​Shooty Fruity Review

By Kevin Mitchell  |  Posted: February 7, 2018

Shooty Fruity lets players experience what it feels like to be a minimum-wage cashier at a supermarket. Instead of ringing up customers, you'll be scanning a continuous stream of products to provide you with more impressive weaponry. Your shift is frequently invaded by the cutest nightmarish fruit you have ever seen.

Replace the dull, mundane retail position with enough firepower to take on a small army, except your targets come in all different sizes and flavors. Whether you are a fan of sweet or sour varieties, we can all agree that fighting against oversized hostile fruit is actually good old-fashioned fun, especially in VR.

The game's use of progression serves to slowly integrate new types of enemies and weapons into the progressively more difficult levels. At the start, you only have access to a basic pistol, with the goal of scanning enough items to earn a gold star (there are three in each level). More importantly, scanning enough items grants access to additional weapons that you have unlocked and put in your loadout, such as machine guns, shotguns, grenades, etc. Each level has set tasks for you, such as killing a fixed number of fruits, scanning a set number of items, or earning a specific amount of juice. All of these are presented ahead of time, in the form of a punch card, and it is a good idea to know what the tasks are before starting a level. Some objectives are tied to specific equipment, and if you haven't unlocked or added it to your loadout ahead of time, you won't be able to earn the star.

The fruit themselves are very stylish, charming, and full of emotion. There are over 14 different types for you to splatter across the aisles of the supermarket. Watermelons may slowly roll towards your position, but the firmness of their skin provides adequate protection, so you may want to use shotguns or explosives. Limes, on the other hand, are small, agile, and attempt to flank your position, dropping down from the exposed ventilation shafts. They travel in groups, so if you see one, there is a good chance another one is trying to break your line of sight. The remaining enemies range in both size and appearance, with some bouncing towards you, ready to explode if they reach you, while others float/propel themselves through the air, attacking your workstation from afar.

New weapons have to be purchased using the game's currency—juice from killing fruits. It's presented as a breakroom vending machine, with set price tags on each item. These new weapons can dramatically change the game, as they increase your loadout's firepower and, frankly, the enjoyment of the game. You are unable to reload weapons. Instead, you can drop or throw them once they "break" after running out of ammo. Find yourself needing to use a grenade but already have a gun in your hand? Use your mouth to pull the pin and don't skip a beat. If you pay close attention to the items that appear on your conveyor belt, you'll notice power-ups are mixed in with the groceries. These range from increased firepower against armored fruits to explosive ammunition that will result in a clean-up needed in aisle two—if you catch my drift.

Simply Put

As an arcade-style VR shooter, Shooty Fruity is engaging and fun, but only in short bursts. The gameplay loop can feel repetitive if you try to extend your play session, but I found varying your loadout does wonders to keep you enjoying the experience.