• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Polygon: Summer Lesson is the scariest VR experience I’ve ever had

P

Poetic.Injustice

Member
When I tried out the upcoming installment of Bandai Namco’s PlayStation VR conversation sim, Summer Lesson, at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, I expected a calm, cutesy palate cleanser. What a fool I was. The experience paired me up with privileged teen Chisato Shinjo, and right from the start I knew Summer Lesson would be a special brand of unpleasant: Chisato sauntered toward me, getting right up in my face. Without a controller in hand or an on-screen virtual avatar to look at — Summer Lesson is played using only head movements, looking at the girls in the eyes — I felt trapped in my own body.

What followed was five minutes of claustrophobia. Chisato circled around me, asking me questions that I could only respond to with a nod. Every response drew her closer, and closer, and closer still. I laughed out loud out of nervousness several times; I also backed away in my chair, almost knocking into the demo attendant.

But the new episode of Summer Lesson didn’t just test the limits of my physical boundaries. It turned out that hanging with Chisato wasn’t the fun ego boost of (Japanese inscrutable) compliments I hoped for. The girl lives in a creaky, Victorian style mansion, seemingly alone, and her interests include ... practicing magic tricks. Magic tricks that involve swords. Swords that she plunges into your body.

Again: What a fool I was. As the up-close-and-personal Chisato repeatedly dug a sword in the general direction of my kidney, I cringed and squealed and sat stricken with fear, mortified. Maybe this was how I die, I thought.
Click to expand...

https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/21/16343274/summer-lesson-tgs-2017-scary-vr-games
 
Hexa

Hexa

Member
So they're going for a sadistic ojousama. Did not expect that. Does she also call the player pig and trash?
Also, is this getting an English release? Did the blonde girl even get one?
 
O

Orb

Member
I... WANT to hate this series

But if there was a male/gay version, id probably buy a psvr just for that.

Also I find it funny this person went in and wasn't expecting her to get closer lol?
 
T

The Silver

Member
i keep saying, the game needs to suddenly turn into a horror game near the end. Everyone sitting there with there dicks out and then the girl leaves the room, the lights go out, and some Ring/Grudge ghost comes for your ass, it was a trap.
 
Hexa

Hexa

Member
Ferrio said:
You'd be her first victim with that attitude.
Click to expand...

"Want to see a magic trick?"

6vesVEd.gif
 
O

Oberon

Banned
So a girl gets uncomfortablyclose to you?
Weird that they would do the thing that would scare away their main audience like that.
who am i kidding, people who buy this are the same that would try to look up her dress or try to clip the camera through her clothes or something
 
D

danmaku

Member
Not being able to move at all sounds quite unsettling. I wouldn't like to be strapped to a chair while a psychotic girl is talking to me, knife in hand.
 
M

Mushroomer25

Member
I absolutely get it. VR has the unique ability to trick the brain into thinking another living person is in relatively close proximity to you. The first time I did the Portal Vive demo, I was blown away - mainly because when Atlas walked into the room - my natural instinct was to back off and respect his 'personal space'. It toys with your brain, in ways that no other form of fiction can (short of live interactive theater like Sleep No More).

So I absolutely believe that Summer Lesson can get freaky real quick. It's a game about eye contact & flirtation, using the same physical tools as those same actions in reality. And when the game starts to ramp up, that's going to produce some real unique reactions. Humans aren't used to being played with by fiction in this way.
 
J

jaypah

Member
Having a character walk up on you and get in your personal space in VR can be fucking weird and creepy. On Vive at least. I assume it's the same on PSVR but it may be heightened by standing and walking in roomscale.
 
D

djplaeskool

Member
Summer Lesson is basically an exercise in how well you deal with very intimate human interaction and handling someone being in your personal space near constantly. The articles that have come out about it over the past months have been fascinating.
 
S

SiegfriedFM

Member
Can these be bought separately or must I get a base game first and then DLC? I have some JP credit that I've been saving for something that won't get translated.
 
Bustanen

Bustanen

Member
Hexa said:
So they're going for a sadistic ojousama. Did not expect that. Does she also call the player pig and trash?
Also, is this getting an English release? Did the blonde girl even get one?
Click to expand...
English version released in Asia earlier this year. Allison Snow dlc is out in Japan. I hope they release the two dlc's in English too as the base game is really short.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Azur Lane developer announces Azur Promilia for PS5, PC, iOS, and Android – creature companionship fantasy RPG
News Trailer
16
1K
JimboJones replied
Summer Lesson's next girl is a Spoiled Princess archetype - Release Date December 12
3 4 5 6 7
302
54K
potatohead replied
I raise my glass to Nioh, such a great game, very highly recommended.
Opinion RTTP
15
1K
Punished Miku replied
PSN 4 Week Summer Sale (US)
Deals 2
50
6K
Umbral replied
Resident Evil 7 VR is possibly the best gaming experience I've ever had to date
2 3 4 5 6
255
26K
BruceLeeRoy replied
Top Bottom