VR Gaming

Published on October 15th, 2024 | by Nay Clark

Max Mustard Review (PSVR2)

Bounce, kick, and hover your way through vibrant levels and save cute creatures from an evil monarch and his formidable army! Max Mustard is a third-person VR action platformer developed and published by Toast Interactive, initially released on Meta Quest on March 21st of 2024, and released on PlayStation VR2 on October 2nd of 2024. The game plays like a classic platformer where you jump on enemies heads, collect coins, and complete challenges to unlock more levels. Max Mustard plays very similarly to 2018’s Astro Bot Rescue Mission on Playstation VR since both games see you, the player, as the camera following the main character as well as both Max and Astro sharing a hover ability that they can fly around with. Max Mustard makes a fantastic substitute since Astro Bot Rescue Mission is stuck on PlayStation VR. Get ready to kick some robot tail and power up to the max in this grand and colorful adventure!

Max Mustard is a well known inventor who is in the dire need of a new navigator. As fate would have it, you and Max run into each other as soon as the business mogul Stubbins starts capturing the adorable innocent mudpup critters. You join forces with Max and crusade around his flying mustard colored van to save the mudpups and take down Stubbins for good with Max’s stellar contraptions. The story is satisfying for a VR game of this caliber and small bits and pieces get revealed through mail that you receive after completing certain levels. The story is short, sweet, and to the point and serves its purpose well to give you motivation to boost through these amusing levels.

Platformers in VR like this are automatically pretty unique as they have to be inventive from the get go to be tantalizing and provide in sort of engagement which Max Mustard does with flying colors. You control Max while also being able to fully turn around to get a better look at your environment. Max is pretty involved with you as the player as they seem to constantly be staring at you and will even wave back if you want to wave hello. At first, Max’s moves and abilities are lacking as you can only do some basic things like jump and use your rocket boot boosters as a double jump or hover. Coins act as your currency and collecting them in stages will allow you to spend them at the shop to unlock new actions like a fire kick or speeding up how fast you can run.

Your main goal that you need to accomplish is finding and freeing the charming mudpups from their cages throughout the levels since you need a certain amount to unlock further levels and boss fights. You will naturally come across them through normal play, but there are a lot of other little secrets that you can find. Sometimes just jumping on top of a rock will make a few coins appear or you might find an invisible box behind a boarded up door, but the best secrets are when you actively have to look around and find something. The best part about VR games is when you feel a part of the simulation and then being rewarded for thinking cleverly or outside of the box. Max Mustard has a ton of those moments and it feels good to get recognized for your efforts for being curious and exploring.

The gameplay is simple, but really fun and works fantastically through the PSVR2 headset. Controlling Max feels natural and Max interacting with you makes you feel like you are a part of this living space. Between levels, you fly around in the back of Max’s van where you can overlook the world map and play with some items like a coffee mug or pull on an emergency exit lever that shoots you up into the clouds. The controllers vibrate appropriately and the headset rumbles when you take damage, urging you to be more careful while stomping on enemies with cannon heads or while you are drifting over rivers of lava. There are plenty of varied environments to run through and they provide an ample of different types of gameplay opportunities whether it’s hopping on bouncing platforms, sliding on conveyor belts, or music based levels where you have to time your jumps to the rhythm of the song.

The graphics are well rounded and the game has a cartoony attitude with its style and exaggerated facial expressions. The world is eye-catching and there are some breathtaking moments between sliding down waterfalls and jumping through the expansiveness of outer space. I love all the enemy designs and the bosses actively taking damage during the fights is a super cool touch. The music is catchy with some nice tempoed beats. The music based levels in particular are quite inspired and the shop music is simply a bop that I believe is this game’s earworm.

While the game is a lot of fun, it’s also a little too easy. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but just as a heads up, you can breeze through the main campaign in around 5 to 6 hours if you aren’t actively searching every nook and cranny. The only challenge I came across was the bonus stages where it strictly relies on being accurate in aiming and shooting targets which could be sort of tricky in VR. I also wish the levels were more interactable. You are mainly traveling in a straight line for the most part in each level and I was hoping to do a little extra footwork off the beaten path, but never got to see anything like that. I also feel like the levels could have been a bit more assorted. There are a lot of green levels; stages filled with grass and green trees that feel really peaceful to jaunt past. I wish there were more harsher levels that required a more hesitant thought process. These aren’t complaints by any means, just thoughts I pondered while playing. Honestly, I like the game so much that I simply want more.

Final Thoughts?

Max Mustard is a special game that fills that void that VR so desperately needs. It is expertly crafted and creates a jolly good time for any video game enjoyer. Easy-going gameplay set in a radiant animated universe with melodic tunes is the ideal game to frolic through, especially in a virtual environment. While more challenging design overall would be nice, the reality is that I just want more of this formula. Max Mustard is a must have VR title and I hope we see more of Max and the mudpups in the future.

About the Author

Nay Clark Gaming holds a special place in my heart and I never stop talking about video games. I really love all types of games and have an interest in games that have complicated stories and lore because I enjoy untangling the mystery of it all. When I'm not gaming, I unsuccessfully try to control three amazing and incredibly bright kids.

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