Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality

Maze Theory returns with yet another first-person puzzle game based on everyone’s favorite sci-fi doctor. Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality discards its predecessor’s VR-only roots and aims to share the experience with more Doctor Who fans across all platforms.

While the first game in this series wasn’t as well-received as the developers expected, the sequel is shaping up to be a step in the right direction. Without the limitations imposed by VR, The Edge of Reality could become a solid puzzle game, that is, if it does focus on satisfying puzzles this time around.

A Tale of Two Doctors

Fans of Doctor Who will be pleased to hear that there’s more than one Doctor in the game. Not only will the Thirteenth Doctor guide the players through the whimsical world of Doctor Who: David Tennant returns, reprising his role as the Tenth Doctor for the first time in a while.

If you’re not a fan of Jodie Whittaker’s performance as the Doctor, seeing Tennant (one of the most beloved actors to play the character) will surely be a breath of fresh air. Be it as it may, Whittaker has proved herself to be great doing voiceover work, and her narration in The Edge of Reality sets up a properly eerie vibe that goes well with the rest of the game’s aesthetic.

Much like the first game (Doctor Who: The Edge of Time), The Edge of Reality is mostly a walking simulator with some puzzles scattered all over the adventure. That said, while the previous game had the advantage of being a VR-only game to justify its shallow puzzles, The Edge of Reality isn’t that lucky.

Bigger and Better

Seeing as The Edge of Reality is a more traditional first-person puzzle adventure, the puzzles will have to be more complex this time around. So far, we’ve seen some much-needed improvements in other areas of the game, namely those that were affected by the previous title being VR-only.

Things like character movement and overall controls seem to be working much better this time around, and the performance is sure to be much better on older machines in The Edge of Reality.

While the game is a direct continuation of The Edge of Time, a proper synopsis of that game’s events might be in order for new players to understand what’s going on, even if they’re familiar with Doctor Who’s mythos.

Visual Legends

Doctor Who’s rich history is in full display here to see, with the game featuring an impressive selection of some of the show’s most iconic characters. Everything from Daleks to the Cybermen, from the Sonic Screwdriver to the TARDIS appears in The Edge of Reality.

It also helps that the game’s visuals are actually quite pretty, capturing the essence of Doctor Who in its complete, wacky way. Every one of the game’s segments uses lights masterfully, creating some of the most unsettling atmospheres we’ve seen in a first-person puzzle game like this. The Angels are especially creepy, with their unique “looking” mechanic keeping players on edge at all times.

Pros:

• Terrific visuals
• Lots of popular characters from the show
• Improved camera and movement controls
• Great voice acting

Cons:

• The story can be a bit short
• Little incentive for replayability