A throwback to the early PSVR tech demos, Kayak VR: Mirage is one of those games you just need to try out on PSVR2. The premise is pretty simple: you're dumped on a kayak and will use the PSVR2 Sense controllers to explore varied exotic locations. That's really all there is to it, but its kind of the point.
Let’s get the most notable thing out of the way: the graphics in Kayak VR are utterly gorgeous. Whether it be gently swaying palm trees or dusty red cliffs, you’ll be looking around in awe as you are transported to beautifully serene vistas. And the water! This is easily some of the best water in video games, period. It’s so good you’ll be annoyed that you can’t tip yourself off your kayak for a quick dip. The visuals partnered with some light ambient music and natural sounds make for a brilliant zen experience. Quite often we’d kayak our way out into the open ocean of Norway just to sit and take it all in.
That brings us onto the kayaking mechanic. It's surprisingly in-depth, and it can be easy to lose control in those early sessions. Thankfully there's an indoor pool to try out all the moves, but you’ll need to lean side to side, ensure you are evenly paddling, and even the depth at which your paddle goes into the water will impact things like turning and forward speed. It does mean that getting to your favourite zen spots may result in some achy shoulders.
We spent most of our time in free-roam, but there's a racing and tour mode, for those that either love all the effort or none at all. But sadly, that's about it. There's no multiplayer support at launch, and only four locations are available to explore, so it certainly won't keep you around for long.
However, despite this, Kayak VR: Mirage is still a great showcase for the tech, and will certainly be one of the first titles you dig out for your friends to try. There may not be a lot to it, but we can't deny the tranquil experience it offers.
Comments 31
Yo, I just want to say I'm very grateful for the staff covering all these PSVR 2 games.
If you ignore the insane visuals, it’s a pretty basic asynchronous time trial “racing” game on water, with great physics and rowing mechanics.
If that sounds good to you, along with just basically sightseeing in some beautiful environments, then I think its definitely worth the very small entry price.
Think this is a pretty fair review - I’m loving this game/experience and spending lots of my early psvr2 time just enjoying this amazing visual vr experience.
My two boys just love seeing the whales and turtles and it’s definitely one I’ll be showing my friends to show off psvr2.
However, if I had to be truly objective it is pretty limited in terms of content - I think they have said they are planning to add more though. So fingers crossed!
Definitely worth the price though
Love what I've played so far. Managed to get my first trophy by getting the inflatable turtle to open sea.
Is this a mistake at the top: "Version Reviewed: PS5 (Backwards Compatibility)"?
And good review! It sounds neat, but not something I want to pay for when there's so much competition for my wallet.
The visuals get all the credit, but honestly the physics is the star of the show. Pretty immersive graphics are a great VR tech demo but it would be nothing without incredible physics that makes you unable to separate reality from fantasy that you're actually in a boat in water. It moves like a real boat in water controlled by a real paddle, and the first day I played I almost fell off the couch, leaning to compensate for a tilt by instinct. That's pretty insane.
My dad (in his mid 60s) is interested in checking out my PSVR2 and I'm thinking I should really get this one for that purpose alone
I’ve been loving it but my arms haven’t
I was excited for this one cause it did look beautiful. But after playing one time I don't see myself playing this for quite some time. It's lacking content and it should have like downhill (downriver) fast races and stuff like that to make it more exciting.
Still, pretty game!
@Jaz007 Yeah, that's been fixed now! Thanks for pointing it out!
@AFCC There's definitely potential for them to expand it with new maps and stuff.
When I jumped on a night time ride in Norway with the light house in the distance, that's when I remembered why I love VR. Man, that took me on a trip and made me feel a sense of peace.
Is it much of a game, no, but it's worth it to me as an experience.
I bought this game and I truly feel like I was duped. It's honestly not even worth 20 dollars. For all the hate that so called "walking simulators" have got over the years I'm not sure what the fascination is with this game?
@LeeHarveyOzgod It's not a "game" with goals, so much as an experience/simulation/sandbox/virtual tourism app. Technically there are some game goals via the trophies and the "get the inflatable to water" miniquests, but it's really a physics sandbox to just experience in VR. It's nothing on the scale of something like Flight Simulator or Train Sim World (nor does it cost as much as those games + expansions), but it's basically "Kayak Simulator VR."
