PS VR is chock-full of goofy little experiences, and Startenders are the newest addition to the lineup. A procedural bartending game with a twist, this experience offers a thoroughly enjoyable pastime for a while.
As a run-of-the-mill office worker, you are suddenly transported to a space station where you are forced to work as a “Startender”. , without much movement on the part of the player, allowing the action to work in a very confined space. Hand tracking is stable, with very little of the stray movement you see in more active games, and you rarely need to reset your position.
Drink concoctions are clearly displayed and all tools and ingredients are within reach while at the bar. There is a rotating platform that allows you to cycle through the machines you need, and all steps and ingredients are displayed with easy-to-understand icons, so you’re rarely overwhelmed with individual drink orders. The gameplay is frantic, and the challenges grow to unexpectedly high levels as the campaign progresses.
Patrons and their requests are procedurally generated, so much of the difficulty comes down to luck in the lottery, but this added repetition to the title. Because of their tendency to ask, they find themselves repeating orders much more than they would ideally.
Bartending gets old quickly on its own, so the title breaks things up nicely, giving you plenty of tasks and distractions between shifts working on drinks. There are mini-games and half-baked sports games in the bedroom.
Overall, this title packs a surprising amount of content into an affordable package to deliver a satisfying and ridiculous experience worth your time.
