When VR started out, many of the experiences were able to be “sit in the middle of” settings. These are great when done well but they’ve increasingly become more like a tech demo over the years. Spice and Wolf VR was set up like this and so is its sequel, Spice and Wolf VR2. It is as if you are sat inside an anime scene for better and for worse.
Similar to the recent Laid-Back Camp VR games, you play from the perspective of a main character and have a conversation with another. You play as Kraft, who has married his lover Holo, who is a wolf lady. Now with their daughter Myuri, they’ve settled down for a village wholesome life. The story follows preparing for a feast, making a fur coat and being a bit sassy and playful with the flirty and confident Holo. The Japanese voice actors do a great job and the graphics are great both in VR and standard TV play. It really does play out as a slice of life anime episode that you can spin 360 degrees around the single garden environment in and collect some hidden coins as the light drama plays out.
However, Spice and Wolf VR2 is over in 25 minutes. It is an anime episode in VR. Once viewed, there is a bonus “movie night” scene which is additional 12 minute wholesome piece explaining how Kraft and Holo first met. This takes still images from season 1 of the actual anime and has the family narrate over it like a commentary track on a DVD or Blu-Ray. It’s a lovely addition but certainly doesn’t make up for the £20 price tag. What is here is great, but £20 for 40 minutes with next to no replayability or choices to take – its just not a good deal. The same could said for the first game too.
I bought the game at 40% off and feel less hard done by, as I’m a huge fan of the anime. I could only recommend this game on a deep sale because of how little content is here for the price. I’m not usually one that complains about content vs price points either because often that is a very individual thought process. I know the title is a niche one, but if you are paying more than £10 for this, I don’t think you are quite getting a fair trade – and that’s what Spice and Wolf is really all about.
PSVR and PS4 versions bought and played.
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