Metamorphosis hands-off preview: A fascinating VR game based on Franz Kafka's brilliant story

Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis is such a fascinating piece of literature, and thanks to Black Sun Productions, it’s going to be a VR game! While personally, I cannot play VR games because they make me horribly nauseous, I won’t lie; I’m very intrigued by what Black Sun Productions have put together.

As a younger person, I discovered Franz Kafka’s work and wondered how this would translate into a video game. Now, I don’t have to wonder anymore. Having recently joined Black Sun Productions to take part in a hands-off preview session of Metamorphosis, I got a glimpse of what the exploration and puzzle-solving would be like, as well as the general dialogue of the game. After taking it all in, I was genuinely impressed.

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Metamorphosis brings Franz Kafka’s titular story to life in a unique way

Franz Kafka's story is brought to life in a brilliant new way (Image via Black Sun Productions)

Much like the story itself, Metamorphosis takes place in early 1900s Vienna, where players control Gregor Samsa, who spent the evening celebrating with his friend Josef. However, as Gregor stumbles through his friend's house, already late for work, he finds that things aren’t the way he remembered. Things get trippy shortly after, as he finds himself. . . not the way he was before.

Now a bug, Gregor has to solve this great mystery, and perhaps find a way to make himself human again. Joseph is missing, and now, you’re a bug! Specifically, a cockroach.

At the same time, we also need to try and help Joseph, who gets framed/accused of a crime he didn’t commit. It’s very entertaining to talk to bugs about a letter from an attorney - something they almost assuredly know nothing about. I feel like this is going to be a fantastic, story-driven game for VR enthusiasts.

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The movement and exploration of Metamorphosis looks phenomenal

A small house in Vienna has never felt so massive (Image via Black Sun Productions)

The developers put in a lot of work to make the motion look/feel like a cockroach. They designed a new locomotion system that combines running and crawling arm motions. Although it did make me feel a bit dizzy and nauseous after a while, it wasn’t quite as immediate as with most other VR titles I’ve experienced. The movement looked incredible, and accurate to what a bug might see when they’re moving.

Gregor has to crawl around this massive estate, interact with other bugs, and try to sort this mystery out. He’ll also have to indulge in some clever movement and interactions to scale objects that bugs normally wouldn’t be able to.

For example, you’ll need to use globs of yellow sticky liquid to climb up vertical surfaces and get to a higher area than you would normally be able to by running and jumping. This isn’t infinite though, and players can easily see how much sticky liquid they have left, as it depletes from their limbs. Moreover, you have to be careful in Metamorphosis even though you're just a bug since dropping from a great height is instant death.

The game does a great deal to honor the themes of confusion and disorientation that the story originally brought to life. It’s a very psychedelic, very trippy game. From falling through the floor and being thrown into bizarre situations, to simply being a bug and crawling around, talking to other bugs.

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Metamorphosis brings a bug’s life to life

Well this looks sinister (Image via Black Sun Productions)

One of my favorite things about Metamorphosis is the visuals. While they aren’t groundbreaking 4K visuals, I really like how this house becomes an entire world. It’s scaled expertly, and while trippy and bizarre, it’s interesting and well-designed.

I’m also a fan of the voice work. Hearing a gruff and grumpy bug say he isn’t allowed into the Gramophone Club because they “dance too provocatively" is such an interesting experience, and this remains the case from start to finish. Part of the preview showed the bug stopping the gramophone music, so the lawyer would get up. Then, through this, you’ve unlocked a bridge to climb to the next section of the house. It’s all very clever.

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Final thoughts

Seeing the early 1900s world of Franz Kafka in this medium is quite exciting (Image via Black Sun Productions)

While Metamorphosis isn’t a game that I can or will likely be able to enjoy, I’m very excited for VR enthusiasts to try it out. It will be available on the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 2 on October 10, 2024. There’s so much to see and do in this massive VR experience.

It’s certainly unique, and I think the perspective they’ve created makes it a perfect game for players who like rich storytelling, puzzle solving, and virtual reality gaming. This is not a game VR fans will want to skip out on.