Draft:The Utility Room

• Comment: From what I can tell the draft has not substantially changed in sourcing since the last decline. Please see the below comments on review sourcing - these are what is keeping the title from meeting WP:GNG. Is there anything in terms of reliable reviews of the kind covered in WP:VG/S? Otherwise it just may not be notable. ＶＲＸＣＥＳ (talk) 05:01, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

• Comment: WP:GNG is so far not proven with reviews in reliable secondary sources. Steam reviews are WP:USERG and don't count. ᴢxᴄᴠʙɴᴍ (ᴛ) 08:49, 19 January 2024 (UTC)

• Comment: At the moment, does not meet WP:NGAMES. But if you can find more sources like filmkrant.nl and vrscout.com it might.
  Steam and other WP:PRIMARY sources cannot be used to establish notability under WP:NGAMES. Qcne (talk) 13:38, 24 September 2023 (UTC)

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The Utility Room
Developer(s)	Lionel Marsden
Publisher(s)	Lionel Marsden
Composer(s)	Nicky Vella
Engine	Unreal Engine 5
Platform(s)	Windows, Playstation 5
Release	Windows February 6, 2023 PS5 August 28, 2024
Genre(s)	Adventure, experimental, horror, walking simulator
Mode(s)	single-player

The Utility Room is a 2023 virtual reality (VR) Indie Surreal Horror Adventure game developed and published by Lionel Marsden in the United Kingdom. It was released for Windows with support for VR headsets via Steam and PlayStation 5.

In The Utility Room the player embarks on a linear journey through a rocky 'behind the scenes' world inhabited by massive floating stone heads that maintain the stability of existence. The game has been praised for its sense of scale, strangeness, and non-traditional approach to VR and the horror genre.

It was released for PS VR2 in August 2024.

Gameplay

The Utility Room features minimal gameplay elements and can be described as a walking simulator. It incorporates environmental storytelling across 26 distinct environments. Players can use both teleportation and smooth locomotion to navigate, while traditional 'jump' and a VR-based 'Leap' are also used to move through the game. Larger gaps require the player to leap initiated by gripping both controllers and swinging their arms.

The game begins with the player arriving at a door located at the edge of space introduced with some text:

"At the edge of the Universe lies The Utility Room. The 'Behind the Scenes' where all the heavy lifting takes place. There have been no work incidents in 13.8 Billion years. You are arriving as a tourist. Don't do anything foolish."

Following this, the player inadvertently causes an accident, trapping themselves within the Room. The player then navigates through a variety of strange environments, including geometric caves and mountainous alien landscapes.

Notably, The Utility Room has been praised for its genre-bending or experimental approach to Horror and use of flat cinema film techniques.

Jacob Geller in his video essay Three Specific Kinds of Terror, remarked: "I don't really think The Utility Room is a horror game. Or at least it foregoes most of the trappings of the genre. But it does operate on what I'd call "lizard brain fear," a sense of nope so instinctual there's no real need to introduce it."

Film Journalist Kees Driesson noted following a playthrough at the Venice Biennale that The Utility Room proves that montage and hard-cuts rarely seen in VR, "not only do not have to be a problem" but that the game "proves that you can even drag the user through a surreal hell." The Utility Room also uses a linear structure of sequences or set pieces that imitate a traditional timeline or film narrative structure.

The player's journey culminates in a series of experimental VR environments that confront the player for trespassing.

Development

The Utility Room was solely developed by Lionel Marsden and began development in January 2022. The project originated from a 2019 monoscopic 360° film concept. The decision to develop the game as a virtual reality (VR) experience was driven by the desire to offer players a tangible sense of scale that could be best conveyed through stereoscopic VR headsets.

Initial interest in the project was sparked by a video shared on Reddit’s r/megalophobia, a community focused on the "fear of large things".

Composer Nicky Vella began working on the game’s soundtrack in November 2022.

Reception

The Utility Room featured in the Venice Immersive "Best of" Immersive section at the 80th Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica (80th Venice International Film Festival).

The Utility Room has garnered attention through video essays and reviews, notably by creators Jacob Geller and Cresendex collectively amassing 3.5 million views praising its unique and experimental nature, sense of scale and atmosphere.

Critics noted that The Utility Room diverges from traditional VR gaming through its slower pace and minimal interactive elements, comparing it more to an art installation than a conventional game. However, some reviewers expressed dissatisfaction with the scarcity of gameplay mechanics and found its abstract narrative difficult to interpret. The VR Realm described The Utility Room as "artsy" and challenging to fully comprehend, suggesting that the game’s intentions remained ambiguous to some players.

The Utility Room currently holds a Very Positive rating on Steam.

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Recipient
2023	Venice International Film Festival	Best of Immersive – Out of Competition	The Utility Room