Nearly four months after launch, Playroom VR remains one of the best reasons to own PlayStation VR (PSVR). Sony Japan’s brilliant minigame compilation is a free download, but it frankly embarrass some premium games with the sheer quality of its cutesy collection of single and local multiplayer experiences.
Today, Sony is adding another game to the set via a free piece of DLC. It’s called Toy Wars, and it’s a terrific blend of turret shooting and co-op action that you should definitely download.
Toy Wars has a simple premise; the VR user controls a toy gun that’s aimed using the DualShock 4’s motion controls. They have to defend the game’s cast of adorable robots from incoming enemies that slither out from beneath cupboards. Up to three other players can take a gamepad outside of VR and control giant mechs that can smash enemies with their fists. If even one baddie breaks the line and injures the turret? Game over.
Though the game can be played on your own, it’s much better with at least one friend, as things quickly become overwhelming without any help. Standard enemy types are taken down with just a few hits, but larger, tougher variations are introduced just seconds into the game. These foes take a considerable beating before they topple, and the game turns into a manic juggling act as you try to keep three sides of approaching nasties away. If (but let’s be honest, it’s actually when) you fail, then a UFO appears and sucks everyone into its illusive vacuum of doom.
It may not be as innovative as some of Playroom’s other multiplayer games, but as a shooter, Toy Wars is frantic and satisfying. It’s also proof that the DualShock 4 can be just as immersive a tool for VR shooters as a Move controller is. Spraying fire across the room feels powerful even if all you’re really using is the VR equivalent of a Nerf gun, and the communication needed with friends to ensure your safety gives it a touch of Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes. It’s one of the few VR games that shows you how great asymmetrical co-op can be.
What’s great about this piece of DLC is how naturally it fits into the overall set of games. It feels like it’s been here from day one. Not only are its mechanics as refined as anything else you’ll find in the package, but its presentation remains irresistibly adorable; seeing the characters from the other games cowering behind you as you fight for them is an especially nice touch.
Of course, what we really want to see from Sony Japan is a full-length edition of the excellent Robot Rescue minigame, but we’ll settle for this for now. Playroom VR has opened the doors to DLC in the best way possible and we can’t wait to see what else is in store.
