Taskmaster VR review

The amount of times television shows have transitioned to the video game medium and failed far outweighs the good ones, and when you hear one of your favourite shows is getting the pixel treatment, it’s always equal parts worry and excitement. Taskmaster VR falls somewhere in the middle, and while there are things I liked about it, some of the technical issues and lack of multiplayer mean it’s not quite the adaptation I was hoping for. Still, being sat in the studio and berated by Greg Davies has now been ticked off my bucket list.

In Taskmaster VR, you’ll take part in three challenges across five episodes. Two of them will happen in the famous house while the final one is done in the studio. After each task, Greg will give you a score out of five, but with nobody to compete against, the scoring doesn’t give you the impetus to work harder. Saying that, I had a great time listening to Greg Davies and Alex Horne talk about my performance, even when they clearly weren’t watching the same thing as I was performing at times, because they got certain things wrong regarding what I had done.

The presentation of the show is great, especially the taskmaster house. It was lovely going to the different rooms and stepping into familiar locations like the caravan, while completing tasks. The audio is good as well, especially hearing the theme song and other memorable music. The chatter from the hosts is also good, and rarely does it feel forced or unnatural, despite it being scripted and less off the cuff like the show itself.

Some of the tasks are put together very well, and while you’re not free to work out what to do without a clear solution, you can have both a funny and frustrating time getting there. One of the most stressful tasks I completed was making a specific sandwich with ingredients Alex Horne wanted in it. I had to use two spatulas to open cupboards and drawers, pick up a plate and lay it down on the side, then place a range of ingredients on it to make the required sandwich. I lost so much meat on the floor, and the bread went everywhere. Some of this was down to me, but there was a loss of sensitivity in the movement which caused me to drop things if I moved a touch quicker.

You can crouch down to pick things up, but the movement is a bit clunky. It isn’t as polished as it could be, and when certain tasks require precision to complete, such as turning numbered dials to unlock a box, you need to be so careful or else you’ll never get it right. Despite these issues with the game, I still had fun. Maybe it’ll add to the hilarity of the overall experience, but without anyone to play with, it seems like such an odd choice to make it a single player title. Creative Mode lets you make tasks for people to play locally, but it’s just not quite enough to keep you coming back over and over.

Taskmaster VR has some great touches, such as the authenticity of the house, music, and hosts, but some of the gameplay elements aren’t as polished as they could be. The tasks are inventive enough, and can be incredibly well layered, yet not being able to play along with friends is a glaring omission. For fans of the show, there’s just enough to give them a reason to give it a go, but for those wanting a better puzzling experience, I would probably stay away.