Restless Spirit review for PSVR

In the PlayStation VR Digital Store there is a section called VR experiences, which is distinguished from VR games by length and interaction. A different kind of proposal from the usual. Strangely, Restless Spirit has neither the length nor the interactivity needed to be classified in the games section, but that is where you will find it.

Being chased by a girl’s ghost is nothing new in horror entertainment, but it’s hard to evaluate a product that doesn’t belong to the games segment as such and deal with aspects like gameplay, when the most you have are a few parts, precisely three, where the player clicks R2 on the DualShock and that is the “game’s” interaction, besides being a spectator of the events unfolding in the plot.

So be warned that if you’re looking for a Horror game, and horror is one of VR’s strong points – especially given that PSVR had an exceptional highlight with Resident Evil VII, a true “System Seller” for the device – you will not find that kind of quality or experience here, which shouldn’t even be sold as a game on the Store.

So, aware of the kind of experience you’ll find: the plot is confusing and leaves loose ends. It basically boils down to a 10-minute film where the player is chased by a ghost, taken to a forest, meeting along the way a girl’s ghost who will guide them, pointing out directions that will make you escape from other ghosts who want you dead, for reasons the game doesn’t explain. Later, in something the game calls a chapter, a man driving a vehicle appears and is asked what is going on, and the driver replies that you wouldn’t believe it if he told you, without further explanation. Since being a short experience is no justification for presenting a senseless plot, it deserves a 4.0 for the plot.

As for the technical side, in the visual department, the sounds and the video production are simply okay. Since it can’t be analyzed as a game but as an audiovisual experience, the sound brings immersion to the experience and the production quality is simple, but enough to provide some fun scares, deserving a 6.0 for the audiovisual part.

Evaluating the gameplay would even be unfair, since this is a VR experience and not really a game, so the gameplay goes beyond a simple limitation to almost nonexistent, making it hard to evaluate. The “game” provides the immersion that an experience built this way wants to offer, but because it is listed in the PlayStation Digital Store as a game, a gameplay score has to be assigned, with the caveats already made in this review. So, I believe that, weighing the experience and understanding that gameplay is a tool that contributes to the player’s immersion, the game deserves a 5.0 in this gameplay/interaction element.

If you are an avid consumer of Japanese horror, wait for a sale and dive right in. If you expect to find something on the level of a Resident Evil VII, stay far away, because first we need to understand that the product isn’t even a game, and should be treated as a VR experience; so, however willing I was to enjoy the experience, this wouldn’t be a purchase I’d recommend.

Final Score: 5.0