I’m a sucker for cutesy games. While the rest of my friends are all into ultra-dark Bloodborne, Dark Souls, and FIFA (which can be pretty dark, c’mon) I’m always on the hunt for my next colourful, Disney-like adventure. It’s why I’ve booked a week off for when Spyro Reignited Trilogy comes out.
If you haven’t already guessed, then, Along Together is a colourful adventure game. However, it is only playable with a PlayStation VR headset. No headset, no colourful adventure.
The good news is that you don’t need to be waving any wands around and you certainly have no need for the PSVR Aim controller. Is yours collecting as much dust as mine?
Along Together is played completely with a DualShock 4 in your hand, though you will be wiggling it a little, it’s not a strenuous game and the lazy readers will be happy to know that it’s a purely sitting-down experience.
But is it any good? Does it scratch that itch? Is it worth money? These are all valid questions that I will, hopefully, answer for you in this review.
Along Together starts off with you choosing which kid you will befriend. Will it be a little boy, or will it be a little girl? Will the authorities come knocking on your door? Will your boss overhear you talking about the little kid to your gaming co-workers and get the wrong idea? I don’t know. It’s possible, I guess, but the point is that you are not the kid – you’re the kid’s imaginary friend. Try telling that to the cops…
The story goes that the wee nipper has lost their dog and they desperately want him back. He’s a naughty bugger, though, so it’s not as simple as throwing a stick and screaming “C’MERE ROVER!”, though that would be a marvellous game in its own right. No?
Your task, as the imaginary friend, is to help the kid find their dog. And because this is a video game, it means there are puzzles to solve and collectibles to, er, collect?
The game’s developer, Turbo Button, categorises Along Together as a point-and-click adventure game, but I’d argue it’s half point-and-click, and half platformer. While you don’t really get to control the kid – you watch from an overhead perspective – you can instruct them to do a lot. What you can’t do, however, is instruct them to fall to their doom. Nor can they be made to battle other kids, unfortunately. There aren’t even monsters that want to drain their bodies of blood and turn their corpses into a lampshade. No, this is a family friendly adventure where nobody dies and everyone comes together for a happy, albeit predictable, ending.
In terms of story, Along Together doesn’t have the best one. It’s not bad by any stretch, but don’t go into it expecting an Oscar contender. It’s a simple story that carries you through the game’s levels and various puzzles. Like many other games, the story serves to give you a reason to be wagging your DualShock 4 around like a muppet.
Along Together gets it right where it matters most: Gameplay. It’s not a particularly difficult game, and seeing as you literally cannot fail unless you put your fist through your TV, console, and then crush your PSVR headset in an industrial trash compactor.
While it isn’t that hard and can be completed in an afternoon, the game does present some challenges. The bulk of the gameplay comes in the form of puzzles that require a touch of lateral thinking. Unless you’ve been lobotomised, this shouldn’t be an issue.
The controls work perfectly fine, barring a few jerky movements, and the puzzles aren’t hindered by the game being in virtual reality – it actually enhances them. Being able to peek around and have a good look at the situation is something I’m a big fan of when it comes to VR.
And as stated before, I’m a big fan of colourful adventures. Along Together is colourful, bright, and very easy on the eye. It’s not the best-looking PSVR game, that much I will say, but it looks great all the same with the clean and clear presentation helps keep fuzziness and aliasing at bay, as much as a PSVR title running on a PS4 Slim can.
Review Disclaimer: This review was carried out using a copy of the game provided by the publisher. For more information, please read our Review Policy.
Reviewed using PS4 Slim.
