chilling alternate world as she expels wandering spirits and tackles numerous puzzles.

      The scope of Ghost Town is far grander than any of Fireproof's previous titles, yet it maintains dependable gameplay. Building upon The Room VR, Ghost Town involves players in manipulating objects and adjusting switches to solve tactile puzzles enhanced by smooth motion controls. These segments, reminiscent of The Room, place me in an interconnected web of actions akin to an escape room. One puzzle requires me to concoct a mixture in a test tube by exploring a room for clues about the necessary liquids. Another involves illuminating a room with a light to uncover hints hidden in the shadows cast. Naturally, these moments represent the peak of Ghost Town’s experience.

      Between the major set pieces, I encounter smaller, standalone puzzles that seamlessly integrate with the narrative. When I return to my apartment and show my ghost-hunting partner an artifact I’ve discovered, I place it into a machine and analyze it by maneuvering a microphone across its surface while we converse. These small puzzles facilitate a smoother narrative flow rather than interrupting the gameplay with lengthy sequences.

      While I appreciate the evolution of Fireproof's formula, there are instances where I wish the standalone puzzles had a bit more complexity. Since they aren’t consistently linked to the subsequent steps, some intriguing concepts may feel slightly underdeveloped. This is understandable, given that Fireproof is experimenting with a formula it has refined over the course of five games over a decade. It showcases some truly impressive ideas, particularly during the P.T.-esque finale, but there is potential to further develop its emerging concepts.

      This same dynamic is also present in the narrative, representing the studio's most significant leap here. Ghost Town narrates an entertaining supernatural tale that successfully creates a reality where science and the supernatural intertwine. It is also more cinematic than The Room, featuring a particularly memorable chapter where I ascend a haunted lighthouse while evading a ghost. However, the storytelling can feel somewhat disjointed, as a wealth of lore is crammed into the four to five hours of continuous narrative beats that do not always feel cohesive. Nevertheless, it progresses through thrilling set pieces that fully utilize VR’s capacity to convincingly transport players to new environments.

      Ghost Town symbolizes a notable evolution for Fireproof Games and marks a fresh start. The studio has reached a pinnacle with The Room and is now beginning anew. I view it almost as a re-debut—an impressive one, at that. Equally exciting for me is how it represents a forward movement for VR as a whole. When comparing The 7th Guest VR to Ghost Town, two similar paranormal puzzle games, the five-year gap in quality feels evident. Titles like Ghost Town continue to establish VR as a worthwhile platform replete with gems for those committed to the technology. It’s uncertain where the industry will be in a decade, but I hope Fireproof Games will be leading the charge by then.

      Ghost Town is currently available on Steam VR and Meta Quest headsets.