Full review of VR platforming contender Max Mustard from Toast Interactive on PSVR2!
Max Mustard from Toast Interactive promises a colourful VR platformer to fill a certain robot-shaped gap on PS VR2 but does it cut the mustard or is it weak sauce? Let’s find out.
First up thanks to the developer for providing me with a review key for the game but as always the opinions presented here are entirely my own.
Intro
Max Mustard is a classic 3D platformer in the style of Mario 64 and Astro Bot. Previously available for Quest headsets it now arrives on PS VR2 with a whole host of improvements from enhanced graphics to haptic feedback. And just to say, although it feels a bit unfair to continually compare this to Astro Bot, I will be mentioning the A word approximately five more times during this review. Astro Bot Rescue Mission was a phenomenal game on the original PS VR, and the recently released flatscreen Astro Bot, although equally great, caused a fair amount of disappointment in its complete lack of VR support. PS VR2 has had a couple of decent platformers in titles such as Moss and Ven, but the playing field is still wide open for another challenger.
The main focus of the story is that our protagonist Max needs your help to rescue the mudpups, cute little critters who have been kidnapped by Stubbins, the bad guy of the piece. There’s a bit of a side story going on, told through various letters and fan mail received between levels, but it’s slightly dark in tone which feels strangely at odds with the otherwise bright and breezy presentation. However, the storytelling isn’t particularly invasive so it’s up to you how much attention you give it.
Gameplay
The game offers up 40 levels split across 4 arcs and is a nice mixture of third person and first person gameplay. Although you predominantly control Max from the third person, there are numerous occasions where you simultaneously interact from a first person point of view using a couple of tools that become available to you along the way. This includes a plunger gun, which can fire plungers to activate buttons and dispose of enemies, and a vacuum, which can be used to suck up fruits and coins and also bad guys, who can then be shot back out at various targets.
Aside from the first person tools there’s also a range of power ups for Max to purchase using the in-game currency. These include things like ground pounds, boost attacks and increasing the amount of loot or health packs found in the levels. Throughout the game you’ll make liberal use of Max’s jet boots to hover around, traverse large spaces and reach otherwise inaccessible areas.
There’s a nice variety of levels, often each introducing some new type of gameplay or mechanic to keep things feeling fresh. There are also set-piece boss fights at the end of each arc and some bonus shooting gallery type levels along the way for building up points and currency. I was also impressed by the quick loading times between levels, meaning you’re never left twiddling your thumbs.
When it comes to platformers one of the key ingredients is getting the controls and feel of it right. I’m pleased to say they’ve absolutely nailed it here and the game feels perfect to control. In practice this means whenever you fail it’s almost always fair and down to your mistakes rather than because of any lack of responsiveness in the controls.
Graphics
Visually the game has a bright and colourful style which really pops on the PS VR2s OLED display, along with some great character models and environments. It also looks really sharp in the headset, has great viewing distances and maintains a smooth framerate at all times.
Audio
Audio is also really well done with loads of satisfying sound effects and a whole host of catchy tunes to get stuck in your head.
Controls
Control-wise the game uses both Sense controllers and provides a straightforward control scheme for both third and first person interactions. There’s a nice use of haptics in the controllers and headset giving you some tactile feedback for the on-screen action. The game can be played equally well standing or seated, but seated is probably the way to go as there’s no real need to be standing for this one. Comfort shouldn’t be a problem as it’s mostly slow forwards movement with head turning to look around. Oddly, click turning is available as a purchase in the shop rather than immediately available in the options. The dev has explained this as a design choice for various reasons and, regardless, you rarely need to turn anyway aside from occasionally checking whether you missed something.
All positive so far and to be honest I’m struggling to come up with any real negatives.
Sure, some of the worlds are a bit generic, arguably a problem with most platformers, and there are limited enemy types and power ups. You might also say it’s not quite as immersive in the VR aspects as Astro Bot Rescue mission was.
At the end of the day though, this has come from a comparatively small development team with limited resources and what they’ve achieved here is impressively polished in all respects.
Although it’s clearly inspired by other titles at times, it still brings enough originality to the table to give it its own identity.
Summary
The amount of hours you get from it will vary depending on your ability and approach to how you play it but I’d say you’re looking at around 6 or 7 hours to complete everything, with some replayability thanks to the score and time based bonus levels.
Although it does present a challenge at times I felt that for the most part it leans on the easier side of things. For comparison, nothing here is as tricky as some of the challenge levels from Astro Bot. This makes it more of a relaxed experience rather than frustrating, which is no bad thing unless you’re a complete platforming sadist.
For the trophy hunters there are 29 trophies to collect, mostly obtained for progressing through the main game, along with a Platinum for completing everything.
As you can probably tell I like Max Mustard a lot. The fact I played this on the back of completing Astro Bot, and still really enjoyed it, speaks volumes. I honestly got snagged by that one-more-go factor and couldn’t stop playing until I reached the end. At just over £20 on the PS Store I actually think they’re underselling this, so it’s also a bit of a bargain, making it an easy recommendation to any platforming fans, and here’s hoping this isn’t the last we see of Max on PS VR2.
