If you’ve ever had the pleasure of working in a call center, you know it’s Hell – not just because of the customers, but dealing with dim management, gossipy co-workers, the wheel of death (or in some cases, randomly placed platters of blue waffles being left in the break room), the inspirational posters with the cat falling off a branch saying “Hang in there” or “We’re in this together!” You also know it’s really hard to get out of the job once you’ve gotten in there for one reason or another. Budget Cuts takes this one step further by actually challenging you to get out as if your life depends on it – because it really does in this situation.

You begin the VR-only experience in a small cubicle as if it’s any other day in a strangely desolate office. There are a few robots wandering about, but that’s it. As someone who’s worked the late shift a few times in their life, being in an empty office is kind of creepy at times, even when there is nothing inherently sinister about the location. A call comes through that warns you that someone or something is killing all of your co-workers and you’re next, followed by some vague instructions on how to get out. It’s essentially a long-form version of the scene in The Matrix in which Morpheus attempts to guide Neo out of his office when the agents are closing in. The big difference here is it spans the majority of the game’s story.

When I watched the trailer long before launch, I was expecting something in line with the majority of the PSVR offerings, meaning an on-rails shooter of sorts. In reality, it has more in common with Portal with some Dishonored style stealth play added for variety. A large chunk of the game world can be explored freely, but many areas are patrolled by gun-toting managers, robots who don’t want you in this area of the world for one reason or another. These robots will shoot on sight with staggering precision that feels like the AI has the precognitive ability to shoot where you are teleporting to when you don’t really know where you’re landing just yet.

Almost immediately, you’re given an Aperture Science style portal gun that is your sole means of navigation (in line with most of the non-on-rails VR games). Instead of giving you two shots, one to make portal A and another to make portal B where you’d normally enter and exit, you’ll shoot a ping-pong ball of sorts that will often times bounce off of walls and the like, landing just off of where your intended target may be. At times, this becomes as frustrating as it sounds, especially in situations where timing is everything due to the stealth requirement. Even simple actions such as trying to open a door can be a chore at times due to its inaccurate nature, requiring you to try to teleport a few times just to line up correctly with the door.

The PS Move controllers are required for this game, with one hand aiming the portal gun and the other using face buttons to shift your view left and right in a very jarring manner. I think a better experience would’ve been if the controls matched up to something more in line with the VR element of Resident Evil 7, where you aim with where you’re looking and simply fire with a trigger.

I am fairly new to the world of VR, having picked up my PSVR unit just a few months ago, but I’ve accumulated around a dozen or so titles for it. This wasn’t my first outing where teleportation was the primary method of movement, but this was the first game it triggered any type of motion sickness, which limited my play sessions to about 30 to 45 minutes each before nausea or a headache set in. I’m not sure why this was the outlier, but I would’ve preferred at least having the option to walk freely from time to time.

One constant I’ve found with the VR unit across the board is that it’s almost as fun to watch others play, often looking downright stupid or overreacting to certain events. This is another outlier, simply because my television screen would only show an image of “Budget Cuts” against a black, torn screen that remained torn on my PS4 home page until a reboot. Not only did this make me fear for burn-in on my fancy new 4K set, but it was also just kind of disappointing to miss out on what the player was seeing.

The gameplay relies heavily on navigating the world, finding fax machines to call your guide on the outside, and then tracking down keycards and other useful items while being sneaky. You’ll have to avoid the managers until you gain the ability to defend yourself with scissors, blades, and the other items, complete with over the top executions. It’s a thrilling experience that is bogged down by some minor inconveniences, including sporadic checkpoints, inconsistently long load times, the previously mentioned control qualms, and the way your inventory is handled. This last issue might be more of a personal problem, due to the fact I am just under the recommended space requirement for the PSVR system, which has only been an issue in a handful of other games I was able to remedy by standing. I try to avoid this not out of laziness, but fear of toppling over two 4K TVs that are in the room. I struggled each and every time I dropped an item and had to retrieve it from the ground. Throughout the game, you’ll have to use the keycards at regular intervals that also require you to put them back into your inventory to be used on the next color-coded door before moving on. The problem here is the game doesn’t remind you that you’ll need it, leaving me to a fun scavenger hunt the first time I ran into this situation that had me struggling to remember where I left said card, and you only have a limited amount of time to actually open the door. Again, this is kind of a 50/50 split issue, partially due to my limited space, but it could have been avoided if the item just got tucked away once it was used.

The stylized visuals work well and really capture the absurdity of office life, showcasing a world that looks like it could fall into the Portal universe. Despite the lower resolution offered by the PSVR headset, everything looks crisp and as detailed as any of the competition. The small details, like the “I’m loving my vacation, don’t look for me” notes in other cubicles really sold me on the subtle terror within the walls of TransCorp. I really loved the mock inspirational signs, especially “Any day can be taco day” and the suspicious owner’s Southern oil tycoon persona that wouldn’t surprise me if he was a relative of Cave Johnson. It’s definitely an experience that speaks to the part of me that hates the stereotypical elements of office life.

Budget Cuts isn’t my favorite PSVR game (Until Dawn: Rush of Blood still holds this honor), but it’s a worthy addition to my growing library of VR experiences. It has some minor issues, but despite them, I found its short campaign to be well worth my time. Provided you have the physical space and patience for some of the minor issues, it shouldn’t be missed. Just try to remember the next time you’re standing around the water cooler, stabbing your co-workers is frowned upon in most states.

8 out of 10

Pros

• Crisp Visuals Despite the Downgraded PSVR Resolution
• Satisfying Stealth Gameplay
• Highly Immersive Take on Office Life
• Brutal Finishing Moves

Cons

• Limited to the Move Controller
• Not Thrilling to Watch Others Play
• Lots of Space Necessary to Play Comfortably
• Long Load Times and Inconsistent Checkpoints

Budget Cuts was developed by Neat Corporation and was published by Neat Corporation and Perp Games. The game is available on PC and PSVR. The game was provided to us for review on PSVR. If you’d like to see more of Budget Cuts, check out the official site.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

 

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