Summer Lesson VR Review: A Bland Experience for Otaku and Gamers alike

In an era where virtual reality (VR) gaming continues to gain traction among enthusiasts, it's disheartening when titles like Bandai Namco's Summer Lesson fail to leave a lasting impression. Instead of offering something truly innovative or engaging, this short-lived experience feels more like a mere curiosity – one that struggles to find its target audience.

From the moment you don your VR headset and dive into Miyamoto Hikari's world as her virtual tutor, it becomes clear what Summer Lesson is trying (and ultimately failing) to be: an interactive otaku fantasy. However, despite marketing efforts aimed at attracting fans of the genre with promises of ample 'fan service,' players will instead find themselves faced with a disappointingly barren experience.

With barely any actual gameplay mechanics beyond simple interactions like taking photos or engaging in basic conversation choices that don't actually seem to have much impact on the overall narrative (if you can even call it that), serious gamers are left feeling woefully underwhelmed. Conversely, those hoping for some steamy moments will find themselves sorely disappointed as well – there just isn't enough explicit content present throughout the entire experience.

Given these major omissions from what could have otherwise been a more engaging VR offering, one can only wonder who exactly this title was initially intended for? It's clear that neither hardcore gamers nor die-hard otaku fans will find much to sink their teeth into here – leaving us with an awkward middle ground where Summer Lesson simply fails to excel in either capacity.

If you're still curious about experiencing Miyamoto Hikari as your virtual protégée, fear not! A non-VR version of the game has been announced for release soon. Though we can't guarantee that it will improve upon its VR counterpart much further than a minor graphical facelift at best – after all, when you've already stripped away most of what makes interactive gaming enjoyable in favor of shallow interactions and lackluster storytelling...there's only so far down the rabbit hole one wants (or needs) to go.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Recommendation:

Avoid unless:

- You're a die-hard fan of otaku culture looking for something, anything remotely related.

- You enjoy spending your hard earned cash on shallow experiences with minimal gameplay value.

Maybe try instead...?

Figuarts Zero Summer Lesson 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted Figure: Miyamoto Hikari

A more satisfying way to spend an afternoon, perhaps?

Summer lesson vr review