Parents need to know that "Shooty Fruity" is a downloadable virtual reality first person shooter. In it, you blast fruit that are attacking you while working at a supermarket. Its humorous premise and cartoon graphics make it very unrealistic, but parents should know it does require using multiple weapons to explode this fruit. Parents should be aware, too, that virtual reality equipment makers don't recommend VR experiences for kids under 12 due to the potential impact the technology may have on younger players' physiological development.
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
"Shooty Fruity" is a VR game with a name that sums up the premise. You work in a supermarket and must scan items, like cans of beans and boxes of cereal, until genetically modified fruit starts a rebellion and begins to attack you on the job! So you must use weapons – like handguns, rifles, and hand grenades – to destroy this oncoming fruit that will kill you if they get too close. That's right, fruit might include rolling watermelon, flying cherries, and bouncing raspberries, and you must grab weapons that appear in front of you on a clothesline and unleash rounds while also performing your job. Your tasks get more difficult, too, like placing scanned items in a specific area (while simultaneously keeping an eye on the oncoming fruit). The game also includes power-ups that give you temporary bonuses (small discs you pick up and drop in a receptacle), as well as goals to achieve per level.
IS IT ANY GOOD?
While not a mainstream title, this is one of the most fun VR experiences you can have, and at under $20, it's a steal. Combining a first-person shooter mechanic with a simulation like Job Simulator is a great idea to begin with, and then you layer in the ridiculous premise of genetically-modified fruit coming alive, a sarcastic boss talking to you over the PA system, and many unlockable goodies, and it's a formula that just works. The controls are beyond accessible, including scanning items, aiming and shooting guns and little things like biting the pin out of the hand grenade before tossing it or grabbing a piece of fruit that gets too close and then shooting it with your free hand. You must choose the weapon loadout before each level, so there's some strategy involved, too. It's worth mentioning there's no motion sickness since you're not moving around much.
It's nearly perfect, but there's a little repetition in the single-player gameplay over time, as well as the one-liners by your boss (they really should have recorded more of these or played them less), but overall "Shooty Fruity" is a "must play" game for anyone who likes VR. And because it's rated "Everyone 10+" it will no doubt make parents feel better about tweens playing a shooting game that's about decimating fruit than real people as in many other first-person action titles.
RATING AND CONTENT
Recommended for ages 10 and older
Quality: 4 out of 5
Positive messages: 1 out of 5
Positive role models: 0 out of 5
Ease of play: 5 out of 5
Violence: 1 out of 5
Sex: 0 out of 5
Language: 0 out of 5
Drinking, drugs, and smoking: 0 out of 5
Consumerism: 0 out of 5 (Are products/advertisements embedded? Is the title part of a broader marketing initiative/empire? Is the intent to sell things to kids?)
GAME DETAILS
Platforms: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR
Price: $19.99
Developer: nDreams
Release date: December 19, 2017
Genre: First Person Shooter
ESRB rating: E10+ for Fantasy Violence, Comic Mischief
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