Shooty Fruity
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| Shooty Fruity | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Developer | nDreams, Near Light |
| Publisher | nDreams |
| Platform | PlayStation 4, SteamVR, Oculus Rift (Platform), Meta Quest |
| Device | PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Oculus Quest 2 |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Shooter, Action, Simulation |
| Input Device | PlayStation Move, Tracked Motion Controllers |
| Play Area | Seated, Standing |
| Game Mode | Single-player |
| Release Date | December 19, 2017 (PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive); August 27, 2020 (Oculus Quest) |
| Price | US$19.99 at launch |
| App Store | PlayStation Store, Steam, Oculus Store (now Meta Horizon Store), Viveport |
| Website | https://www.ndreams.com/games/shooty-fruity |
Shooty Fruity is a virtual reality shooter and job simulation game developed by the British studio nDreams together with the Brighton studio Near Light, and published by nDreams. The player is a new employee of the Super Mega Mart supermarket who has to scan, serve and pack groceries while shooting mutant fruit with motion-controlled guns.[1][2] It launched simultaneously on PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive on 19 December 2017 at €19.99, US$19.99 or £15.99.[3][4] A port for the standalone Oculus Quest followed on 27 August 2020.[5]
The PlayStation 4 version holds a Metascore of 79 ("generally favorable") on Metacritic, based on 10 critic reviews.[6] An arcade edition, Shooty Fruity Arcade, won the PC arcade category of HTC's third Viveport Developer Awards in March 2019.[7]
Gameplay
Shooty Fruity combines first-person shooting with job simulation. nDreams called this "shoot and serve" multitasking: the player works a shift at a station, such as a checkout, while waves of genetically mutated fruit attack, and has to keep the job going while fighting back.[1] The PlayStation VR version requires two PlayStation Move controllers, and nDreams said the multitasking design was only possible with two motion controllers.[1][8][9] On the PC versions it is a VR-only game for tracked motion controllers.[10]
The game has three jobs. At the checkout the player scans products; in the canteen the player packs freeze-dried food sachets into tray compartments; and in the warehouse the player packs produce for orders and sends it down chutes.[11][8] In nDreams' announcement example, scanning a tin of beans gives the player a pistol, and further scans unlock a submachine gun and an exploding-ammo power-up.[1] Enemies named by nDreams include exploding pineapples, kamikaze limes, ninja lemons, armoured watermelons, pomegranates that fire their seeds, grapes that launch themselves at the player and blueberries that arrive in groups.[1][11][8]
Career, weapons and power-ups
Progress runs through a career of shifts. Each shift has three challenges, and completing them unlocks new jobs, shifts, weapons and power-ups.[11] The case study published by Immerse UK in 2018 gave the totals as 24 levels with three challenges each and 18 weapons to unlock.[2] Destroying fruit earns "Juice", which serves both as the score and as the currency for new guns.[11]
Between shifts the player returns to a staff room with a firing range, a weapon vending machine called the "Vendomatic", a locker for choosing a loadout and an arcade machine showing leaderboards.[11][12] Weapon classes include revolvers, submachine guns, shotguns and explosives; named examples include the Feckler 500 Flak Cannon, the armour-piercing Desert Fox revolver and the Katastrakov assault rifle.[11] The launch announcement added a Gatling gun and a rocket launcher, both of which have to be earned.[8][3] The Fruitmentation grenade can be thrown, armed by pulling the pin with the player's mouth so that two can be thrown at once, set off with a pistol shot or hit like a tennis serve, and a C4 slingshot launches placed explosives.[11] Power-ups include exploding ammunition and a slow-motion "bullet-time" mode.[1][3][13] In TheSixthAxis's description, empty guns can be thrown away instead of reloaded, and both hands can carry weapons.[12]
Development
Shooty Fruity was nDreams' first VR shoot 'em up. According to the Immerse UK case study, the concept came out of prototyping, and nDreams brought in Near Light, a Brighton studio, as a partner on the game's creative development, a collaboration the case study credits with the game's visual style and fruit characters. The two studios were not based close to each other, which made communication one of the main challenges. The game was built in Unreal Engine with audio middleware to a set budget; nDreams CEO Patrick O'Luanaigh said the team "aimed to create the best VR game for the budget".[2] Near Light's Ben Hebb and Paul Mottram told the case study that the game could not drop frames without making players feel sick, and that rendering the scene twice at 90 Hz made some visual effects expensive.[2] The supermarket voice character, "Esther", was created after numerous test sessions with voice-over artists, and a height adjustment was added so PlayStation VR players could play seated or standing.[2]
