Max Mustard

As a VR fan, I have come to vaguely loath first-person games in the VR space. Though there are many fine experiences to be had, it’s always a crapshoot as to how well a first-person game will function. Having played dozens and dozens of VR titles over the last five years or so, I’ve had my fill of nauseating motion mechanics and twitchy sniper rifles. I’m much happier playing games that use concepts like scale and perspective to immerse me in their worlds. As a result, I’m always keeping an eye out for interesting third-person VR experiences.

In particular, I’m attracted to strategy and platformer titles in VR, as I deeply enjoy the sensation of “playing with my toys” in the VR space. While there have been some milestones in the VR platformer space (Moss, Lucky’s Tale, and of course Sony’s criminally neglected Astro Bot), not many companies have taken up the mantle to expand the field. The genre seems to move forward in fits and starts, which is a shame, as it is so well suited to VR.

That’s why Toast Interactive’s VR platformer Max Mustard is such a breath of fresh air. Max Mustard isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but it is a fun and solidly made game that helps further cement platformers as a viable VR genre. The game is a colorful delight, built in a way that will make it instantly recognizable by fans of classic Mario-style games.

Indeed, Max seems to have a lot of shared DNA with several of the above-mentioned titles; an overworld map here, a bit of first-person player participation there, maybe a smidge of verticality and visual depth thrown in for good measure. It seems that Toast Interactive was not shy about borrowing from some of the best, editing carefully to still allow Max Mustard feel like its own unique experience.

There is a story of sorts in Max Mustard, but I couldn’t begin to tell you what it’s about. Some baddies seem to have kidnapped the game world’s “Mudpups”, which is a bad thing. It is up to Max to conquer a series of levels to rescue the Mudpups, who are not-so-hidden along the critical pathway. Along the way, Max runs, jumps, and kicks through an expertly designed platform-filled world.

The game is divided into a series of overworlds, each of which contains maybe 12-15 levels. The player is occasionally given the option to choose between two levels, but for the most part, this is a linear trip through Max Mustard-land. Each level has an interesting platforming “hook”, some new mechanic that Max must learn to overcome with his/her (Max is delightfully gender non-specific) basic jump and rocket pack moves. Max collects coins along the way, which can be used to unlock new moves and some cool buffs (more healthpacks, extra boost time, stuff like that), but for the most part, the jumping, rocket pack, and an early-learned spin-kick do the trick.

 Max Mustard is designed in a way where it can be enjoyed by both kids and adults. The platforming difficulty is finely tuned to the point where I had to pay attention. I was unable to coast through the game, but things never got so tough that I couldn’t move forward after a few tries – and the unlimited lives didn’t hurt. Each level contains a few checkpoints, so even if you do miss a jump or fail to land on a baddie properly (these guys are strictly of the “jump on their head” variety) you won’t be stuck repeating the entire level. It is all quite forgiving and friendly.

The pieces and parts borrowed from other games are sprinkled sparingly throughout the game, adding a bit of spice here and there without ever overwhelming the core gameplay. The sections of the game where the player wields a plunger-shooting gun are fun distractions that appear every five or six levels but are over in a blink. The player is not a Moss-level participant in the story. And while Max does toy around with verticality, the game doesn’t lean as strongly into that mechanic as Astrobot, which seemed to dizzyingly fling its little protagonist every which way.

What Max does have is a sense of fluidity, and rock-solid platforming. It must be near-impossible when making a game like this to make the player character movement feel natural in response to the controller, as the player’s perspective is constantly shifting. But I never once felt that Max was behaving in a way that was unintuitive, and if I ever missed a jump, it was always my fault.

The game is also a visual delight. I played on the Quest 3, and I have to say, Max Mustard is one of the best-looking games I've seen on the system. The use of color is fantastic, and the graphics have just enough detail to give them a cartoony sense of depth. On a technical level, this game clicks on all cylinders. 

I did find that the camera sometimes felt a little bit too close to the action. There were several points where I “lost” Max underneath me, and I sometimes had to physically back up a step or two to get a clearer sense of my environment. But this is a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things.

Max Mustard might feel a tad derivative when considering earlier VR platformers, but there are so few games playing in this space that the game still delights and surprises. Most importantly, Max Mustard delivers a polished, professional experience, which makes spending 8-10 hours with its cute little protagonist a pleasure.