There’s a new game called Torn, and I’m fighting the urge to make a million Natalie Imbruglia references

It’s kind of about illusion changing into something real

If there’s one thing virtual reality can truly excel at, it’s taking interesting settings and making them incredible through its immersive nature. This new game that takes place in a maniac’s mansion might be a prime example.

Aspyr Media’s first in-house game is Torn, a sci-fi dimension-crossing mystery for Rift, Vive, and PlayStation VR. Torn is about a vlogger who comes across an abandoned house/laboratory. It belongs to the missing Dr. Talbot, and all the machines and experiments in the mansion could lead to the truth about his disappearance.

It seems as if gameplay will lean on exploration and puzzle-solving in equal parts. The reveal trailer shows all sorts of elaborate setups. A press release we received mentions some kind of gravity gun that’s used to move objects and build towers. Talbot’s lab seems to tease both the secrets it holds and the wild possibilities of science.

Torn also doesn’t seem shy about wearing its influences on its sleeve. Twilight Zone and Black Mirror are both mentioned as inspirations. The narrative has pedigree behind it too, as its writers have worked on BioShock, Tomb Raider, and Stranglehold. Torn releases sometime this spring, so we won’t have to wait long to see if it can live up to those science fiction heavy hitters that it was inspired by.