Remember that Tamagotchi you had? A tiny 8-bit alien that lived in an egg-shaped piece of plastic you cared for just like a pet that was all the rage in the 90’s. Imagine that same experience but in virtual reality and starring an adorable tuxedo kitten named Konrad. Konrad the Kitten is the first virtual pet for PSVR developed by Fusion Play Games. Konrad has needs like food and water and wishes such as playing. As a responsible VR cat owner, it is your job to make Konrad happy. Each action you engage Konrad in results in XP that will level up the kitten and unlock new areas, objects, accessories, and mini-games. There are over fifty accessories, including various cosmetic items to give your cat a unique fashion sense or even change his fur patterns and color, as well as five active regions (kitchen, bathroom, living room, forest, and beach), plus five mini-games (mice catching, ring parkour, tea party, fishing, whack a crab).
Konrad’s energy decreases with each action it does and eventually just like a real cat refuses to do anything you want him to do because he is too tired. It is recommended that you play with the kitten for about twenty minutes each day. Ignoring his needs will result in his XP levels going down, but rest assured, Konrad will never die.
If you want to have an even more realistic experience with you virtual fur friend there’s the plushy mode that allows you to strap a move controller to a stuffed animal. Activating plushy mode will start a tutorial video that teaches you how to attach the controller. Once you have your move controller paired with the stuffed toy step into the virtual world and through Jedi mind tricks, your brain thinks you are holding a real-life cat. Unfortunately, I did not try out plushy mode but for a brief moment, I considered trying to attach the move controller to my real life cat for the ultimate feline experience. No actual cats were used while playing Konrad.
The mini-games are simplistic and become a bit mundane after a while and the window of play time that you are given per session is a bit frustratingly short and could be extended. It also should be noted that a move controller is required to play this game, a DualShock 4 will not work. Controls are all motion based and are quite responsive which might be due to the automatic camera calibration that takes place every time you start up the game.
Konrad the Kitten is a charming and sweet PSVR experience with colorful and cartoonish graphics that will have you at maximum cuteness overload. It’s not going to be for everyone, however, if you ever cared for a Tamagotchi, love cats but are allergic, or are a crazy cat lady, then pick up Konrad the Kitten right meow.
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 Pro.
