The act of bartending has been going on for centuries. Throughout history, there have been many occasions where individuals have trusted a capable bartender to concoct their beverages carefully, regardless of whether they are ordering or serving. Sure, each person may have their favorite places where their favorite bartenders will be. But have you ever thought about the skill that goes into the science of mixology? The skill of accurately pouring exact quantities to ensure maximum customer satisfaction, combined with the anxiety of making even a single mistake, can turn it into an unpleasant encounter. Does VR Factory Games, the developer, guide us toward achieving Cocktails and Dreams? Let’s find out with Bartender VR Simulator for the PlayStation VR2.
Bartender VR Simulator has you stepping behind the virtual bar and flair your way to the stars! Enter the exciting world of bartending and master the art of dazzling mixology in VR with a range of drinking glasses to choose from, different liquors, beverages, and additions. Crushed or cubed ice? Professional bartending know-how. Various bartending techniques. Item destruction. Juggling with bartending equipment and drink ingredients.
So before you go in taking the job of a bartender and thinking you are Tom Cruise in Cocktail, there are a few things that you should be aware of. First, you want to make sure if you are standing or sitting, that you are in the center of the space. You will be reaching for things and no need to damage yourself, any equipment, pets, and small children in the process of your bartending dreams. Second, make sure those Sense controllers are charged. You don’t want to be juggling anything only to have things fall and not receive your tips all because you forgot to charge them, do you? Third, clear your mind. Remembering ingredients is key here and you don’t want to receive a fail all because you had other things on your mind. And finally, just have some fun. With all that said, let’s continue…
Once the game starts, you have quite a few options. You can practice, start your career, free mode, go over the drink list, and try some challenges such as juggling high scores, and even settings. I would suggest first selecting your locomotion rotation. I changed it from the default to smooth as I wanted the best experience. The only other option is for the sound. So once you have those two things figured out, it might be a good time to practice. This seems to be the early bird hour as there are just a few customers around and you can practice on a few drinks like the Americano and Moscow Mule, for example. You will notice you have everything you could need at the bar from all the ingredients and ice to the glasses and even a bottle opener. Don’t worry about knocking things over as you are trying to get used to your new career.
I will admit that I probably had the music volume a little higher than the announcer letting me know what I should be doing. The register will give you instructions as you practice. As the drinks are being made, you will start to earn money, including any tips. But before you can start your career and make some real money, you have to know how to make the drinks, so you know what they say? Practice makes perfect.
Once you have unlocked the careers for the different bars because you think you know everything you have learned as you have committed it to memory, it’s time to give it a try. If you happen to forget what the next ingredient is for a drink, you can always select the hint on the cash register monitor, however, it will cost you. Also, remember that if you overpour it will cost you and if you make the drinks wrong, not only will it cost you, but you will receive some attitude from the customers. Because again, you should have had this all down in your two-week course of becoming a bartender before attempting a career.
Let’s talk about the graphics and sound. With the graphics, some things looked better close up. For example, being able to read the labels of the bottles and ingredients was legible. The nice in the bin had this mixture-like parts of it froze and then refreeze, but once you put the ice in the cups, you could easily make them out. Some of the customer’s faces had some details, while others didn’t have as much. But when you pour the drinks and focus on what you are supposed to, things start to look as I thought they should. Then we have the looks of the bars. From the bar that was a nightclub to even being a bartender with the mountains in the background, it was interesting how the characters dressed in comparison were nice to see.
For the sound, I enjoyed what I was hearing. Being able to change the music to hear the different drinks pour, to even scooping up the ice to open a bottle, all had a distinct sound that was a pleasure to listen to. Even when the customers were happy the times when they let you know they were not, did add to the experience of it all.
There are a few things that I would love to see. First, an update to the graphics. While things looked good, I wanted to see more emotion from the characters, see them dance, and see what happens when they drink too much. Let’s push the graphics to see how this would look. Second, more interaction. Having conversations with customers would be enjoyable. You could ask them questions and, based on their responses, receive higher tips. Then, if some customers become too rowdy, you could switch to bouncer mode. Third, multiplayer. I can only imagine how fun it would be if you could have another player back there to see who can serve drinks better and have that place on leaderboards. And finally, more bars. Right now there are only four bars. It would be kind of fun to bartend in some of the most famous bars across the globe, just to see how well you could do.
Bartender VR Simulator allows us to attempt our bartending dreams, no matter how challenging they may be. But it also allows for those who may not be comfortable around others to at least interact with some, even if not real, and that’s the beauty of VR. In life, we may be faced with situations where we may not be comfortable and challenging. Sometimes we accept and attempt challenges and fail them. But then there are the times when we try to succeed when we don’t think it is possible. Do you think that if we all took the opportunity to try now and then, we could become better?
Bartender VR Simulator is out now for PlayStation VR & PlayStation VR2 in the PlayStation Store, and also available for the Oculus Rift/S and Quest 2, 3, & Pro on the Meta Store, Pico, Steam VR, and Viveport. A review code was provided.
To learn more about VR Factory, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, join their Discord, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, there are a few more trophies to collect, my career to master, and try to get that Hippy Hippy Shake.
