The Utility Room: Everything We Know

Picture this: you’re out roaming in the ashen plains of a seemingly endless opaque landscape—a world that stretches well beyond the walls of imagination and is only populated by charcoal blobs and chrome walls. It’s quiet — disturbingly quiet, even; the only sounds that are emerging from the minor cracks below the surface are a faint rumbling, and a partial landslide from a faraway cluster of rocks. In a split-second glance, you notice something stalking you—a monolithic figure that’s suddenly powering through the canyons and directly towards you. It’s closing in, and the only place you have left to turn is the shadowy abyss that looms on the horizon. This is, in short, a rough sketch of Lionel Marsden’s The Utility Room, a VR game that, weirdly enough, takes Moai—monolith carvings of human faces—to a whole new level.

So, what more do you need to know about The Utility Room, besides the fact that it is, for lack of a better word, “🗿”, in video game form? Well, if you did miss out on its initial Steam launch back in 2023, then be sure to read on. Here’s everything you need to know about Lionel Marsden’s stone-faced VR chapter.

What Is The Utility Room?

The Utility Room is an experimental virtual reality game that’s all about braving the unknown; specifically, the outer quarters of the universe that’s home to monolithic “caretakers” who keep the universe in check and the cogs forever turning.

Developer Lionel Marsden emphasizes the fact that “The Utility Room is not a traditional VR game.” Moreover, “It is not inspired by anything,” apparently. “There's no shooting or flashing lights or gumball machine gameplay. It is a place that no one has ever seen or visited and it is a place where you do not belong.”

”Fans of experimental or atmospheric horror games, Journey and the Kid A Mnesiac: Exhibition might appreciate the experience that The Utility Room offers,” the developer explains. “Whilst there are some gameplay elements, it can be best described as more of a Journey. One that takes you across a barren, rocky, and dangerous world. Many of the environments and beings found within the Utility Room are Megalithic. There is no doubt that you will feel very small, dwarfed by the scale of the world as you travel across it.” Color us intrigued.

Story

After three million years of drifting through space, you arrive at the doorway that sits on the edge of the universe—an ominous portal known as The Utility Room, of which nobody has ever dared to step foot in before. This world, according to vast amounts of scientific research, is the home of several titanic figures—“caretakers” who move gigantic relics in order to keep the universe from falling apart. As a tourist in this enormous land, you will discover what it takes to keep the stars aligned, and the planets from colliding.

“You have been traveling for 3 million years across space to the edge of the Universe,” an excerpt from the blurb reads. “In that time, you have become very strange. Your body is… different from how it once was but you are excited nonetheless. Your destination is the entrance to ‘The Utility Room', a famous cosmic landmark many know of but never visit.” It’s within this world that you, a tourist, will remove the veil from the great beyond, and discover the truth about the universe’s alignment, and what it takes to keep the balance.

Gameplay

As a reminder, The Utility Room is not a traditional VR game, but more an experimental walking simulation-type experience that sees players traversing colossal terrains and inputting basic movements, like jumping and leaping, for example. And that’s about it, really. So again, although it isn’t a traditional sort of game, it does have its fair share of interactive features.

“Leaping is unique in The Utility Room,” the game’s description explains. “When the grip on both controllers is squeezed they begin to vibrate faster and faster. The faster the vibrations, the bigger the jump when the player swings their arms. By giving the player less mobility than in traditional games and disarming the player they become more vulnurable in the world. If they miscalulate a jump they will suffer the consequences. Fans of games like Boneworks or Bonelab might find this version of jumping cumbersome.”

Development

The Utility Room is the product of one creative mind: Lionel Marsden, an independent developer who, besides being the leading force behind the backrooms-type VR game, is also solely responsible for the upcoming release of The Time Machine, yet another experimental art piece that will look to “take you where others won’t.” If all goes according to plan, then that VR chapter should, with any luck, reach headsets at some point in Q3 2024.

Trailer

Yes, there is a trailer for The Utility Room. You can check it out for yourself in the PlayStation announcement posting that’s embedded above.

Release Dates, Platforms & Editions

The Utility Room is currently available to purchase on Meta Quest. Fear not, though, PlayStation users, as it’s also shaping up for a release on PlayStation VR2 at some point this year. As for when in 2024 it’ll be arriving on Sony’s latest headset is still a bit of a mystery, though according to the devs, they’re “working on it.” So that’s something.

Interested in staying up to date with The Utility Room as it broadens its scope and ports its way over to new platforms? If so, then be sure to check in with Lionel Marsden and the team over on their official social handle here. If anything does change ahead of its PlayStation VR2 debut, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of The Utility Room when it arrives on its chosen headsets? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.