UploadVR's David Jagneaux reported that he had played a build at E3 before the game was announced, under the codename "Bananas", and that visitors to EGX 2017 voted it one of the show's top 10 games.[14] nDreams and Near Light announced the game for PlayStation VR on 16 August 2017.[1] In the November 2017 launch announcement, O'Luanaigh said: "If you thought Job Simulator was a blast, wait to you get a load of Shooty Fruity".[14] Road to VR likewise noted the influence of Job Simulator in the trailer's job-training premise and deadpan voice-over.[4]
Release
Pre-orders were available on the PlayStation Store and Steam by 10 November 2017. Players who pre-ordered or bought the game over the holiday season received the "Explody Bear" grenade and a "Golden Guns" weapon skin pack.[4][14] The game launched on PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive on 19 December 2017.[3][8] The Steam version supports English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese and Russian, with full audio in English, French, German and Japanese.[10]
UploadVR reported the Quest port on 18 August 2020 as nDreams' second Quest release, after Phantom: Covert Ops, and it launched on 27 August 2020.[15][5][16] nDreams' chief development officer Tom Gillo said the team "always felt the game needed the freedom of a standalone VR device to really hit its potential". In Meta's announcement, Gillo said the gameplay on Quest is identical to the other versions, with graphics optimized for the headset; Near Light was nDreams' development partner on the port.[5] On 27 March 2023 nDreams released an Unreal Engine 5 update for the Quest and Quest 2 versions with increased resolution and minor bug fixes, delivered by Near Light, which had by then joined nDreams.[17]
| Platform | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation VR (PlayStation 4) | 19 December 2017 | Requires PS VR, PlayStation Camera and two PlayStation Move controllers[8][9] |
| Oculus Rift (Oculus Store) | 19 December 2017 | Launch price US$19.99[3] |
| HTC Vive (Steam) | 19 December 2017 | Launch price US$19.99; VR only[3][10] |
| Oculus Quest (Oculus Store) | 27 August 2020 | Unreal Engine 5 resolution update on 27 March 2023[5][17] |
Shooty Fruity Arcade
Shooty Fruity Arcade is a version made for VR arcades. HTC's VIVE Blog reported in January 2019 that a play-through lasts about 10 minutes and consists of three shifts, with the player's performance deciding whether the next shift is more forgiving or more demanding; in the home version a single round can last from a couple of minutes to 10 to 15 minutes. Arcade scores go onto weekly, monthly and all-time leaderboards. The blog said both the arcade and home versions were available through Viveport and its subscription service.[18] At the third annual Viveport Developer Awards, held at the Game Developers Conference in March 2019, Shooty Fruity Arcade won the Arcade (PC) category.[7]
Reception
On Metacritic, the PlayStation 4 version has a Metascore of 79 ("generally favorable") from 10 critic reviews.[6] On OpenCritic, the game has a Top Critic Average of 79, with 76% of critics recommending it, from 17 reviews.[19] The Immerse UK case study reported that sales were strong, especially in North America, without giving figures.[2]
| Publication | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Metacritic (aggregate) | 79/100 | PlayStation 4, 10 critic reviews[6] |
| OpenCritic (aggregate) | 79 | Top Critic Average, 76% recommend, 17 reviews[19] |
| TheSixthAxis | 8/10 | PlayStation VR[12] |
| PlayStation LifeStyle | 8/10 | Score as listed by OpenCritic[19] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 4/5 | Score as listed by OpenCritic[19] |
| Gaming Nexus | 9/10 | Score as listed by OpenCritic[19] |
| Push Square | 6/10 | Score as listed by OpenCritic[19] |
| UploadVR | 6/10 | Score as stated by UploadVR in 2020[15] |
| CGMagazine | 8/10 | Quest version[20] |
