MONTREAL, QC, September 18, 2025: The Seam opens and the worlds begin to shift. Hidden IO is extremely excited to announce that ZIX is finally available in Early Access on Meta Quest 3/3S and Steam VR for 19.99 USD. In ZIX, players become Acolytes serving the enigmatic Zix, battling through shifting realms in solo play or three-player cross-platform co-op, with gesture-first movement, expressive weapon-based combat, and runs that can be remixed mid-journey.
You wake in the Seam, a quiet threshold between worlds. The run begins. There is no floating UI to babysit you. You read the space with your body. Reach, grip, and pull yourself forward. Time a second pull for a double jump. Slide through fire, recover midair, and keep moving.
Enemies come hard and fast, but the answers live in your hands. Pick the right tool for the moment:
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a gun for clean, deliberate shots,
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a sword that can deflect incoming fire if your timing is right,
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a spike that hits like a bomb with real arc and weight,
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a shield to reposition under pressure,
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a bow that rewards calm aim in chaos.
Upgrades stack as you go, changing how those weapons behave and how you solve problems. Every choice nudges the tone of the run.
Each run draws from three hostile realms, then splices their conditions into unpredictable mixed worlds for bigger risk and higher intensity. Push the systems and they push back. Bend the rules with in-run tools and the world will retaliate. ZIX is a VR action roguelike about expressive movement, readable but demanding combat, and runs you can meaningfully remix.
Key features at Early Access launch
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Flow-first VR movement: grip-powered traversal with jumps, double-jumps, slides, and aerial recoveries tuned for rhythm and intent.
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Expressive physical combat: five core weapon lines that honor timing and form. Swords deflect projectiles, spikes detonate with weight, precision matters.
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Stacking upgrades: build-altering augments that combine to reshape how weapons, worlds and encounters feel.
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Three realms, many permutations: survive Grove, Abyss, and Gut, then endure mixed worlds where properties collide for a harsher climb.
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Co-op that respects skill expression: play solo or as a party of up to three, with cross-platform co-op between Quest and Steam VR.
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Diegetic, low-UI immersion: interactions live in the world to keep your eyes and hands on the fight.
Early Access lets the team expand content and sharpen balance with the community while protecting what makes ZIX tick: tactile traversal, timing-first combat, and player-driven variability. Ongoing updates will target encounter pacing, enemy and upgrade depth, run-shaping options, and performance and comfort across both platforms.
Join the Cult
ZIX is available now in Early Access on Meta Quest 3/3S and Steam VR for 19.99 USD. Pick it up or wishlist on your platform of choice, visit the official website to learn more, join the Discord to squad up for co-op, and follow the game on X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok for patch notes and new content drops.
Light the Cauldron, Acolyte! Reality is waiting to be rewritten…
For press kits, trailers, and screenshots, visit the official press hub.
Press contact:
Impact Reality PR
pr@impactreality.com
About Hidden IO
Hidden IO is an independent VR studio based in Montreal, founded by brothers Tam and Sol Tahirli. Growing up as refugees, the two found solace in gaming, a passion that eventually led them into game development careers spanning industry giants like Unity and Ubisoft. Seeking to push the boundaries of VR gameplay, they formed Hidden IO in 2023 with the goal of blending deep roguelike mechanics with kinetic, freeform movement and surreal, ever-changing worlds.
Backed by Meta’s Oculus Publishing program and the Canada Media Fund, Hidden IO is dedicated to creating bold, experimental VR experiences that reward creativity, adaptability, and mastery. ZIX is the studio’s debut title, bringing a fresh take on VR roguelikes with its player-driven reality-shifting systems, expressive combat, and co-op chaos.