Tunnels is an immersive, claustrophobia-inducing VR experience

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I don’t typically feel claustrophobic, but tunnels gave me pause in that regard. Developed by Nomad Monkey and published by Mastiff, this horror game set in virtual reality puts players in the role of crawling through a labyrinthine cave system, with terrifying monsters hot on their heels trying to hunt them down. Some VR enthusiasts might remember Tunnels due to its exhilarating free-to-play multiplayer demo, which was made available on the Meta Quest store as far back as September 2023. I got an exclusive sneak peek at a different demo of the game during GDC 2025 and even had the opportunity to speak with the developer about their progress on the game’s full release, including details about the anticipated single-player campaign.

Dungeon crawling

When I put on the Meta Quest 3 headset over my glasses, I found myself abruptly transported into a dark, subterranean cave. A set of instructions about the controls floated above the tunnel entrance that I needed to squeeze through. To progress deeper into the tunnel, I had to mimic using the dual controllers as hands, stretching each arm forward and pulling myself nearer. At first, I attempted to move both arms like rowing a boat, but soon switched to an alternating motion, similar to climbing a ladder, for smoother movement. As a convenience feature, I could also advance by moving the left stick when my arms got weary.

Instead of physically rotating my camera by turning my head or swiveling in my chair, I could simply tap the right stick to adjust the viewpoint in 45-degree steps. However, I didn’t use this feature frequently as it caused a bit of motion sickness for me. When needed, I would tilt diagonally to move slightly sideways by crawling at an angle.

Mostly, the tunnel was extremely dark except for occasional glimmers from green crystals barely illuminating my way. I reached for my flashlight, fastened across my right shoulder, but found it useless as its battery was drained. With only its light as my protection against the creatures, I sped up, more so when I detected a strange scuttling sound to my left. However, my efforts were futile; a grotesque creature with multiple legs and a hand-like face snatched me, ending my flight. The on-site personnel attempted to inform me it was known as a “Crawler,” but I affectionately nicknamed it the “Keep Off” monster instead.

Getting shafted

In the lead-up to the game’s complete launch, Nomad Monkey plans to enlarge both multiplayer and single-player experiences. The standalone premium DLC adventure will stretch approximately two hours, narrating the tale of a worker named Max, dispatched to shut down a mine following rumors that people have been venturing into the caves and vanishing. However, Max becomes trapped himself and must find his way out with guidance from Jason, his radio partner. In addition to traversing mineshafts, he will also need to swim underwater, zip-line over chasms, and climb cliffs to evade monsters.

Regarding the multiplayer aspect, it will be free post-launch, and Nomad Monkey has gathered valuable feedback during a closed beta that ended in March. The teamwork mode challenges teams of up to four players to activate different switches scattered within the cave network before they are taken prisoner. The developer mentioned they were considering implementing additional constraints, such as limiting the number of flashlights, and incorporating the ziplining and climbing mechanics from the solo storyline.

In Spring 2025, Tunnels is anticipated to release for both Meta Quest 2 and 3. Additionally, Nomad Monkey is exploring the possibility of modifying the game to work on PICO, Steam VR, and PlayStation VR platforms too. A multiplayer demo for Tunnels can currently be found in the Meta Quest store.

This sneak peek is derived from an interview and demonstration presented exclusively at a private meeting during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2025, by the game’s publisher.

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2025-03-20 18:28