Aran Suddi of TheSixthAxis called the game "a simple premise well executed", praising its art style, the feel of the weapons and the grenade mechanic, but reported that shots sometimes failed to register when the reticle was on target and that long sessions became repetitive.[12] David Jagneaux of UploadVR enjoyed the mix of slapstick humour and shooting and the way scanning groceries raised the tension, but wrote that the ideas were used up within the first hour and concluded that "Shooty Fruity just isn't sweet enough".[21] Reviewing the Quest port, Clement Goh of CGMagazine praised its wire-free play and the feel of the guns, but found aiming imprecise and named the lack of co-op as his biggest complaint.[20]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Dan Sheridan (2017-08-16). "Shooty Fruity: Fend off Waves of Killer Produce in PS VR Later This Year". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2017/08/16/shooty-fruity-fend-off-waves-of-killer-produce-in-ps-vr-later-this-year/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "The Supermarket Checkout has never been so much fun: nDreams and Shooty Fruity, an Immerse UK case study". Innovate UK Business Connect. 2018-06-13. https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/news/the-supermarket-checkout-has-never-been-so-much-fun-ndreams-and-shooty-fruity-an-immerse-uk-case-study/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Shooty Fruity Open for Business on PlayStation®VR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift". Impulse Gamer. 2017-12-20. https://www.impulsegamer.com/shooty-fruity-open-business-playstationvr-htc-vive-oculus-rift. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Scott Hayden (2017-11-10). "'Shooty Fruity' Coming to All Major VR Platforms December 19th, Launch Trailer Here". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/shooty-fruity-coming-major-vr-platforms-december-19th/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Going Bananas: 'Shooty Fruity' Brings Cashier Combat to Oculus Quest". Meta Quest Blog. Meta Platforms. 2020-08-27. https://www.meta.com/blog/going-bananas-shooty-fruity-brings-cashier-combat-to-oculus-quest/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Shooty Fruity". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/shooty-fruity/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Paige Farrell (2019-03-19). "Third Annual Viveport Developer Awards Winners Announced". VIVE Blog. HTC. https://blog.vive.com/us/third-annual-viveport-developer-awards-winners-announced/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Dan Sheridan (2017-12-19). "Shooty Fruity Is Now Open For Business in PlayStation VR!". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2017/12/19/shooty-fruity-is-now-open-for-business-in-playstation-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Shooty Fruity". PlayStation Store. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://store.playstation.com/en-ca/concept/229457. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Shooty Fruity on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/666100/Shooty_Fruity/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Dan Sheridan (2017-11-10). "7 things you should know about outrageous PS VR blaster Shooty Fruity, out 19th December". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/archive/2017/11/10/7-things-you-should-know-about-outrageous-ps-vr-blaster-shooty-fruity-out-19th-december. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Aran Suddi (2017-12-21). "Shooty Fruity Review". TheSixthAxis. https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2017/12/21/shooty-fruity-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ "Shooty Fruity". nDreams. https://www.ndreams.com/games/shooty-fruity. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 David Jagneaux (2017-11-10). "Shooty Fruity Brings Killer Food To PSVR, Rift, and Vive This December". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/shooty-fruity-brings-killer-food-to-psvr-rift-and-vive-this-december/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Jamie Feltham (2020-08-18). "Shooty Fruity Blasts Onto Oculus Quest Next Week". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/shooty-fruity-oculus-quest/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ "Shooty Fruity: Out Now For Oculus Quest". nDreams. 2020-08-27. https://www.ndreams.com/news/shooty-fruity-out-now-for-oculus-quest. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Shooty Fruity UE5 Update Brings Increased Resolution". nDreams. 2023-03-27. https://ndreams.com/news/shooty-fruity-unreal-engine-5-update-brings-increased-resolution. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ "Citrus blasting mayhem arrives to Viveport Arcades". VIVE Blog. HTC. 2019-01-31. https://blog.vive.com/us/citrus-blasting-mayhem-arrives-viveport-arcades. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 "Shooty Fruity Reviews". OpenCritic. https://opencritic.com/game/5322/shooty-fruity. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Clement Goh (2020-09-10). "Shooty Fruity (Quest) Review". CGMagazine. https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/shooty-fruity-quest-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ David Jagneaux (2017-12-18). "Shooty Fruity Review: Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/shooty-fruity-review-attack-of-the-killer-tomatoes/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.