Virtual Virtual Reality
- September 7, 2018
- Tender Claws
- 4h median play time
In "Virtual Virtual Reality," players wear VR headsets within VR to explore nested virtual realities and avoid their manager. As a human companion to A.I. clients, they can choose adventures, conflicts, or even becoming a cleanup tool operator. The game features over 50 explorable virtual realities and quirky characters like a screaming artichoke.
Reviews
- Highly recommended as a first VR game due to its basic and easy controls, fun story, and interesting characters.
- The game features a well-crafted headset mechanic that feels natural and immersive, providing a unique experience.
- The humor and writing are exceptional, making the game engaging and enjoyable throughout its short playtime.
- The game is quite short, typically taking around 2-3 hours to complete, which may leave some players wanting more.
- Controls can be finicky, especially for Valve Index users, as the game was primarily designed for HTC Vive controllers.
- There are significant technical issues, including crashes on certain headsets and a lack of updates, leading to frustration for some players.
- story390 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely praised for its depth, humor, and engaging narrative, often compared to classics like "Portal" and "The Stanley Parable." While many players appreciate the unique storytelling and immersive experience, some note that the game is relatively short, typically lasting around two hours, which may leave some wanting more. Overall, it is considered one of the best story-driven VR experiences available, showcasing the medium's potential for innovative storytelling.
“The storyline is pretty great, with tons of cool ideas to contemplate and thoughtful plot points.”
“This game is incredibly nuanced, with an extraordinarily deep, intelligent, yet still challenging story that will play with your emotions at every turn.”
“The story is compelling and the characters are equal parts hilarious and deep.”
“The story didn't make sense to me and while it was different from most games it just left me never wanting to play again.”
“The story was extremely linear and one-dimensional. Follow this path, do this random thing with no relation to an arching story.”
“The problem is that the creators did zero work trying to connect most of the 'labor' parts of the game to the story.”
- gameplay126 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its innovative use of VR mechanics, particularly the headset mechanic, which feels natural and immersive. Players appreciate the balance of engaging storytelling, humor, and exploration, although some note limitations in gameplay depth and support for newer VR platforms. Overall, the game offers a polished experience with unique mechanics, though it may feel brief for some at around two to three hours of playtime.
“The mechanics were well done, the story was good, and I especially enjoyed the portal-like sense of humor.”
“The execution of the VR mechanics is superb.”
“Fun gameplay, great aesthetics, zero bugs, top-notch campaign (a full campaign! in a VR game!), controls easy to master, voice acting is funny and poignant; this is one of the few fully polished VR experiences I've seen.”
“Its age is primarily shown in lackluster support for newer HMD platforms than the old Vive and limited gameplay mechanics.”
“But this mechanic is absolutely neglected throughout the entire game.”
“The game could literally just as well have had buttons that take you to another room, because the devs have done no effort to explore any possible intricacy with this mechanic, and it's incredibly disappointing.”
- humor120 mentions
- 98 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness, absurdity, and ability to blend dark themes with lightheartedness, reminiscent of titles like Portal and The Stanley Parable. Players appreciate the witty dialogue, quirky characters, and the immersive experience that keeps them engaged and laughing throughout. While some found certain aspects tedious or unsettling, the overall consensus is that the humor significantly enhances the gameplay, making it a memorable and enjoyable experience.
“The humor hit me right in the funny bone and the characters were delightful.”
“Easily the best VR game I have ever played, the writing was hilarious and the twists were amazing.”
“This game is so funny while being kind of a dark psychological horror game where you rub and suck a stick of butter.”
“Meh, feels like there's a base for a great game here because the controls are really nice and responsive, but the story falls flat and it just comes off as an unfunny jab and at times pretentious jab at the Facebook/Oculus situation.”
- graphics65 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the clean, minimalistic art style and realistic visuals that enhance the immersive experience, while others criticize them as low-tier and simplistic. Many appreciate the game's aesthetic and world design, noting that it effectively supports the storytelling and gameplay, despite some finding the graphics blocky or underwhelming. Overall, the visuals are described as polished and engaging, contributing positively to the VR experience.
“The minimal art style fits well with the wonderfully surreal, sci-fi setting.”
