Job Simulator is one of the most fun VR games I have had the pleasure to play. So, when I heard that the same team was working on a sequel, Vacation Simulator I was very excited. They have taken (I mean the devs and the robots!) what they learned from Job Simulator and expanded upon it in pretty much every way that you can imagine.
How to Download Vacation Simulator
The PC version of Vacation Simulator can be downloaded from Steam. To start, click on the button located below this review.
The Game Review
So, is this just Job Simulator, but on the beach or in the woods? That may be what you are asking, but Vacation Simulator is far more than that. To start with you have three different vacations “hot spots” that you can enjoy. There are the beach, the woods, and the mountains and each one has its own style, holidaymakers and of course activities that you need to do.
The whole point of this is that the robots want to find out why humans went on vacation, what they did and how they did it. There is actually a story that plays through the whole game and thanks to Efficiency Bot and Vacation Bot, you will have a smile on your face the whole time you do it. I actually like the little bit of story that Vacation Simulator has and feel that it really is quite charming.
What really took me by surprise about Vacation Simulator was how much larger it was than Job Simulator. Instead of being stuck in one place, you need to explore a little bit and each area has plenty of different vacation activities for you to do. These range from throwing the ball around, going skiing, having a cookout and building sandcastles. There are many different activities for you to partake in.
Speaking to NPC characters that are in each vacation spot is what is going to move things along, but you can enjoy Vacation Simulator at your own pace. The overall goal of the game is to go and earn different memories. Each activity has three different ones for you to get, starting fairly easy and then getting quite challenging.
What I really like about the game is that they make it so it is something that everyone can enjoy. You can get near enough to the end by just doing the easiest activities. However, those who want a bit more challenge can take on some of the harder ones. As you would expect, some activities are better than others and what ones you like ultimately will depend on what your interests are.
While there is “more game” to Vacation Simulator. I also think they did a great job in fleshing out pretty much every aspect of the game. One thing I like is how your inventory is now a backpack that you take from place to place. It may not sound like much, but it is better than just having your inventory floating in the air.
One thing that I thought was strange at first was the avatar creator. Why do I care what I look like? Well, this is a Vacation Simulator and one thing that we “humans” love to do on vacation is to take selfies. The game really encourages that and I thought that it was pretty funny these robots were interested in the human obsession with selfies.
The overall presentation is very similar to what Job Simulator offered. I would not say that it is way better or anything like that, but it works. You do get the feeling that these worlds have been created by robots who understand what things were like, but at the same time, they did not exactly get it. I thought this was quite amusing and also helped add to the overall charm of the game.
As far as the VR controls go, Vacation Simulator lets you move around areas very easily and I never found myself getting dizzy, motion sick or anything like that. Of course, as is the case with all VR games, your experience in this regard may differ to mine.
I have to say that Vacation Simulator is awesome. I think they took what they did with Job Simulator and improved on it as best they could. I really do think that Vacation Simulator is a must buy if you love VR games. Currently, it is on PC, but it is coming to PlayStation VR in May of 2019.
