Becoming a real-life rock star sounds like a pretty sweet deal. Money, fame and and non-stop partying are excellent end goals, but when I was younger I quickly realised that to accomplish those goals I’d have to actually put the time in to learn an instrument. So I chucked that dream in the bin and just played videogames instead.
Lovely videogames have had my back though and subsequently I’ve earned millions in GTA Online, I’ve performed to packed arenas in Guitar Hero and now, thanks to Hotel R’n’R on PSVR, I’ve been able to fulfil my deepest of rock star desires by going on a hotel room trashing rampage.
Hotel R’n’R has been performing to smaller audiences in Early Access since 2019 but it’s hoping to hit the big time when the full game goes on tour this coming Thursday 28th on both PC headsets and PSVR. While there’s plenty of PC footage from the Early Access build out there, this week’s Ian’s VR Corner is one of the only places you’ll be able to watch a big chunk of the PSVR build in action before launch.
The premise of Hotel R’n’R is pretty simple. You’re a recently deceased, wannabe rock star who’s sold their soul to the devil in return for fame and fortune. There’s only one catch – to achieve this you’ll first need to trash an assortment of hotel rooms around the world, without getting shot in the face by over enthusiastic hotel security guards.
It’s a recipe for beautiful VR chaos and each hotel is a small sandbox level that’s bursting with things to throw, hit, smash and (when you’ve earned better equipment for your rider) shoot.
In the video above, you’ll be able to see me playing through the first 30 minutes of the PSVR build in a seated position. Thanks to a variety of control schemes and comfort settings, I was able to smash my way through the contents of two hotels quite easily, even though I suspect playing stood up is the best way to experience this game.
Unfortunately for a game all about picking things up, I did have a few issues with the grabbing mechanics as they often felt inconsistent, something that wasn’t helped by the clumsiness of the mandatory dual Move controllers. Heavier objects don’t feel quite right either, they feel rubbery and slippery in your hands and it was a source of frustration to me that I couldn’t successfully throw a television more than a couple of inches in front of me. If you want to play a game that does VR weight well, Boneworks is a great choice and it could teach Hotel R’n’R a thing or too about giving objects heft without making them feel spongy.
Hotel R’n’R isn’t meant to be a physics simulator though, it’s meant to be a silly game about smashing things up and although I suspect the core gameplay will get old pretty fast, it is initially a hilarious experience that has a lot of replayability – especially if you’re into unlocking extra tools of destruction like bats and guns.
If you want to unleash some pent up anger, having your own virtual rage room is a pretty good place to start and going on a rampage in Hotel R’n’R is definitely therapeutic. Just like last week’s featured VR game Gorn, for me Hotel R’n’R feels more like a novelty experience rather than a full-fledged game, although it does seem like the perfect novelty experience to whip out at parties once we’re finally allowed to have our mates around again.
If you enjoyed this episode of Ian’s VR Corner, you can catch up with my previous adventures over on YouTube in our VR playlist, where I’ve covered Asgard’s Wrath, Ghost Giant and Five Nights at Freddy’s VR. You can also read our list of best PSVR games.
Source: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-05-24-heres-30-minutes-of-hotel-rnr-psvr-gameplay
