Sushi Ben is a soothing VR title with immaculate vibes. As a newcomer to the quaint fishing village of Kotobuki City, you end up intertwined with the destiny of a beloved, freshly shuttered sushi restaurant. Providing to assist the massively overworked proprietor, you got down to restore provide chains for meals, interacting with the numerous quirky residents all of the whereas attempting to forestall a realty firm from shopping for up your complete city.
Gameplay is a set of fundamental, surface-level mechanics: it’s important to fish, catch bugs, seize ghosts — the checklist goes on. Most are innocent enjoyable — the desk tennis section is very good — so long as you don’t run into any bugs. Collision detection on the bug web is in all places, and the fishing rod has a complete host of issues, notably when water is concerned. Whereas among the gameplay moments are one-offs, you’ll retain a set of instruments to make use of all through the surprisingly giant world.
Whereas the size of the city is spectacular — there are a lot of nooks and little hidden particulars too — it is also largely an empty world that artificially extends enjoying time by making you stroll in every single place. There’s a sure lifeless high quality to the Pokémon-esque environments whenever you’re not actively collaborating in quests.
Fortunately, the presentation does assist shut this hole. The sport is absolutely voiced in Japanese, and dialogue is introduced like a visible novel, however with the added aptitude of cutaway panels like one would anticipate out of a manga. This works even higher in VR because the panels are given an additional degree of depth, virtually as if they had been part of the world you end up inhabiting.
In the end, the sport’s charming visage is sufficient to overcome some mechanical shortcomings and supply a recreation that is equal components enjoyable, charming, and goofy.
