If the brutal horror of Resident Evil 7 was too much for you, Ghost Town on Meta Quest offers a different kind of haunt—one focused on chilling atmosphere rather than cheap jump scares. Developed by Fireproof Games (the masters behind The Room VR), this supernatural mystery casts you as a 1980s London medium searching for her missing brother. From the fog-shrouded shores of Scotland to the intricate mechanical puzzles of a haunted lighthouse, the game pushes Quest hardware to its limits with breathtaking visuals and tactile “spirit magic” interactions. Here is my full breakdown of why this is the perfect immersive puzzle-adventure for those who prefer psychological tension over gore.
Game Introduction
When it comes to horror mixed with puzzles, the Resident Evil series is probably the most famous name out there. The first big VR entry in that genre was Resident Evil 7 on PSVR, and that one was seriously good.
You even start out with your beautiful wife Mia, walking hand in hand down a pitch-dark hallway. It feels great for a moment.
Then she turns around and slices your wrist clean off.
The head of the house is strangely hospitable too. He invites you to dinner with the whole family and even tells you to make sure you eat.
Then you look up, and the dad has a piece of rotten food stuck on a knife, telling you to open your mouth while he tries to shove the blade straight down your throat.
Back then, I only made it that far. The next day, I sold my PSVR. Even now, years later, just thinking about it makes me feel sick. The game is extremely gruesome, but experiencing that helplessness inside VR makes you think, this might be the end of me.
If you’re looking for real, full-on terror in VR on Meta Quest, honestly, you’d be better off picking up a PS4 with PSVR or a PS5 with PSVR2.
On the other hand, if you just want a light ghostly atmosphere and can’t handle hardcore horror, this Meta Quest VR horror puzzle game fits that spot.
The official title is Ghost Town. It’s more of a puzzle-focused experience with very little actual horror. I tend to think of it as “The Haunted Town.”
The game starts with you searching for a ghost inside a theater. You walk through dark hallways and into a pitch-black auditorium, thinking, all right, here comes the scary part. But instead, it shifts into puzzle mode. You turn on the power and interact with different stage mechanisms to move forward.
Ein Geist taucht tatsächlich auf, aber er leuchtet grün – so, dass man fast denkt, man könnte ihn einfach mit einem Staubsauger aufsaugen. Er sieht genau so aus wie ein Geist aus Ghostbusters.
By this point, you can probably tell. This game really isn’t scary.
The moment you see Romeo’s stage setup, you already know what’s coming next. Juliet is obviously waiting.
The first puzzle is getting the generator running. Set the output to 360W, and it will power on.
When you adjust the output using the levers and dials, the meter displays the “Output Power.” The number shown there is the value you’ve set.
A green glowing Juliet really isn’t scary at all.
This kind of Ghostbusters-style ghost looks more like it would play pranks than actually scare anyone.
The controls are very simple.
- Right thumbstick: Move
- Grip button: Grab objects (most random items don’t really do anything)
- Y button: Open the item menu
After the prologue, the setting shifts to a worn-down fishing boat. The ocean scenery actually looks pretty nice, with wind moving across the waves and giving it a real sense of setting sail.
Most of the puzzles involve adjusting dials to restore power or turning locks to open them. If you think about it for a moment, they’re easy to solve. There isn’t much tension, and honestly, the process itself isn’t that exciting.
When you reach the lighthouse, a green ghost frantically tries to climb higher and higher, almost like it’s possessed.
I need to get upstairs, but there’s a huge hole in the floor. How am I supposed to get across?
In Chapter 1, the lighthouse scenario has you fixing the light, reconnecting wiring, and eventually even repairing the floor. I didn’t show up today to work as an electrician.
The whole puzzle setup feels full of questionable design choices. You end up wondering who originally wired this lighthouse and why it was built this way. No normal person would design a switch circuit like this unless they were possessed.
Does the development team really understand what makes a horror puzzle game work? There’s barely any fear, and the puzzles themselves aren’t that engaging.
