I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine

My spreadsheet instincts kicked in the moment I realised this game is structured around hard data points: six missions, six bonus objectives per mission, hidden collectibles per level, and target completion times that demand you know every puzzle solution by heart before you can even think about beating them. That is a game loop you can map, optimise, and replay, which is exactly the kind of design I respect. The core mechanic is a telekinetic implant that lets you grab and hover objects from across the room, making the seated VR format work in your favour rather than against you. Death restarts the whole level, but since puzzle solutions stay fixed, your second run is always faster than your first. The trial-and-error loop is deliberately low-friction: you die, you laugh at the cause, you carry that knowledge forward. One reviewer described dying by electrocution via lemon, and that is the correct energy. The complexity has genuinely stepped up from earlier entries: puzzles are multi-step, observation-heavy, and occasionally layer a separate time-critical problem on top of an ongoing one. The third mission, which has you driving a highway car while simultaneously disarming a self-destructing robot and dodging fire obstacles, is the most demanding multi-threaded puzzle the series has produced. Later levels pile on button-and-switch boards alongside unrelated concurrent puzzles, which is where the game peaks. Replayability is structured, not cosmetic. Each of the six levels carries three side missions, hidden collectible statues and Phantom coins (the coins typically require solving concealed sub-puzzles to unlock), and the aforementioned target times that essentially demand a post-mastery speedrun mindset. There is also a costume customisation layer, new to this entry, where you select agent attire including hats, watches, and gloves before each mission. It is shallow by any objective measure but adds a small personalisation layer that series veterans will appreciate. The accessibility profile is also genuinely good: the game is fully playable seated, optional closer movement is available in select levels, and motion sickness risk is minimal. The criticisms are real and consistent across reviewers. Some puzzle scenarios recycle tropes from the previous two entries, deflecting lasers and brewing antidotes under time pressure being obvious repeat offenders. Throwing objects still produces no physical damage or breakage, which looks odd when a teapot bounces off a cave wall intact. Controller interaction can turn imprecise when a level becomes dense with grabbable items. And the runtime is short: a player who clicks with the puzzle logic can clear the six main missions in a few hours, which puts the side-objective layer doing a lot of heavy lifting for perceived value. If you came to this series looking for the trial-and-error brutality of the earlier games, a few reviewers feel the difficulty ceiling has actually been trimmed, with some missions feeling slightly easier than their predecessors despite the added complexity. That is a tension in the design that you should weigh against your own appetite for punishment. Where Schell Games clearly spent their budget is presentation. The Bond-style opening title sequence with an original vocal track is the best in the series and worth the price of admission as a standalone experience. Voice acting for Dr. Roxana Prism and the robot antagonist is sharp, character writing stays in the wry spy-fi register the series owns, and the cartoonish art style lets the game run cleanly on VR hardware that would melt under photorealistic rendering. For newcomers: you do not need the first two games to follow the story, though the narrative pays off more if you have. A brief tutorial handles the telekinesis controls before the campaign starts. On every metric I care about for a short-session VR puzzler, the system is legible and fair.

Diego · Scout Team

Strategy & simulation

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