“Further, the graphics that this game provides are some of the best looking, realistic graphics that I've ever seen come from a video game, and it manages to keep my PC cold while doing so.”
“Visually, the graphics are crisp and sharp, world interaction is satisfying and the sound design is fantastic.”
“The graphics are low-tier and boring.”
“Don't be fooled (like I was at first) by the somewhat plain graphics!”
“The graphics are low-fi, so it will run on a potato, but the reality warping effect you can use on your environment is so trippy.”
- replayability26 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many users noting a lack of significant replay value due to its short narrative experience. While some players found it immersive and enjoyable enough to warrant multiple playthroughs or watching others play, the consensus leans towards it being a one-time experience rather than a game that invites repeated plays. A few reviews highlight moments or features that could enhance replayability, but these are often overshadowed by the game's brevity and limited content.
“No other VR experience really lives up to this one, and it has some replay value as well.”
“This alone makes the game very replayable and makes you want to search for more.”
“Fun game, optimized well, and good replayability!”
“It just isn't fun and it has no replay value.”
“Zero replayability.”
“An amazing experience from beginning to end though there's not much replay value.”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is often described as dark, surreal, and detailed, evoking comparisons to titles like Portal and The Stanley Parable, though some reviewers feel it doesn't quite reach their quality. It successfully blends wit and creepiness, creating an engaging environment that encourages replayability. Overall, the voice acting and attention to detail contribute significantly to its immersive atmosphere.
“But it's witty, fun, and atmospheric in a way that can be creepy sometimes.”
“This is one of the only single-player games I'll play more than once; the atmosphere of the game is kind of dark and good.”
“It has a lot of detail put into it, the voice acting is pretty darn good, and it does a really good job at creating a great atmosphere.”
“People compared it to the tones of The Stanley Parable and Portal, and while maybe it has a similar atmosphere, absolutely nothing here is of that quality.”
- emotional12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its emotional depth, delivering a surprisingly resonant narrative that explores transhumanist themes alongside humor and creativity. Players report a range of feelings, from laughter to tears, highlighting touching moments and strong voice acting that enhance the overall experience. While some reviewers feel it may not be groundbreaking, the emotional journey and engaging story make it a worthwhile adventure.
“I did not expect it to present some big transhumanist/singularity-based ideas in an emotionally resonant way, but it delivered that too.”
“The voice acting was consistently good, and there were even some touching moments towards the end.”
“Incredible narrative and mechanical experience, I laughed, I cried, there's a neat story here with interesting characters, the concepts and creative ways to portray the environment are fantastic and while the experience was brief, it is well worth the price.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with users noting poor performance on older hardware, particularly with the GTX 980, and issues with Valve Index controller support. Additionally, the lack of native Oculus SDK support has contributed to a subpar experience, while some players found the game enjoyable and well-optimized overall.
“Fun game, optimized well, and good replayability!”
“Poor optimization for the Valve Index controllers; it likely has not been updated in ages.”
“No native Oculus SDK support, unfortunately. Performance was pretty bad on my GTX 980, and it crashed out a couple of times.”
“In Job Simulator, you could interact with everything in interesting ways, and you were free to experiment and just play around at your leisure; here, most things are just decorative objects with no meaningful interactions, and you're constantly being herded from one scenario to another, while also being berated for your inevitably 'poor' performance, even though the situations are rigged to make good performance impossible.”
- music8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised as a standout feature, complementing the wonderful story and stunning visuals. Reviewers highlight the great soundtrack and its perfect alignment with the game's atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.
“Wonderful story, amazing visuals, and a great soundtrack.”
“Not even to mention the beautiful animation, ambience, music, and phenomenal voice acting.”
“It's unbelievably amazing, and the music is spot on!”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and awkward, particularly in its control mechanics on the Valve Index. However, some users note that the experience improves significantly in the final portion of the game.
“I found it more tedious than funny.”
“I found this game tedious in its control mechanics on the Valve Index, almost awkward.”
“Pretty tedious for the most part, but the last 20% or so are pretty rad.”
- stability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its exceptional stability, being nearly bug-free even when played on unsupported hardware, such as a WMR headset.
“The game was almost completely bug-free, even on a not officially supported WMR headset.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is highly praised, with reviewers noting its exceptional quality and depth. The controls are also highlighted as effective, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.