Arcade Paradise VR Review (FastLawyer)
Experienced on the Meta Quest 3
You can view my gameplay & early impressions here: https://youtu.be/mflV1XVmN1U
This really isn't a bad game at all. It's nice for what it is. However, after playing it for over 2 hours, it also feels like a huge missed opportunity for a much better game. My main problem with the game is that it's just too basic. The VR interactions should have been more immersive. Some of them are. Most of them aren't though.
You pick up trash by pointing and clicking grab and the it automatically goes into a trash bag you never see until it's full. Then you "toss" into the garbage bin basketball style, but with no challenge whatsoever. It's better to miss than to make a "basket" from further away than the S area (because you can try again if you miss). You start off the game by picking up trash, tossing the trash, cleaning the toilet, & doing laundry (wash & dry). Those are not really fun mini-games. There's also some very simple light management stuff. You get to pick what arcade cabinets you have from a small list. You get to upgrade some skills (such as a better trash bag) by completing daily tasks. You get some story via clicking through texts & e-mails on an old looking PC.
The cool part is the arcade cabinets. There's a light gun arcade game where you grab a light gun and shoot at targets. Awesome, that's exactly the type of VR interaction I want to see. You also eventually unlock an air hockey game where you move the blocker and use motion controls to hit the ball. Great! However, you start off with an arcade version of the same type of game where you move the blocker with the joystick on your motion controller and it's just not tuned correctly. Most of the arcade games are controlled with your joystick / face buttons. Not really immersive. Most of the arcade games seem to be meme worthy. A few of them are fun to play.
Game is running on the Unity Engine. Got 90 fps on my RTX 3080 with only a few drops here and there. You have full locomotion along with smooth or snap turning available. You can play comfortably seated. I didn't run into any major bugs, just a few annoying ones like your hand getting stuck on the lid of the washing machine or dryer.
This game honestly feels like a port of a non-VR game, which is exactly what it is. Unfortunately, not enough went into it to make the VR experience really stand out. Parts of it are cool. Most of it isn't though.
Rate 6/10. More effort should have been put into making the VR interactions interesting for each game / mini-game.
If you enjoyed my review, please consider joining my Steam Curator group Oculus Rift Reviews.