What the Bat? is just one of the questions PSVR 2 players might ask themselves minutes into this funny life simulator. But the novelty of having Baseball bats for hands is a surprisingly delightful spin on VR simulator games.

The developers at Triband Production have not taken anything seriously in their latest PSVR 2 port of its 2022 VR comedy game. Objects will clatter. Baseballs are bound to shatter random windows. 

Players will unrelentlessly struggle to put toothpaste on their batty arms and brush their teeth. There are no limits to how What the Bat? made me laugh in the borrowed time Triband offers. But like a short stand-up special, the game sprinkles as many slapstick gags as it can. Players will also be disarmed by What the Bat?’s comedic timing. There’s more to be surprised about when the baseballs you send back accidentally land anywhere in destructive environments.

Short minigames let players digest What the Bat? with enjoyable pace. The game gives players ample amount of time to perfect its levels before moving on. In true baseball fashion, most of its mini-levels will put players up to bat. Much of these are repetitive in nature, but players will still find it satisfying to send baseballs crashing into giant trophies. 

Over the PSVR 2 platform, What the Bat? runs miles ahead of its other versions. The game unsurprisingly dazzles with a cel-shaded art style to reflect every comical mess players make. Players are surrounded by a colourful world even the most curious children remember seeing. Triband stays true to its spirit of enjoying a wholesome childhood by putting players in a vibrant world where anything is possible. Here, What the Bat? stays simple to perform almost flawlessly on the PlayStation 5’s hardware. While the consistent performance meant I could play for hours without motion sickness.

“What the Bat? embraces its absurdity to tell a surprisingly heartfelt journey of life.”

Just when What the Bat? starts to grow stale, the trophies players target behind to appear in unexpected places to add a challenge. These creative bits feel novel to shake things up. But What the Bat? still overstays its welcome with an absurd premise that can only go so far. Players might grovel at the more mundane levels by brushing their teeth or playing fetch with their dog. What the Bat? does reach (literal) creative heights, especially when players have to lodge a snack from a vending machine or For new VR players, it’s still a novel entry into the platform with easy-to-navigate levels.

What the Bat? embraces its absurdity to tell a Surprisingly Heartfelt Journey of life. Players have baseball bats for hands. But it never stopped them from creating memories with their imaginary elephant in a city built for antics. Levels are also structured as Mr. Bean-esque set pieces. Seemingly normal spots like a bathroom are puzzles. Parking lots are a chess board for ushering cars into spots. Museums suddenly become a batting cage with birds stealing exhibits. What the Bat?’s weird world throws players into enough situations with a brilliant effect.

What the Bat? winds up its pitch for a novelty VR puzzle game that runs for a mere four hours. But hits a home run for players thanks to recapturing the joys of innocent childhood fun with hilariously designed reflex minigames. Players rely on their batty hands and somehow overcome life’s trivial hurdles.