The launch slate of PSVR games, and VR games more widely, are experiments in form and function. What works and what doesn’t is still up for grabs as we wrestle with not only what is “fun” in VR, but what is possible when considering the limitations of the first generation of commercial headsets. Hustle Kings VR is an experiment in this vein. It is good that developers are experimenting and pushing new the envelope of what’s possible, even if it falls flat some of the time.
And unfortunately that’s been the case here, an experience that has primarily been let down by what is fast becoming the Achilles heel of VR games, the controls. Ultimately it feels like a bit of a rushed VR port, one that needed a little bit more time in the oven to be truly compelling.
But what even is Hustle Kings VR? At its core it’s a pool simulator, set not only in the swish pool bar that I’m not sure actually exists, but in a variety of lavish environments that could only really exist thanks to VR. It’s easy to see why pool seems like the perfect type of sport for VR, yet even before pool has even begun can we see some areas that could do with a bit more polish. Advertisements are strewn across the walls (itself something that is distasteful in a game that charges money) for first and second party Sony PS4 exclusive releases. Hilariously these are well out of date, including LittleBigPlanet 3 and the now defunct Driveclub. If you’re going to have advertisements in a new release paid game, at least keep them up to date. The pool bars are also strangely empty, which I never got used to. It felt like I was playing in some late night pool racket rather than a living environment.
I was excited to try pool in virtual reality. The thought of using the PS Move controllers to carefully aim my shot was tantalising. I was supremely disappointed then to find out that the best way to control the ball was with the Dualshock 4 controller after all. It’s possible that the technology simply isn’t up to the task presented to it. And while the tutorial does a good job of explaining the mechanics, simply using a controller I feel robs this game of much of its allure as a virtual reality title. Playing it in VR offers little benefit then over playing it on a 2D screen, which is where this game originally started. It feels like it was created to fill out a launch lineup rather than on its strengths or its potential contributions to VR.
Another issue I found was that the HUD didn’t fit naturally in my field of view, so I had to move my head around just to see what my shot would do, which seems like a major downgrade. The guidelines for the ball also make some pretty tricky shots far too easy. I would like an option to turn these off (a la driving lines in racing games) but I couldn’t see any options to this effect in the menus. At least I didn’t feel any VR sickness at all in this game, but I didn’t expect to, seeing as you’re standing in place throughout. VR does allow you to look around the table a bit, an advantage that is somewhat obviated by the guide lines anyway.
The game isn’t bad really, and if you want a good pool session then there’s no reasons not to get this game. It’s also priced fairly cheaply, so is pretty easy to pick up on a whim. But it’s not an essential addition by any means. A mediocre experience in general, I’m sure it will find an appreciative audience, but for me it couldn’t do much for me. Whether that audience needs to be on PSVR is less clear. That said, I am glad that Sony is trying all sorts of game types in VR, and look forward to what other experiments lie in store.
Released: October 2016
Rating: PG
Platforms: PlayStation 4 | PSVR
Genre: Sports, Virtual Reality
Developer: SCEE
Publisher: PlayStation