If you ever needed a chaotic, hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt VR snapshot of Texas, Hexas might be it. Owlchemy Labs’ latest update to Dimensional Double Shift drops players into the Gas N’ Grill—a wild, demon-filled roadside attraction straight from a Lone Star fever dream. And after playing it for the first time on a Quest headset in a hotel room, I get it. Not just the jokes, the rhythm, or the VR charm—but the point.
This is Owlchemy’s first-ever “Dimension Pack,” a paid $4.99 expansion to their cooperative VR title Dimensional Double Shift, and it might be the best $5 you can spend if you want to laugh, get messy, and maybe slap a demon pig’s butt.
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“We did a lot with Hexas,” CEOwl Andrew Eiche told me in our interview. “Because we wanted to make sure that it felt like something new. It’s a little scary for us. You’re still going to be doing cars and cooking, so we didn’t know if it was just going to feel like the same thing, but red. But we learned we could do it. We could get a little weir,d and it would still be okay.”
It’s more than okay. It’s Texas-sized. With oversized brisket, monster trucks, flaming demon customers, and a vibe that feels like King of the Hill meets Vacation Simulator with a Tex-Mex twist. For those of us from Texas, it’s filled with recognizable nods—from the “Don’t Mess With Texas” signs to the flag design. “If you live in Texas, the Lone Star is everywhere,” Eiche said. “It’s on shirts, underwear, it’s more visible than the American flag.”
Hexas is for everyone, no matter their VR experience.
But what hit me most wasn’t just the jokes or polish—it was how accessible Dimensional Double Shift really is. This was my first time using a Quest headset, and the setup was effortless. I didn’t need a big room, complicated wires, or to even stand up. Just sitting on a hotel couch, I was fully in it. I joined friends, fumbled with demon food, and helped tune up monster trucks without once worrying about menus or systems.
And that’s by design. “Our mission is VR for everyone—no exceptions,” Eiche explained. “We use hand tracking because it removes the controller from the equation… most people are used to using their hands. Not a 16-button controller.”
Even players with one arm can jump in. “We do a lot of work to make sure we don’t have two-handed interactions—or if we do, there’s an out for that,” Eiche said. Rather than forcing players to match a rigid control scheme, Owlchemy focuses on natural input and adaptable design. That also means embracing communication styles beyond voice chat. One subtle feature allows players to rotate order tickets to signal for help—something Eiche noted works for players who “don’t talk, can’t talk, or just don’t feel like it.” In a time when most games assume vocal command is the norm, that kind of detail speaks volumes.
And yes, I did slap a pig’s butt. It opened its mouth. That’s a sentence I can write because Hexas exists, and that’s what makes this game so special. It rewards you for messing around just as much as it rewards you for completing missions. One minute, I was flipping demon cornbread. The next, I was watching a flaming monster truck squeal with joy after a repair. Even when I didn’t know what I was doing, someone else could just hop in and help.
That spirit of collaboration shines in the heart of Hexas.
That spirit of collaboration shines through in how Owlchemy structured the game. “You and your friends run a diner-slash-garage that gets sent through the omniverse,” Eiche explained. “One person buys [the new dimension], everyone plays.” It’s a smart, social-first move—one that encourages communal chaos, not just individual ownership.
The studio is also learning as they go. Hexas was an experiment in figuring out “how much is enough,” Eiche said. “We weren’t sure it would feel different, but every time I play it, I go, wow—there’s a lot of stuff in here.” And it’s true. From the wild NPC designs to the custom Hexas flag to Big Hex (a demonic, looming mascot that talks), there’s so much care baked into every inch of the experience.
But even with all this, Owlchemy isn’t done. Eiche confirmed they know where they want to go next with future dimensions—but they’re holding back to let players enjoy Hexas first. “If I go out and say this is everything that’s coming next, that kinda locks it in,” he said. “That wasn’t the reason we launched this game this way.”
At its core, Dimensional Double Shift: Hexas isn’t just about monster trucks or moist brisket—it’s about what VR can be when it’s built with people in mind. It’s intuitive, it’s weird, and it’s wildly inclusive. Whether you’re a seasoned VR player or someone just tossing on a Quest headset for the first time in a hotel room, Owlchemy makes sure you feel welcome, involved, and most importantly, like you’re part of the chaos.
If Hexas is any indication of where the studio is headed, then the future of VR isn’t just bright—it’s brisket-scented, demon-filled, and designed to make you laugh with your friends. That’s a future I want to keep coming back to.
Dimensional Double Shift: Hexas is available now.
