Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live – 1st Stage (PlayStation 4) Review

Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live is barely a rhythm game. Most rhythm games keep score and indicate various levels of successful hits or have some kind of multiplier. Past Hatsune Miku titles featured such mechanics, but VR Future Live does not. Face buttons are barely used if using the DualShock 4, which is awkward enough as is, since the controller is meant to be a glow stick in the concert proper. Thankfully, the PS Move controllers are supported and make for a more natural baton for this kind of motion-controlled rhythm game.

Assuming the role of an audience member, the goal is to shake a glow stick to the rhythm of the songs Miku performs and that is about it. The gameplay is as bare bones as shaking a stick. There is some metrics going on that the game is not communicating directly, since doing good equates to getting the rest of the audience more pumped and can lead to the concert having some dynamic theatrics. These can lead to Miku getting a costume change or some slightly more elaborate laser shows. Really, this is why anyone would play Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live: the concerts. SEGA fully takes advantage of the VR format and Miku's shows can reach such a spectacle that is just not possible in real life. The option of being able to teleport to the various vantage points is also a great feature, since now it is possible to be right in front of the pop idol and dance with her.

Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live concerts play out in a three-song structure. After each performance, the next song is chosen, and depending on how good of an audience member the user was, he or she is treated to a bonus private performance, which is the final song. The first stage of the season pass is about six or seven songs total, with a variety of costumes and various cosmetics batons for the audience to unlock. It must be reiterated that this is not really a video game, and is really closer to being a VR experience. It is a cute little novelty that makes the $39.99 cost of the season pass feel rather steep. The songs themselves are pretty catchy and par the course for Miku; just do not expect a deep or challenging rhythm game.