June 27th 2023.
C-Smash VRS - a Dreamcast reimagined for the future
Sega’s 2001 Dreamcast game Cosmic Smash is being reimagined as a sci-fi tennis sim for the PlayStation VR2. It's an exciting prospect: the idea that we could all one day play virtual sports in shiny, impossible-looking digital arenas has been a persistent one since Tron’s release in 1982.
C-Smash VRS brings the concept of virtual sports into the world of VR, and it's easy to see why this is the perfect medium for it. Looking down at your in-game avatar, you’ll discover you inhabit a transparent body complete with legs and feet, while your right hand grips something that looks like a racquetball racquet.
The sci-fi squash court is filled with windows that let you see slow clapping, space suit-wearing audience members and the starry cosmos spread out behind them. Depending on the game mode, there are also stacks of opaque squares and rectangles that need to be hit with a ball to make them disappear.
Hitting the ball straight returns it towards the back of the court, but you can also add spin, giving shots an elegant curve as they fly through the air. That’s useful because as well as squares to hit, there are obstacles to avoid, which you can either curl the ball around, or use the floor and walls to rebound your way around.
Taking full advantage of PlayStation VR2’s room scale play area, you’ll need to stand up for this one. You'll need to move from side to side as well as reach for the ball on both the forehand and backhand sides. That means being careful where you stand, your aggressively swinging arms a very real threat to the integrity of your TV and anyone unlucky enough to be standing nearby. Low hanging lighting fixtures are another potential hazard, the game’s frequent overhead smashes forcing you to adjust where you stand.
Graphically, the game looks lovely. Its sharp, clean lines give a sense of clarity and precision that’s entirely welcome in a game about nuanced ball physics. Unfortunately, the matchmaking lets it down. Despite deliberately selecting every possible game mode in its ironically named Quick Match, we couldn’t get a single online match, even with the additional draw of free PlayStation Plus.
It’s a shame, because even in single player C-Smash’s potential is obvious. There’s a small amount of solo content, the game doing its level best to spice up the bat and ball action with its two game modes, moving obstacles and stacks of blocks to hit. But at its heart this is a game for two, and without the ability to play either co-op or versus modes it feels bereft of what should be its core gameplay element: a fellow human to pit yourself against.
The fact that even on its launch weekend, with the additional draw of free PlayStation Plus, there was nobody to play against does not bode well for its future and makes you question the viability of multiplayer VR games in general, at least until more people buy headsets.
Overall, C-Smash VRS is a crisply drawn futuristic racquet sport with consistent and nuanced physics. It looks lovely and feels great to play, once you get used to the pinball-like kinetic rebounds. However, without a fellow player there’s not enough to sustain interest. Depending on the size and configuration of your sitting room, playing can prove accidentally destructive. Despite its potential, the game's user base is too small to support online matchmaking, making it difficult to recommend.
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