Harmonix Music VR : Review
Despite coming from the studio behind Rock Band, Harmonix Music VR isn’t a game. It is a “VR Experience”. This is a phrase that you will see and hear quite often in the launch window. As devs get to grips with the new tech they will often create novel little experiences that are far too limited in terms of scope and entertainment to make into a full game, but too good to just throw away.
The idea here is a nice one, to allow you to listen to your own music inside a semi interactive VR world. To be “inside the song” in a way, a visualizer for 2016. By providing your own soundtrack it can be as relaxing or as exhilarating as you want. The problem with Music VR is that three out of the four experiences offer little to keep you entertained. Which means this quickly turns into something you will use to relax, which can be difficult in VR.
The four experiences break down as follows.
The Beach – Puts you on a empty beach with a few small islands, each island is slightly different with its own unique points of interest. All you can do here is look at things, if you find an interactive plant or lamp you look at it for a few seconds and it will react to your music as the skylines pulses along to the beat.
The Dance – Set in a school gym where some cute cartoon monsters are having a party. This is slightly more interactive allowing you to direct some of the monster’s limbs to move to the music and “dance”. You can also throw them around or shoot objects at them with a toy gun. Again much like the Beach it is cool for 10-15 mins then runs out of steam.
The Trip – This places you in a tunnel of visual sounds and shapes that are influenced by your music. This is the place you might spend more time with if you wish to get lost in the music for a while. It is a sensory tank of sorts where you can be alone with the music and shapes, however the patterns are limited and after 20 mins they start to repeat. This is not as limiting as the other modes as getting lost in the music is the more important factor, it does lose the “oh that’s cool” factor after an hour or so.
The Easel – This is by far and away the best mode of the four. It is the most interactive and offers the most freedom to create. You use the Move (or Dual shock) like a paintbrush and create living reactive and interactive paintings that you can walk around and even manipulate. Easily the most creative and the place you could easily spend an hour or two in.
Overall: Despite being one of the cheaper VR offerings it is the kind of experience that is very subjective as to whether you think it gives value for money. As with other “VR Experiences” it will be mind blowing the first time you play it, maybe even the second, third or fourth. But I just can’t see myself coming back day after day. This will be very much an occasional getaway for when I need to shut the world out for 20 mins.
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