ZIX from Hidden IO is the latest in a long line of first-person roguelike adventures to grace the VR ecosystem. Out now in early access for Quest 3 and Steam, ZIX arrives with a clear mission: to carve out space in a genre already bursting at the seams.

If you’re suffering from the dreaded 'roguelike fatigue,’ I’ll give you the headline upfront, before you have a chance to roll your eyes and disappear - this one is worth a closer look. Despite having a few small issues, ZIX is built on a movement and combat system so engaging that once it clicks, it’s hard to put down.

Let’s begin with an open admission: my first impressions of ZIX weren’t glowing. The art direction didn’t click with me, the soundscape felt muted, and I wasn’t sold on the enemy designs. But an hour in, I began finding my rhythm. By the end of my second hour, I was completely hooked.

Like most roguelikes, ZIX doesn’t waste much time trying to tell you a story. There’s a wafer-thin premise handed out during the tutorial that provides just enough context to ground the action, but narrative isn’t the point here. This is about dropping you into a series of surreal areas, testing your reflexes, and letting you chase that flow state where combat, traversal, and quick-thinking blend together effortlessly.

Each run consists of a series of short missions, after which the player returns to the lobby to either spend their upgrade points or select from the next set of available challenges. Every 'campaign' is divided into these smaller sequences, usually culminating in either a wave-based arena or a mini-boss encounter. Progress far enough, however, and you’ll unlock tougher missions that see you facing off against greater enemies and some more challenging bosses.

Structurally, it’s familiar ground for roguelike veterans, operating in a similar vein as contemporaries like Hellsweeper or The Light Brigade. Personally, this staccato rhythm to the action would not be my preferred way to enjoy this, as it stops you from getting into a real flow and truly enjoying the mechanics that the game has to offer. Don’t get me wrong, the current format still works, but an approach more akin to the longer stretches of uninterrupted action found in the likes of In Death: Unchained would better utilize these fluid mechanics.

The cornerstone of ZIX’s design is fast movement and dynamic combat. Jumping, dashing, climbing, and vaulting aren’t optional extras; they’re the heart of the experience. Every level is built with verticality in mind, encouraging you to bound across platforms, scale walls, and chain together maneuvers with an almost unnatural grace. While there is the standard artificial stick-based locomotion for basic movement, gesture-based movement is also present. These mechanics are more unique and I’ll admit, they took some getting used to. Let me explain…

Imagine if your movement was based on flinging an elastic band. For example, if you want to propel yourself forward, hold the grip button and pull back - imagine you’re stretching your elastic band here. Then when you let go, you shoot forwards at tremendous pace. Do the same but pull to the left, and you’ll sidestep to the right. Do the same with both hands to double your velocity.

Jumping, dashing, and performing ground slams - it all uses this technique. While it’s a heavy cognitive load to carry at first, once you internalize the system it adds a sense of kinetic energy few VR games manage to sustain.

Combat builds on that foundation with five core weapon groups - bow, sidearm, shield, melee, and throwables, each weapon type being summoned via simple hand gestures. Like the movement system, once you get the hang of the gestures, switching between weapons on the fly is intuitive, creating room for fluid improvisation.

Leap off a ledge, summon your bow and fire mid-air, land with a ground smash, then swap to your dual pistols before dropping a bomb and dashing off to the next enemy. It’s great. You even get higher points the more you ‘juggle’ your enemies with consecutive blows, incentivizing you to string together outrageous combos.

That’s not to say the system is flawless. Gestures can get muddy, and there are plenty of moments where I’d find myself summoning the wrong weapon by mistake. Also, throwing feels a little wonky and that makes using the explosives less reliable than I would hope. Still, with practice and a bit of discipline, you can mitigate most of these issues. As the game progresses through Early Access, I hope these areas receive more work.

Progression follows the tried-and-true roguelike formula. Within each run, you’ll find perks and temporary weapon upgrades that enhance your current loadout. Outside of runs, acolyte points provide permanent stat boosts, ensuring there’s always a sense of forward momentum even after failure. Difficulty escalates as you progress, with new enemy types, perk combinations, and modifiers added over time, helping each run to feel distinct from the last. Modifiers like low gravity, enhanced knockback, and other twists stack throughout the game and can completely alter your approach mid-run.

If there’s a weak point in this system, it’s the internal economy. Chaos - the currency used to unlock weapons during runs - feels relatively stingy. Weapon costs are high, drop rates are conservative, and without a save-run option, losing progress can sting, a fact compounded by battery limitations on standalone devices. I lost two excellent runs, complete with powerful unlocks, simply because real life called and I had to take the headset off. It’s a frustrating omission, and one that could be smoothed out with quality-of-life improvements during Early Access.

Visually, ZIX may divide players. Technically, it’s crisp and easy to parse. Enemies are easy to distinguish, environments are clear, and the art direction creates a tangible sense of scale that complements the game’s vertical elements. There are moments where bounding through the environment feels fantastic simply because of the way space is framed.

The biomes are distinct - the red hellscape of lava and ghosts, the green zone of insects and fungi, and the watery blue biome with its floaty, surreal atmosphere. But stylistically, it won’t be for everyone. Personally, I feel the art direction (particularly the enemy design) gives the game a slightly childish feel that's at odds with the frantic action administered by the outstanding gameplay mechanics.

It is worth noting that the visual styling of ZIX plays very well to the standalone headset. This review is conducted primarily on Quest 3; however, I did also play the Steam version for comparison. As you would expect, the Steam version is visually superior, but the Quest version loses absolutely nothing for the slight drop in visual fidelity.

If there’s one area where ZIX stumbles hard, it’s sound design. From the first moment, the audio feels sparse and underwhelming, to the point of feeling almost oppressive in its absence.

The soundtrack is oddly subdued, lacking the punch you want in an action-centered game and failing to match the pace of the combat. At times, the soundscape makes the headset feel uncomfortably quiet rather than immersive, draining momentum instead of fueling it.

It doesn’t ruin the experience, but the gap between the energy of the gameplay and the flatness of the audio is stark. With stronger, more dynamic sound design, ZIX could easily elevate from good to great. Hopefully, Early Access gives Hidden IO time to address this, because the rest of the package deserves better.

ZIX may not win everyone over on presentation, though it does offer one of the most engaging combat systems I’ve played in a long time. The combination of vertical movement and gesture-based weapon switching creates fluid combat encounters with kinetic rhythm that feels unique in a crowded genre.

It’s not perfect, but the core experience is strong enough to recommend, even in Early Access. If you’re a fan of free-flowing combat and don’t mind a few rough edges, ZIX is absolutely worth your time.