What the Bat?
Year: 2022
Rating: E
Time Played: ~4 hours
Having played through the ridiculously funny game, What the Golf?, their VR game, What the Bat?, intrigued me. Where What the Golf? deconstructed what it means to be a golf game (or even a video game in general), What the Bat? used VR to demonstrate just how difficult it would be to live with two bats for hands. Luckily, there are buttons and other devices that help you achieve each level’s objective. That still doesn’t make it any easier to control.
It’s odd how there’s almost too much content for this game. Each level only takes a few minutes (if you’re used to your bat arms, that is), but there are just so many levels that it took me quite a few sessions to play through them all. And because it’s easy to just keep going, I found myself worn out from VR sessions that were probably too long as I tried to finish “just one more level” or “just one more world.” Of course, there’s also only so many ways that the levels can ask you to use your bats before it becomes repetitive.
While most people have probably become used to playing a game with bat-like extensions on their controllers (i.e., Beat Saber), using bats for everyday tasks is much more difficult. This is probably the most frustrating part of the game, which is unfortunate because it’s the main premise of the game. Not everything is terribly hard to do, but there are enough challenges that highlight how the limited accuracy of the hand controllers doesn’t easily produce the results you want. Of course, if you’re just looking to have fun with this insane premise, then there are plenty of opportunities to do so.
A hilarious premise that’s still a little too difficult to control, I give What the Bat? 3.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
