Dimensional Double Shift New Joysey Hands-On Preview: Owlchemy Labs’ Latest Expansion Doubles Down on Co-Op Chaos

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I first experienced VR gaming back in 2016 with my cousin’s HTC Vive, and I’ve been a big fan ever since. Because of this, I’ve played quite a few games from Owlchemy Labs over the years. Job Simulator, Vacation Simulator, and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality have long been favorites in my VR collection, and Owlchemy Labs’ newest game, Dimensional Double Shift, has quickly become another essential addition.

Launched in early access last year, Dimensional Double Shift is a free-to-play VR game for 2 to 4 players. It really showcases Owlchemy Labs’ signature witty and funny style. After a recent preview, where I played with CEOwl Andrew Eiche, the Dimensional Double Shift New Joysey expansion has definitely impressed me.

An Intro to Dimensional Double Shift

Let’s first clearly explain what Dimensional Double Shift is before diving into the details of the upcoming New Joysey paid expansion. In Dimensional Double Shift, as many as four players put on their VR headsets and become part of the Conglomni Corps team.

Players start in the Treeattle dimension and can choose between two types of jobs: working in a garage or at a fast food restaurant. At the fast food restaurant, each player handles a different station, with its own special ingredients and equipment, and tries to fill as many orders as quickly as possible. The garage job is set up similarly, but instead of making food, players use unique tools at their station to complete simple, puzzle-like minigames.

Similar to Job Simulator and Vacation Simulator, Dimensional Double Shift uses a humorous and ironic style. Everything in the game – from how you play to the details of the environments – playfully criticizes large, impersonal companies and how they treat their workers.

Captivating Hand-Tracked Chaos

What I find most appealing about Dimensional Double Shift is that you play the whole game without a controller. You use hand-tracking for everything – from picking up order slips to applying mustard to a hot dog, and even fueling a flying car.

I played Dimensional Double Shift using the Meta Quest 3, and the hand-tracking was excellent. Generally, the game’s hand-tracking performed quite well. Grabbing objects felt realistic, the range of motion was fresh and new, and being able to physically squeeze things like a sponge or bouncy ball was unexpectedly cool.

Naturally, Dimensional Double Shift‘s hand-tracking isn’t flawless. I often had to try a couple of times to pick something up, and items occasionally slipped out of my grasp unexpectedly. However, these instances weren’t annoying. The fast-paced and generally chaotic nature of Dimensional Double Shift-with four players quickly preparing ingredients and even tossing them at each other-made these small tracking issues feel like a normal part of the craziness. This overall sense of chaos is what New Joysey really emphasizes.

Dimensional Double Shift’s New Joysey Doubles Down on The Co-Op Chaos

I spent about thirty minutes with a preview of Dimensional Double Shift. During that time, I completed one mission in the base game’s Treeattle garage and two missions in the upcoming New Joysey expansion’s diner setting. Similar to the Hexas Dimension Pack before it, Dimensional Double Shift’s New Joysey expansion reimagines a real-world location with a playful and exaggerated twist. This time, the humorous makeover focuses on the New Jersey boardwalk, as the name suggests.

Starting the diner mission in New Jersey for the first time, I found myself working at the donut station. Initially, everything went smoothly. I easily picked up an order and started making the donut with sprinkles as pictured. I took some dough from a container on my right, put it in the deep fryer on my left, waited briefly, removed the donut, added sprinkles, and rang the bell to send out the order.

The very first order went better than expected – the game’s hand-tracking worked perfectly, and everything felt really natural. But things quickly became chaotic. My next order was another donut, except this one called for a whole block of cheese instead of sprinkles. I used the built-in game chat in Dimensional Double Shift to ask Eiche, who was working at the pizza station, for some cheese. He tossed it over, and unfortunately, it landed right in the deep fryer. That caused a fire, and I had to grab the fire extinguisher to put it out and stop the flames from spreading.

The whole thing only took a moment, but I definitely felt a rush of happy excitement. That was just a hint of what was to come! The second time I played New Joysey’s diner mode, I got to work at the pizza station. I was happily tossing cheese to my teammates while also making some seriously strange calzones filled with tomato, cheese, peppers, and even ice cream.

Dimensional Double Shift is getting a new expansion called New Joysey, which will be available on October 16th for $4.99. A convenient feature is that if only one player in a four-person group purchases the new dimension, everyone in the group can enjoy it.

Dimensional Double Shift‘s missions are quick, 15-minute experiences of pure fun that really shine in virtual reality. During my 30-minute preview, the game’s fast-paced and crazy action made me both laugh and yell in frustration several times. The silliness of New Joysey’s new food, the engaging conversations with characters, and the bright, colorful diner setting make the upcoming expansion a must-play for anyone who enjoys the exciting chaos of Dimensional Double Shift.

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2025-09-30 19:26