When it comes to virtual reality (VR) titles, Europe and the US have been fairly luck so far, not much has been stuck in Japan with Western fans clamoring for it to cross the ocean. There are some exceptions, though. Here are five titles for the PlayStation VR not available in The Us or Europe that you should consider playing.
Restless Spirit
Restless Spirit is a Japanese horror title, though more like an interactive movie than a traditional videogame, the viewer is exploring the forest, and how the story progresses is directly related to what direction you are looking at certain key points. The title deliberately calls on classic Japanese urban legends, folklore and horror tropes. The experience only lasts for around fifteen minutes, but as anyone has seen the original Japanese version of the The Ring can attest, 15 minutes is plenty of time to scare the pants off you.
Headbutt Factory
Headbutt Factory is an off-the-wall puzzle title that involves headbutting flying balls for…reasons. Curiously, it’s controlled entirely using the PlayStation VR headset, no controller of the PlayStation Move or Dual Shock variety is required. Playing this probably looks like someone trying to play football (soccer, to our American readers) against invisible opponents. Quite apart from the unique control scheme, it looks beautiful, like a fantasy version of Venice in the clouds crossed with steampunk as drawn by Studio Ghibli.
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Fortune
Dead or Alive is completely bonkers. It is completely shameless in its blatant fanservice and ludicrous jiggle physics. It’s still great, though. It’s so obviously ridiculous and over-the-top that it becomes amusing rather than insulting. They’re also fairly decent fighting games in their own right, with smooth, responsive controls and loads of different modes to try out. Playing the Dead or Alive titles with friends is hilarious fun, so obviously playing with friends and a VR headset must be even better.
Fly to Kuma
Everyone loves Lemmings. Whether your first Lemmings experience was on the Amiga, PC or any of the numerous console ports, the majority of videogamers have fond memories. Colpol Inc. brought the Lemmings concept into the 21st Century by incorporating VR with Fly to Kuma. Instead of green mop-topped creatures, the player has to stage-manage adorable pink teddy bears through the perilous levels. Though stylistically the title owes more to Portal than Lemmings, the gameplay is all classic Lemmings, involving placing blocks and ramps in strategic locations to help the bears through the levels filled with bombs and fire hazards. While the title is available on Oculus Rift and HTC Vive in the west, PlayStation VR owners will need to look to imports for this title.
Joysound VR
Karaoke gets a lot of stick in the west. Subject to jokes and mockery at the often terrible noises that pass for singing in clubs and bars running karaoke nights in city centres. It’s hard to deny that karaoke is a huge deal in Japan, however. So of course the Japanese PSN store has a karaoke title. Let’s face it, it’s not necessary for everything to be serious all the time. Joysound VR offers the atmosphere of a Tokyo karaoke bar without needing to fly halfway around the world, along with NPCs to cheer on your performance. If you like Japanese music, especially J-pop, and the Japanese karaoke scene and if you were a fan of Karaoke party games such as SingStar, you are quite likely to have a lot of fun with Joysound VR.