@Wheatly One corner they boxed themselves into with how they rolled out Plus levels is that you can only upgrade for your whole term, so people that tend to buy a full year have to upgrade for a full year and promos like a one month code don't really work out. It's a shame. It actually was a little better before with PS Now, where I'd dip in and out for a month here and there as needed. Now, since I'd have to upgrade all months of my normal plus, I always lean away from it even when I otherwise would like to sub. And it makes that kind of in-the-box promo impossible unless someone's not already an Essentials subscripber.
@Voltan that’s the one I got for my mom to try, similar age. She thought it was great and spent more time with it than I expected.
GT7 with the wheel? Not so much, she took it off after her first miserable attempt at a turn.
@NEStalgia Yeah I get it's purpose. I just don't think it's fun. Two times I paddled and paddled to try to get to something only to hit an invisible boundary and be turned back. Considering how much work it takes to steer I'd rather put that effort into something more "fun" personally.
@LeeHarveyOzgod I get ya, it’s very niche. I regretted buying it instantly after starting it but I went back and gave it another go. It’s actually quite satisfying
@LeeHarveyOzgod Yeah, I encountered the boundary (Norway's bad with that.) I agree with that being an annoyance.
OTOH, it's just a simulator for paddling around in a kayak. I have a lake not too far from here that has boat rental services where you can rent all different classes of boats and go out on the water, from kayaks and canoes and row boats, to small 1 person sailboats and sun surfers, to those giant water tricicle things. I think they now charge something like $25 for an hour on the water in a kayak, plus mandatory life jacket rental.
For $20 on PSVR2 I can paddle in a circle as many hours as I want....it's a bargain, lol
Not every game needs to have Multiplayer….
I got this game knowing what I was in for and it's great for just being a relaxing experience. The fact that it can also be at least a little bit of a workout is a nice bonus. I don't play it for long stretches (as I've been doing with Horizon and Star Wars), but paddling around for 20-30 minutes now and again just to chill out is pretty great, IMO. Your mileage may very. I also think the score is fair.
@Germs73 I don't mind it as an option, but if a game is multi-player only, it's pretty much a guarantee that I won't play it. I deal with being around people all day at work, I don't want that when I'm relaxing at home 😆 🤣 😂
@KeldorTheCursed agreed👍🏻
@get2sammyb I read somewhere that they are adding rapids? That would be dope
@KeldorTheCursed I honestly couldn't tell you the last multiplayer game I played, if I had to guess I would say Factions on last of us.
When call off duty 4 came out I played nothing but cod for like 3 years, then I realized I missed out on amazing games like assassin's Creed and BioShock, after that I never played multiplayer again.
@LeeHarveyOzgod I mostly chalk it up to being old and cranky, but while I love playing co-op with someone I’m physically with the way I did growing up, I never got into playing online with people. Even when I had a year or so run on Destiny when it was new, I would only play with others if they asked me to and I think I only helped beat one raid.
I have played online with local friends once or twice and it was fun but I don’t have a lot of time to play most days and I may have to stop at any moment just due to life stuff, so I’m not the best candidate for it anyway, to be fair.
This was the first game I tried in VR (PSVR2 is my first foray into the medium) and I was blown away. I get the criticisms about it being more of a tech demo in some ways, but I'd absolutely be down to explore some new locations if the developer ever decides to offer DLC. It's perfect for low-impact sessions when I just want to relax, and it will make a fantastic introduction to VR with a very simple interface and learning curve for my family and friends when I get the chance to share it with them.
get2sammyb wrote:
@get2sammyb They have their road map online. Good to see what they are doing, and would like to do.
Roadmap
https://trello.com/b/hSKybmxa/kayak-vr-roadmap
This is a great game to the point where ive even made a paddle out of pvc piping with cut outs for the controllers and velcro ties to hold to hold them in place. Adds so much to the game and makes paddling feel natural. Ive even had to make a 2nd one for a friend as it worked so well. It does give me a little motion sickness tho if i play it for too long so short bursts is perfect for this one.
Don't forget to look underwater!!
More content to come to Kayak:
Roadmap:
https://trello.com/b/hSKybmxa/kayak-vr-roadmap
@Germs73 @KeldorTheCursed I bought Altair Breaker not knowing it was an online only game (the description doesn't make it clear), and so the first thing I did was just mute mic and chat audio. I also bought Zenith knowing it was online, but hoping to just kind of solo and ignore that, and muted mic and chat. I didn't know the settings weren't persistent though so the second time I was in, I was playing with some settings, and just testing things, and I hear someone talking to me and quickly just muted everything lol. IDK, I feel bad, if people are talking and you're not talking back or hearing them I guess that's kind of an unfair way to play so I probably shouldn't touch those two again
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