Dreadhalls

About Dreadhalls

Dreadhalls began at the 2013 Oculus and IndieCade VR Jam and became one of the first full horror games made for virtual reality, first on Gear VR and later on PC VR headsets through Steam in 2017 and on Meta Quest in 2019. It is made by White Door Games.

You wake deep inside a stone dungeon and have to find a way out. The layout is built anew each time, so you cannot learn a route. Your lantern needs oil, and you pick up keys, notes and other items as you search for the exit across several levels.

The fear is almost all sound and darkness. The game uses positional audio, so a scrape or a breath behind you sounds as if it is really there, and the light from your lantern reaches only a few steps. When a creature appears you cannot fight it: you run, hide and hope. Its graphics show their age, but players still rate it highly for how tense it is.

It suits VR players who want pure tension and hiding rather than shooting, and anyone who liked Amnesia's helplessness.

How to play Dreadhalls

1. Start in the dungeon with your lantern lit and look for a way forward.
2. Pick up oil whenever you find it to keep the lantern burning.
3. Collect keys and items to open locked doors as you search for the exit.
4. Listen for footsteps and breathing; when a creature is near, hide or run.
5. Find the way out of each level to go deeper and, in the end, escape.

Tips

• Play with headphones: sound is the best warning you get.
• Do not waste oil; a dark lantern leaves you nearly blind.
• Keep track of turns you have taken; the layout changes every game.
• If you hear something close, move away from it before looking.

Questions