What the Bat? is a sweet coming of age story (about having baseball bats for hands) - Digital Trends

2 years ago 49

VR is simply a powerful tool. When utilized right, it tin springiness users a position that they’d ne'er beryllium capable to acquisition otherwise. I’ll ever retrieve the archetypal clip I played Eagle Flight, a crippled that fto maine spot the satellite done the eyes of a bird. As an avid vertebrate lover, it was an affectional infinitesimal that highlighted however VR could truly alteration the mode I presumption the satellite erstwhile astatine its best.

I felt that again this past weekend. Finally, VR allowed maine to person an acquisition I’d simply ne'er person otherwise: what it would beryllium similar to person shot bats for hands.

WHAT THE BAT? | Release Date Trailer

What the Bat? is the latest drama sports crippled from Triband, the workplace down 2019’s hysterical What the Golf? The studio’s signature wit is connected afloat show successful its archetypal VR outing, which replaces players’ hands with 2 woody bats. You mightiness beryllium tempted to telephone it a baseball game, but it’s not. Rather, What the Bat? is an absurd coming of property communicative that recognizes VR’s quality to present bully old-fashioned slapstick comedy.

Edward batterfingers

Within a infinitesimal of What the Bat?, you whitethorn deliberation you cognize precisely wherever it’s going. It opens with a elemental acceptable of missions that person players whacking a shot astatine a trophy. The gag escalates a spot with each mission, but the premise seems clear: This is simply a tee shot crippled astir hitting targets.

Then, comes a curveball.

A quality prepares to brushwood their teeth with a shot bat successful What the Bat?

Suddenly, I’m nary longer an all-star slugger hitting balls from location plate; I’m a baby. A babe with shot bats for hands, to beryllium exact. Right away, I’m placed successful beforehand of 1 of those woody container toys wherever I request to spot shapes successful the close slot. The challenge, however, is that I americium trying to prime up the pieces with my cylindrical hands and worldly them into those holes by utilizing the blunt extremity of a bat to cram them in. Other tasks, similar filling up a sandbox bucket, are arsenic hard arsenic I conflict to clasp my pail upright. It’s an opening arsenic comic arsenic it is ingenious. These tasks would beryllium hard for a toddler who isn’t yet alert of their body. And similar that toddler, I, too, americium trying to fig retired however the hellhole I’m expected to prime things up with bat hands. Having a assemblage is hard.

From there, I enactment my mode up done my teenage years, with elemental tasks resulting successful catastrophe. I effort to determination myself a vessel of cereal, lone for it to autumn each implicit the array arsenic I effort to shingle flakes retired with my bats. In the laundry room, I person to whack my soiled underwear into the washing instrumentality similar I’m competing successful a location tally rally. Later, 1 ngo has maine moving a time occupation successful a supermarket wherever I request to scan barcodes connected items arsenic they walk by connected the conveyor belt. Every mundane task becomes a drama of errors.

That’s the existent gag of What the Bat?, which replicates the awkwardness of increasing up with carnal drama that lone VR tin provide. It’s a silly premise, but it’s a focused 1 that takes vantage of the tactile quality of the tech. Each micro-mission astir feels similar a WarioWare minigame wherever there’s a wide enactment I request to do, but it’s made analyzable by… you know, the bats.

Cats picnic successful the mediate of a thoroughfare successful What the Bat?

I’m truly underselling however absurd the afloat acquisition is. While galore of its missions revolve astir elemental tasks, galore others are downright farcical. One level throws maine connected a workplace and has maine completing immoderate basal tasks, similar planting trees, herding sheep, and driving a tractor into a gigantic jar truthful I tin pickle it. All mean stuff. Its goofiest gag comes erstwhile I’m moving successful a museum, and I person to enforce a “Don’t instrumentality pictures” motion by hitting baseballs astatine photo-snapping seagulls. The meaning of that motion changes erstwhile the birds commencement virtually taking the creation itself and trying to alert disconnected with it (and you know however I person to lick that crisis).

It’s a little acquisition that’s not without immoderate VR clumsiness, but What the Bat? is different eccentric deed for Triband. It’s a playful small crippled that packs a batch of laughs into a fewer abbreviated hours, and it does that portion delivering an astir accidental commentary connected however weird it is to turn into a assemblage erstwhile you’re young. If you’ve ever wondered wherefore small kids conscionable look to destruct everything they travel successful interaction with, effort having Louisville Sluggers for hands and spot however casual your beingness is.

What the Bat? is disposable present connected assorted VR headsets, including the Meta Quest 2.