Trenches VR is a terrifying horror game full of jump scares, but its trivial use of the World War I setting ultimately does this experience a disservice.
Early in Peter Jackson’s 2018 World War I documentary, ‘They Shall Not Grow Old,’ veterans recount how they came to be conscripted. “I just thought that I’d like to go and fight for the country. This was the thing, you were proud of your country, and you’d do the best you could for it,” a former soldier explains.
Known then as the Great War, this level of destruction was unprecedented in human history. Trenches VR utilizes this backdrop as you move across these dangerous ditches to get to safety from enemy lines. It’s a horror adventure to the core, though the fact that it doesn’t use this setting more meaningfully is disappointing.
The best horror experiences are firmly rooted in a primal fear. From protagonist Ethan’s extreme insecurities in Resident Evil 7 to MADiSON VR’s unknowable demonic forces preying on the weak, anything goes when the premise is solid enough to suspend your disbelief. In Trenches, the soldier we play as, James R., fears for his life as he tries to return to his wife and kids. But the characterization ends there, only going as deep as a puddle.
Conceptually, Trenches VR does accomplish what it sets out to do: make you fall out of your chair and take your headset off instantly from its myriad jump scares. But to use the background of such a tragic, well-documented historical event feels like a disservice to the game itself. By not actually justifying it, Trenches falls short with what could have been a more profound exploration of World War 1. And it all boils down to the monsters.
Trenches VR begins in a cabin serving as a hub, where you can test several items that become useful as you venture through these wooden corridors. A pocket knife to cut barbed wire, glass bottles to distract possible stalkers, and a gun that can only slow down assailants but not kill. There is also an alarming letter, typos and all, letting other poor souls know that the unnerving paranormal entities witnessed are not a product of their imagination but real.
Once ready, you can select a new game with the prologue or a different path to skip that entirely. You’re back to the beginning if you die, while jump scares and clues are randomized each time. Nothing seems unusually wrong when walking through the passages of these war-torn fields. Sounds of explosions, air raid sirens, and heavy rain create an effectively tense atmosphere. Booming lightning strikes brighten your surroundings briefly, but this is represented by a sudden change in the color of the wooden boards from brown to light blue. I assumed this was a visual bug until I later realized it’s intentional. Making progress involves a shut gate in a room with corpses that must be powered from a nearby generator. The frights start creeping in soon after.
This is where the game’s approach falters. While it eases you in with a couple of well-intentioned old black and white images of family to remind you of what you are fighting for, the danger is inexplicably otherworldly. Making your way to the electrical handle, a mangled body that decidedly does not look human is just lying there, alluding to what horrors await later on. Eerie dolls of babies straight up appear in your path with no reasonable explanation. Delirium can take many forms, yet this feels more like a checklist of horror clichés simply designed to scare you as you progress further.
Akin to Slender: The Arrival’s task of finding eight pages hidden in the woods, rolling credits requires collecting nine fetus dolls scattered in the labyrinthine trenches. Carefully listening for crying baby sounds, the goal is to not die at the hands, or mouth, of the humanoid with a gaping maw while collecting these cursed items. These cries become louder by blowing your whistle, at the cost of revealing your position to this monster.
Using the Quest’s microphone so enemies can hear you is an intriguing idea when losing your nerve, even if the sound picked up is not too sensitive. A small icon in your left hand reminds you if you’re making any noise. Once an inevitable chase sequence starts, the only real solution to escape certain death is to fit into the narrow spaces in between the trenches. Considering the game’s one-hour length if you successfully obtain every fetus, going back to square one if caught is fair.
Your sanity slowly declines as you linger in this timber maze, increasing the frequency of jump scares. However, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to any of the horrors appearing on-screen. Collecting the dolls could symbolize a traumatic memory that the main character suffered as a child, although there is no indication of it. A black-haired woman reminiscent of Blair Witch standing on a corner ready to assault you is a half-baked trope. The main monster chasing you, who seems to be an embodiment of the soldier’s trauma, looks like a generic body horror design instead of taking cues from mutilated bodies, a product of the real horrors of war.
Comfort
Expected accessibility features are given in Trenches VR. A tunneling vignette is here, as are snap or smooth turning camera options. Removing the player’s arms is also an available option. You can adjust your height, though the menu recommends playing while standing up if possible.
A solemn period in human history, using World War 1 as a historical backdrop means coming to grips with the reality of its long-term consequences. While the heavy-hitting ending tries to come to terms with an uneven portrayal of mental illness, it’s ultimately undone by favoring deafening jump scares. The litany of horror tropes confirms that Trenches VR only has one goal in mind: to terrify you. Don’t expect anything deeper than that.
Trenches VR is out now on Quest and Steam, while the PS VR2 version is coming soon.
