VR The Diner Duo – The Review

So many things can go hand and hand with Virtual Reality. Horror, adventure, and even being a Chef can work in Virtual Reality. So when I got the chance to review VR The Diner Duo for the PlayStation VR, I was excited and the team of Whirlybird Games did not disappoint.

In VR The Diner Duo you play as a chef who must serve robot customers. Now before you jump in, please do the training. It will help you learn how to cut and cook the items needed. I tried without the training and one of the customers wanted a fish on their burger. But the way the item looked, I thought I was to cook the fish whole. I can’t tell you how many fish I burned and all this could have not been an issue if I just went through the training. In my defense, my eagerness got the better of me. I know…I know.

Please note that no actual fish were harmed in any way, shape or form in playing VR The Diner Duo.

When you first start VR The Diner Duo, you are given a warning that you will be moving your hands a lot, so this is not a sitting game in mind, so please make sure you have some room when you play. Keep in mind you will need both Move Controllers to play. After the initial warning, you are given two options, Solo or Duo Modes. Once you pick one the fun begins. I will say that I really appreciate that even before starting a level, that I am given the options to adjust the scale, floor, and height of my counter. Thank you Whirlybird Games….thank you.

In Solo Mode, you are the chef. It’s all up to you to make sure your diner is a successful one and filled with satisfied robotic customers. So after you have your counter set up the way you like it is time to play. You are instructed to click on the menu book that will give you options, such as a Winter Mode to add to this time of the season (again a very nice touch) and Cupcake Mode, where the object is to serve cupcakes and even a customize option to change things up.

The customers will come to you with what they would like for their orders. Once you get familiar with where everything is, it starts to become second nature. The buns are located below the counter. The knife, cucumber, fish, plates, and cheese are to your right. Ketchup and Mustard (which you do have to tilt and press the move button to have them squirt out) are in front of you to the sides and on your left, you have your grill, patties and on the top shelf are the mushrooms and the most awesome cassette player. You are allowed to switch out the tapes for different kinds of music which is nice. The only thing that made me a little sad is that I did not find a tape labeled Awesome Mix. Other than that, the music does work here and it’s nice to turn up the volume or not have any music at all.

Starting out the orders are easy as to be expected so that you can get used to where everything is and the immersive feeling and working in your diner. You are able to add multiple patties to the grill, cut up many cucumber slices and mushrooms ahead of time. Just don’t let things get burned and don’t leave the cooked food out too long. When your items are done the cooking, you will hear a ding, which is helpful if have the music going or if other people are in the room. I am going to say nice job on the restroom door as there is a picture of poop there. It would have gotten added bonus points if it had the eyes to go with it, but I understand why they are not there, but just saying it would, even more, fun if they were.

As you complete the levels are given rewards such as new items to help customize. When your customers come up to you, they will show you what they would like cooked and you have to do it in the order, otherwise, they become sad, frustrated and angry inside their speech bubble. And we really don’t want sad robots and we really really don’t want angry robots, because we all know what happens if robots become angry.

Duo Mode is where you have a friend help you out. You are still the Chef when wearing the PlayStation VR headset, but the other person is playing as the robot you see in Solo Mode getting the drinks and orders. The non-VR player will be responsible for these actions and you two must work together to form the ultimate Diner Duo and rule this neighborhood. It does take some patience if the person who is non-VR and you to work together for the common goal. So please no fighting during the holidays.

VR The Diner Duo is a game that opens itself up and welcomes you to the fun. Along with the music, immersion, leaderboards and overall the dream of becoming the Virtual Reality Chef you have always wanted to become. I love the Winter Season Mode as it’s snowing outside, you can hear Santa say ho ho ho, the music, and when you see a snowman come in, it just adds to it. I just hope that more items, seasons and locations get added. VR The Diner Duo is a welcome addition to an already amazing catalog of games and experiences I enjoyed playing.

VR The Diner Duo is out now on PlayStation VR and is also available on the Oculus Store and Steam. A review code was provided.

To learn more about Whirlybird Games, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.

In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I have some orders to cook up.

Mr. PSVR, December 21, 2017, theplaystationbrahs.com