The sound design, though, is genuinely high quality. The atmosphere building is solid. The visuals also feel immersive. If the ghost presentation had been handled with a more intense style, it probably would have made a much stronger impact.
If you show this game to a friend visiting your house, they’ll likely be impressed by how realistic VR can look. Just don’t overdo the demo.
Most of the puzzles revolve around rotating dials within complex mechanisms to unlock levers and move forward.
Who designed the electrical circuit in this lighthouse? You have to line up the directions perfectly just to get the light to turn on.
While I was playing, I kept wondering—when a ghost shows up, am I supposed to scream?
Or should I be asking it, “So how exactly am I supposed to wire this thing?”
GuGu, maybe don’t ask that right now. Just look to your side.
If you’re looking on Meta Quest for something with polished visuals that isn’t overly scary but still delivers a proper VR atmosphere, or you want a new VR title focused on light puzzles and immersion, Ghost Town isn’t a bad option.
One thing to note. The game includes comfort settings to help reduce motion sickness. With adjustments, it’s manageable. In terms of how it feels, it’s better than a 🌀🌀🌀 level, but it doesn’t quite reach 🌀🌀🌀🌀 either.
- Posture: Standing
- Movement vignette: Medium (darkens the edges of the screen to reduce motion sickness)
- Movement Type: Continuous (smooth locomotion)
- Analogue Movement: On (enabled)
- Turn Mode: Snap (turns in fixed angle increments)
- Turn Angle: 30 degrees
- Turning speed: Slow
- Snap Turn Fade: On (enabled)
A friend of mine was talking about this game one afternoon. He said it was fairly new and that the graphics looked great. He described it as something like a Da Vinci-style mansion, but not overly complicated in terms of puzzles. He had just received a brand-new Quest 3, so he decided to give it a try.
After finishing the whole thing, his take was that the story and immersion were very strong. There’s real suspense and tension throughout. The early part takes a bit of patience, but the more you progress, the better it gets. He said the mechanics in the later sections definitely step things up.
Game Rating
The Highlights
- The graphics feel incredibly immersive. It really does seem like you’re standing by the sea or inside a lighthouse.
- The balance between music and sound effects is solid, and it creates a strong sense of being there.
- The puzzles aren’t particularly difficult.
The Drawbacks
- The ghosts feel more like something out of Ghostbusters, not scary at all.
- That said, it can make you feel a bit motion sick.
Setup & Safety
You don’t need to move around much in this game, so you can play it while sitting.
You also don’t have to worry much about your play space.
Final Score & Comfort Level
Final Score: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (Solid Choice)
VR Comfort Level: 🌀🌀🌀 (Moderate)
Video Overview
Meta Quest Official Information
Price: 29.99 USD
This title often gets discounted during seasonal sales, Black Friday, and New Year promotions. It’s usually marked down by around 20 to 30 percent.
If you enter VRPUPU at checkout, you get another 10% off.
Rating: 4.8 / 5 ( 941 Reviews)
Official Description
Uncover the mystery behind a strange disappearance.
Edith’s life had been going smoothly. The paranormal detective agency she ran with her roommate was busier than ever, the rent was almost fully paid off, and even the ghost in her bathroom mirror wasn’t as aggressive as before.
But everything changes when Edith’s brother goes missing. A mysterious clue surfaces that might point to his whereabouts, setting her on a journey to a remote island off the coast of Scotland. There, a medium with special abilities may hold the answers she’s searching for.
Take advantage of VR’s immersive nature as you explore richly atmospheric scenes with a controller and flashlight in hand, lighting the path ahead.
You’ll encounter a range of characters, both living and dead, and uncover the intriguing secrets hidden behind the ghostly disturbances.
Solve tactile puzzles with your own hands, activate magical runes, and even summon wandering spirits to guide them into the afterlife.
Fireproof Games is a small indie team based in Guildford, UK.
Ghost Town was completed after more than four years of development. We hope you enjoy playing it as much as we enjoyed creating it.
If Ghost Town’s puzzle experience alone isn’t enough for you, don’t miss these other great puzzle and mystery games either.
