The House of Da Vinci VR is a captivating puzzle adventure into the mysterious and legendary studios of Leonardo da Vinci. Read on for our full review.
Over seven years since appearing on flatscreen platforms, The House of Da Vinci is back once more with escape room style challenges as you try to locate the renowned painter and inventor who's gone missing. Complex machines and dark rooms await you with gorgeous detail and advanced riddles. If you're a puzzle fan and an art history buff, then this game is definitely for you.
The House of Da Vinci begins with a short tutorial about basic mechanics for puzzle solving and getting around. You play as the apprentice of Leonardo da Vinci, and the man's disappeared after informing you of a new invention he says you must see. The opening map features an incredible Italian vista that beckons you to admire and explore. But as the tutorial explained about movement, I immediately became frustrated. Teleportation is the only way to get around the map, and only with select points in each room.
The original release of The House of Da Vinci was intended for flatscreen play and has limited movement as well. However, its presentation speaks to a narrative flow that differs greatly from how a VR user would choose to move around and progress through the same story. Immersive environments can change things, especially when it comes to locomotion. The mechanic that works for a flatscreen user can be limiting to someone in a spatial environment.
Using limited teleportation means that I'm sometimes either too close to puzzles or too far away. Pressing the reposition button shouldn't happen so often in an experience. If you play puzzle games standing up, then it isn't an issue, but many people like me play them sitting down. If I could change one thing with The House of Da Vinci VR, I'd offer different locomotion options.
Comfort
The House of Da Vinci VR only allows for teleportation movement to preset spots. This means there is no locomotion to really speak of. However, there will be times when you might have to press the reposition button if teleporting lands you too close or too far from a puzzle. There is also a setting for customizing the tilt of your hands to accommodate different VR controllers.
Despite my gripes about the title's movement system, I've got nothing but praise for its beautiful graphics. Blue Brain Games has created gorgeous immersive worlds and the experience runs smoothly. There's a smart implementation of optimized mesh and detailed textures. One of my favorite puzzle designs in the game features a carved wooden dragon with realistically faded paint. When I turned my head slightly to inspect it, what I assumed was a part of the dragon with a lot of detail was actually a flat geometric face with impressive texturing.
One very neat thing is how the menu screen changes between each chapter. The tower in the segment background reflects the time of day the narration stops at. One moment I'm standing in the stillness of night in an Italian courtyard. The next chapter ends at sunset with the same tower shaken by a catastrophe. Sometimes I want to sit in the courtyard for a while and enjoy the atmosphere. It really is that inviting, even with disaster looming.
There are also moments of unnerving stillness, especially when in a small room with dark corners. The nature of The House of Da Vinci VR is that there's a mystery around every corner. It does well to inform you of the danger that's at your back.
Puzzle interaction is satisfying and engaging enough to inspire curiosity about each challenge. Levers may not initially give way when you want, so you then have to spend time figuring out what's missing to make things work correctly. When your hands move over an object, your gloved fingers will change position and sometimes indicate when there's a point of interaction. Paying attention to these clues are important to progress with certain puzzles.
There's also a “see through” mode that lets you spot hidden gears and secret writing on the walls. With this is a special dial on your glove that lets you fast-forward and rewind through time. If a puzzle is too difficult, you can obtain hints through a press of a button. The hints don't spoon-feed you solutions, instead trying to encourage you to think.
The reward for each puzzle correctly done is delightful. The House of Da Vinci VR bases many of its puzzles on Da Vinci's actual inventions. It's fun to see them whir to life with the clicking of gears after you've spent forever trying to figure them out. One challenge involved a globe which hides several gears. Arranging these gears correctly caused the globe to open in half to offer a key, which made me clap in delight. It was those little moments that brought intense joy to the experience.
Despite the victory of completing a challenge, the surroundings still kept me on edge. Next to that same globe I solved was a mannequin posed ominously in the dark. As I finished the puzzle, I kept glancing at the figure and praying it wouldn't turn its head to make eye contact with me.
The House of Da Vinci VR Review - Final Verdict
The House of Da Vinci VR is one of the best VR puzzle games I've ever played, delivering an experience that's been lovingly created with reverence to its historical inspiration. Boosted by impressive visuals on Steam, it's clear Blue Brain Games has a real talent for creating immersive environments and engaging experiences. If only the movement options could be expanded, then this game would be perfect.
As it stands, The House of Da Vinci series has several sequels that haven't been converted to VR yet. If this game is any indication of the series' quality, I'd love to see the rest of them reach VR in the future.
UploadVR uses a 5-Star rating system for our game reviews – you can read a breakdown of each star rating in our review guidelines.
