Work hard, play harder.
In the future, at some point humans have worn out their welcome and silly little robots have taken over the world. Yet here we are, at a museum that has cataloged 4 different job types that humans once did, from IT computer work, store clerk, and cook. By taking the file and placing it into the copy, players can be transported to a time when jobs were for suckers. This is the absurd idea behind Job Simulator, and it made for one extremely silly and fun time.
Have job, will travel
Visually, Job Simulator spoke to me, with its zany bright colors, familiar environments, and hilarious humor. The 4 different jobs provide enough variation in style and job titles to give a completely different feel from one another. One moment I was serving slushies to a paying customer, another time I was making copies and trying to turn on and off a PC in the IT world. The robots that come to the player for help are simple in design, but have fun personalities or quirks, and this sort of vibe just permeates the entire experience. The pig tailed kid computer screaming for anything with sugar once mom disappears just about killed me. As if robots need sugar or food, but it’s a simulation, and the simulator aspect plays into the gameplay and humor everywhere.
MSRP: $29.99
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
Multiplayer: N/A
How long to beat: 4+ hours
The tasks at hand are never overly complicated, as that’s part of the appeal. Cooking food for a certain duration and serving it up. Turning on a computer, eating donuts, or “making copies”, displaying energy drinks for consumers. It’s all the most trivial things and even more simplified then the real jobs, yet it has a addicting aspect to it that also makes players want to do the best damn job they can. I work in the IT cubicle world, so the office segments in particular not only rang familiar, but did so with hilarious results. I could totally relate to the world the robots were trying to convey, even if they got it wrong in their simulator aspects. This felt intentional for comedic purposes, and never like a true jab at people who have done these jobs. It’s entirely light hearted in that regard.
You’re fired Job
There isn’t a whole lot of depth in regards to actual gameplay mechanics as far as Job Simulator goes, but it definitely has a lot of things that require interactions with the move controllers. So while the core mechanics all involve just hitting buttons, opening shelves, or turning knobs, it works. It feels like busy work, but in a world that doesn’t feel like busy work if that makes sense.
The biggest problem I experienced with the workforce was movement at times and head tracking. This isn’t inherently a problem with the game itself, but with the tech PS VR offers. The camera needs to be situated in just the right manner to offer the player the proper standing space for the game and the move controllers to register. If this isn’t set right, it can cause problems with grabbing items lower on shelves or turning to another item on the side. When it works well and is set up properly, it works great, otherwise it can lead to frustration.
Job Hard
Job Simulator has a personality of its own, and that’s what sells the experience. Its lighthearted, extremely silly premise works wonders with its presentation and core gameplay. It’s just not something super deep, and that seems to be a fairly common issue with most of the VR games I’ve experienced so far. Yet at the same time, this was one that gave me the most chuckles and it’s one that’s just as much fun playing as it is watching someone else do these menial tasks.
Did it make me sick: No issues with nausea or motion sickness.
Favorite moment: The presentation and style. The humor is on point.
Worst moment: The head/move tracking at times, can cause frustration. I want to work damn it.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
