This article will be a review about VRChat, a game originating from January 2014 meant to bridge the gap between video games and real life through the medium of virtual reality. Even after nearly a decade, the game is still growing and going completely strong with new players still trying it out to this day, willing to give virtual reality games a shot
About VRChat
You can find the trailer here, which is a trailer published officially by the VRChat developers back in December 2018.
VRChat may be a video game, yes, but it’s not a conventional video game by having one experience, but many experiences compiled into one. When it comes to it being a video game, it’s similar to the likes of Roblox and Minecraft: it’s incredibly simple at face value, but give the game’s community enough time and it’ll explode with creative ideas for all types of players to experience. All these games can create worlds that hold lots of game genres: FPS, RPG, action, puzzle, strategy, and way more that can’t simply be explained here.
When it comes specifically to VRChat, most people aren’t really there to play a video game… instead, most come to dress themselves up in a pretty avatar and spend hours on end talking and chatting with new players that they wouldn’t be able to talk with otherwise. The “Chat” in VRChat is incredibly prominent, and not only that, there’s so many worlds and environments for the player to explore to really immerse themselves in virtual worlds on top of meeting new people.
VRChat Gameplay
This world-focused video by Just Lucky VR displays a few beautiful worlds that are very worth visiting just for the sake of scenery, while this gameworld-focused video by Just Lucky VR is all about worlds meant to really let players mess around and have some fun.
It’s quite difficult to describe the gameplay of VRChat, for there isn’t really one unless you search out for worlds oriented for specific types of play. Do you want a world focused on puzzles and escape rooms, eventually reaching the end of the world after hours of rigorous puzzle solving? Do you want a world meant to scare your pants off as you explore a horror world with monsters chasing after you? Do you want a world based off of your typical FPS games and shoot laser guns at other players just to reach the top of the leaderboard? There’s not just one gameplay loop when it comes to VRChat… quite frankly, all forms of gameplay is offered within this game, but it only depends on where one’s willing to explore.
Although, most prominently, people will enter chill/laidback worlds with the intent of just talking with other players and goof around with silly avatars. With the use of such avatars, players are able to access mirrors and cameras, as well as express themselves with tons of emotes and emojis… and the community only adds more to the “expressions” list of each avatar every day.
VRChat is incredibly replayable due to how every experience will never be the same. You’ll never know when you’ll enter a new world just to chat with someone and meet a kid who’s new to VRChat, or a teenager wearing the latest meme avatar, or even a tired adult who’s coming home just to chill the evening away while using some sort of dinosaur avatar.
VRChat Graphics
Depending on the world one may enter, graphics can either be super low-quality or incredibly high-quality. When a world happens to be incredibly high-quality though? It ends up being beautiful that you don’t wish to leave the world until you’ve explored every single nook and cranny possible.
Genuinely speaking though, the graphics are mid-to-high quality; they’re not stunning, but they don’t feel absolutely terrible to look at. Of course, once again, it all depends on the world one enters from.
VRChat Developer and content updates
VRChat is being managed by VRChat Incorporated, and just about 2 weeks ago did they upload a video to their Youtube channel about upgrades to its system for better processing and even allowing more players/creators to be sellers on their platform. When it comes to general patches and updates, VRChat gets them every few months, ranging between every month or two. These updates prove great for the community as it gets the community more engaged with each other, as well as providing general quality-of-life updates to the game that proves amazing in the long run.
Developer support and content for the game is amazing, and the fact that all of that is still going strong even after 10 years of the game’s existence proves how amazing both the game’s developers and the game’s community is.
VRChat Price
The game is absolutely free, but there’s transactions within the game through the purchasing of VRChat Credits which can allow for something such as showing the support for a world’s creator. Not only that, there’s also a subscription service called VRChat+ that allows for lots of benefits such as upgraded player nameplates and even more avatar slots, which no player could go wrong with.
Pros
- active community and developers
- lots of creative for players and creators
- endless hours of content depending on where you visit
Cons
- some worlds could be too graphic-intensive for some devices
- some instances of extra customization (more avatar slots, for example) is locked behind a paywall
