Format: PSVR2
Genre: Sports
Developer: Wolf & Wood Interactive Ltd
Publisher: RapidEyeMovers Ltd

Veritably a one-to-one aesthetic copy of its inspiration, "Cosmic Smash" on the Dreamcast, the game takes place in narrow, solid-colored-- usually white-- rooms. First-person, orange paddle in hand, blue blocks ahead, look down to see the strange almost mannequin-like player body... little astronauts can be seen through the windows, occasionally a Dreamcast controller-shaped spaceship zooms past. Everything from the ball physics to the menu system perfectly captures the abstract, "what the heck is going on here" vibe of the original title. It's not the most advanced looking VR game by any stretch, but it's clean and legible.

The original game's space age music is imitated here, advertised as being composed by "Danalogue" and Ken Ishii, the latter of whom previously contributed to "Rez Infinite". It's definitely "out there", a mix of techno beats and progressive synth keyboard stuff, with some light drums mixed in for good measure. The monotone announcer fellow from the original game is present, and he sounds so similar it may actually be the same guy! He emotionlessly chimes in with "have a blast" or "well done", creating hilarious discordance.

The base game involves plotting a route across various planets in a solar system, then playing those stages in order before moving on to the next-of-five-total such planetary setups. The racket can be "held" in either hand, and the way the ball reacts to the player's swings feels very authentic to real-life sports such as Pickleball. There is a "Breakout" aspect to proceedings, with various powerups the player can temporarily acquire. One can also play "versus" against an AI-controlled enemy paddle, which flashes contextual emoticons as play proceeds. An infinite "Tetris"-like mode rounds things off.

Although it's a little on the basic side, having a racketball-style game on PSVR2 is pretty neat, and C-Smash VRS has an appealing aesthetic plus a plethora of game modes. One must be very careful however, as this reviewer essentially destroyed a ceiling fan light fixture while playing this title-- make sure to have even more room than one would think necessary; this aspect of the title may limit the enjoyment for anyone with a smaller-sized room. Still, the game can provide at least a little exercise, especially for those particularly out-of-shape.