The House of Da Vinci VR [Meta Quest 3] | REVIEW

Puzzle games are probably my favourite genre in virtual reality, and The House of da Vinci VR stands out as one of the best that I’ve ever played. Originally released in 2017, this virtual reality adaptation has been reimagined from the ground up, blending together intricate puzzles, stunning visuals, and innovative mechanics to immerse players in its brilliant Renaissance-era mystery.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Players take on the role of Leonardo da Vinci’s apprentice, who has been called upon to his workshop only to discover that his master has seemingly vanished. Your task is to solve a series of complex puzzles to uncover clues about his disappearance, with the pieces slowly coming together as you progress. Whilst the narrative is a little light, the historical context and richly detailed environments across the Renaissance era Florence are more than enough to draw you in to the world to uncover its curious mysteries.

From the moment you begin, it’s clear how much care has been invested in the game’s presentation. The environments are simply outstanding, with beautiful textures and atmospheric lighting helping bring the world of Leonardo da Vinci to life. It offers a gorgeous sense of grandeur that helps set the stage for the puzzles ahead, whilst also ensuring no detail is spared so players can appreciate the finer aspects of each wonderfully crafted conundrum. If you’re familiar with the Renaissance era or the works of Leonardo da Vinci at all, you’re in for a real treat.

“The House of Da Vinci VR is a triumph of puzzle design in virtual reality, with its stunning visuals, clever enigmas, and immersive mechanics make it a standout title in the genre.”

Of course, whilst the visuals are wonderful, the heart of The House of Da Vinci VR lies with its puzzles, each of which is inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s real-life inventions. This is an area in which the game truly delivers, with a varied mixture of clever and creative enigmas to unravel that require careful observation, a bit of thoughtful tinkering, and sound logical thinking in order to solve. There are simply no duds found in the puzzling, with each masterfully designed to strike the perfect balance of difficulty to ensure they’ll leave you satisfyingly scratching your head without the frustrations of unnecessarily cryptic or obtuse elements of design. Some are simple, some are complex, but each kept me utterly engrossed in the experience (and feeling very, very clever when I solved them). And if you do get stumped? There’s a handy hint system that gives you a nudge in the right direction, all without giving too much away.

There are other unique mechanics in place that further enhance the puzzle-solving experience. For instance, players are equipped with special gloves that reveal hidden details, such as secret writings or inner mechanisms of puzzles. It adds a unique sense of identity to the puzzle-solving of the game, all whilst playing into the theme in a thoughtful and fitting manner. Oh, and the holographic Leonardo da Vinci that guides you along the way? It might seem a little out of place, but its presence fleshes out the lore and puzzles in a fun manner that’s always easy to appreciate.

Check out some screenshots down below:

The only real downside to the experience is the lack of free movement, with players instead limited to teleporting between set points in each locale. It’s worth noting immediately that this doesn’t make the game any less enjoyable to play and it’s carefully designed to ensure players can easily access everything they need to in order to solve each puzzle, but given how gorgeous the world is, I couldn’t help but to feel disappointed that I couldn’t explore it fully. It makes sense from a puzzling perspective, but long-time virtual reality fans might find that the movement feels a little dated.

It doesn’t stop the game from being brilliant to play though, with the puzzles, world design, and presentation all doing more than enough to ensure it stands out as another excellent release on the Meta Quest 3. It has also been completely rebuilt for virtual reality – rather than simply porting the original game over, Blue Brain Games has redesigned puzzles and interactions to take full advantage of the Meta Quest 3’s tactile capabilities. Sliding open compartments, manipulating gears, pulling levers, and simply interacting with the contraptions of the world always feels intuitive and immersive, making you feel like an active participant in Leonardo da Vinci’s world as you solve each conundrum. It is worth noting that I’ve never played the original game though, so maybe I won’t appreciate some of these changes as much as others – playing this has definitely inspired me to visit the series though, which just goes to show how much of a good impression it left upon me… I loved it.

Developer: Blue Brain Games
Publisher: Blue Brain Games
Platform(s): Meta Quest 3 (Reviewed), Meta Quest 2, PC VR
Website: https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/the-house-of-da-vinci-vr/6074227932599910/