Accounting+ is a nightmare. A short, lucid and constantly fidgeting nightmare. It’s another VR toybox that just barely qualifies as a game, made in collaboration between Crows Crows Crows and Justin Roiland, creator of Rick and Morty. It’s got a low price, but whether even that is justified is a hard question. But the VR marketplace on PlayStation 4 is still in its infancy, and the names attached to this thing will grab an audience regardless of its actual value.
At its core, Accounting+ is a series of interactive vignettes with a couple of forks in its otherwise linear path. The story, as thin as it is, is mental; the characters you meet throughout even more so. It’s hard to describe the tone and content of this game without making it sound cheesier and cringier than it already is, but people familiar with the Roiland brand of humour will feel right at home. There are some hilarious and chaotic moments, but it just tries too hard.
Like Moss and Job Simulator, it feels like Accounting+ is intentionally playing to the strengths of PlayStation VR-you’re largely stationary, moving only to pre-determined points and interacting with objects from there. And the physical interactions feel really, really great. Pushing buttons, picking up and throwing objects, stabbing bulbous grey critters with massive kitchen knives-the VR-feel is fantastic.
There were moments where I was genuinely, skin-crawlingly creeped out by some of the scenes. The best comes toward the end, in the bedroom of another VR user. He’s tall, spindly and stuttering, moving like a Tim Burton animatronic. It’s one of those rare gaming moments that had me recoiling, a moment that just wouldn’t work without the headset.
But that one creepy moment is a standout in an otherwise one-and-done game with an inconsistent style and sense of humour. I would kill for these guys to make a Little Nightmares-style horror game with the same sense of scale as that single scene.
There are secrets hidden in a couple of the levels, but they’re never intricate or satisfying in the ways you’d want from a game like this; and since there’s no time limit pushing you through the small areas, you’re free to keep messing about for as long as you need. In fact, a few of the secrets were actively uncomfortable to achieve, leaving me standing on the spot for minutes at a time.
I almost feel bad for ragging on it so much because it’s totally possible that it’s not meant for me. I was never a Rick and Morty fan, and everything Accounting+ does competently, other games have also done. The sense of humour, as much as it doesn’t resonate with me, is there throughout.
So, a purchase of Accounting+ comes with some caveats. Have you played the other games available for PSVR? Do you like Justin Roiland and his shows? Are you okay dropping £10 on a game you likely won’t return to? It’s a weird game, and a product of the time. There are better games out there for this technology.
