Spice and Wolf VR
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| Spice and Wolf VR | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | VR |
| Developer | Spicy Tails, Gemdrops |
| Publisher | Spicy Tails (PC), Gemdrops (PlayStation VR, Nintendo Switch) |
| Platform | SteamVR, Oculus, PlayStation VR, Nintendo Switch |
| Device | HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, Oculus Quest, PlayStation VR, Nintendo Labo VR Kit (optional) |
| Operating System | Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Casual, Adventure |
| Input Device | Tracked Motion Controllers |
| Game Mode | Single-player |
| Release Date | 3 June 2019 (Steam, Oculus Store) |
| Price | US$24.99 |
| App Store | Steam, Oculus Store, PlayStation Store, Nintendo eShop |
| Website | https://spicy-tails.net/saw-vr/ |
Spice and Wolf VR (Japanese: 狼と香辛料VR) is a short VR animation based on Isuna Hasekura's light novel series Spice and Wolf. It was produced by the Japanese studio Spicy Tails and developed by Gemdrops, Inc., with a scenario by Hasekura, character designs by Ju Ayakura, and the anime's voice actors Ami Koshimizu (Holo) and Jun Fukuyama (Kraft Lawrence).[1] The story follows the wolf Holo and the traveling merchant Lawrence as they shelter from a rainstorm in an abandoned water mill.[2]
The project was crowdfunded through Campfire and Kickstarter, raising 72,457,073 yen in total.[3] It launched on Steam and the Oculus Store on 3 June 2019, on PlayStation VR and Nintendo Switch on 5 September 2019, and on Oculus Quest on 14 November 2019.[1][4] The Switch version can be played with the Nintendo Labo VR goggles, and UploadVR wrote that, as far as it could tell, it was the first game not made by Nintendo to support them.[5] A sequel, Spice and Wolf VR 2, followed in December 2020.[6]
Gameplay
Spicy Tails calls the work a "VR Animation" for one player.[1] The story is set during Holo and Lawrence's travels: caught in a sudden downpour, the two take shelter in a small abandoned water mill in a forest and spend the night by a fire.[1][2] The player sees the scene from Lawrence's point of view.[4]
In its review, UploadVR described a 30-minute experience set entirely in one room. The story is told in three chapters in which the player mostly watches Holo talk to Lawrence, without interactive elements. After the story, an interactive minigame asks the player to look around the room and find items to win Holo's favor, with the reward of being able to pet her.[7] Ladies Gamers' review of the Switch version reported about 25 minutes of story, followed by an interactive mode with a checklist of objects to find, and noted that the Switch version cannot pet Holo's tail.[8]
The Steam version includes a non-VR mode in which the anime and minigames can be played without a headset. It supports English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Japanese, with full audio in Japanese.[2] On Switch, the Labo VR goggles are optional; Nintendo's listing states that the content can be enjoyed without them.[9] The PlayStation Store listing likewise states that the content can be enjoyed without PlayStation VR, which with the PlayStation Camera is needed for the VR features.[10]
Development
Spicy Tails is an independent studio supervised by Hasekura. Before this game it made the visual novel series World End Economica and the VR anime Project LUX.[1] The studio's Japanese site calls Spice and Wolf VR its second VR anime after Project LUX and describes VR anime as a story experienced from a character's viewpoint inside a 3D space that the viewer can look around in 360 degrees.[11] The press kit credits Spicy Tails as producer and Gemdrops, Inc. as developer.[1]
The official site opened on 14 September 2018.[11] Funding came from two campaigns. The Japanese Campfire campaign launched on 25 November 2018 with a goal of 8,000,000 yen, met its goal within two hours, and raised 41,479,064 yen from 2,228 backers. The Kickstarter campaign opened on 1 December 2018, after Spicy Tails postponed it because of an application error, with a goal of US$70,485; it met that goal within two days and raised 30,978,009 yen from 1,629 backers.[3][11] At the time of the Kickstarter, Road to VR reported that versions for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Oculus Go were estimated for May 2019, and that PlayStation VR and Oculus Quest owners, added through a Campfire stretch goal, would likely receive their copies months later.[12] Spicy Tails later set the PC VR and Oculus Go release for 3 June 2019, citing quality improvements for the change.[13]
Release
| Platform | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Steam (HTC Vive, Oculus Rift) | 3 June 2019 | Published by Spicy Tails; includes non-VR mode[2][1] |
| Oculus Store (Oculus Rift, Oculus Go) | 3 June 2019 | Oculus Rift and Oculus Go versions[1][11] |
| PlayStation VR (PlayStation 4) | 5 September 2019 | Developed and published by Gemdrops, Inc.; PlayStation VR optional[1][10] |
| Nintendo Switch | 5 September 2019 | Published by Gemdrops; Nintendo Labo VR goggles optional[1][9] |
| Oculus Quest | 14 November 2019 | Standalone release[4] |
The Spicy Tails press kit lists a price of US$24.99.[1] As of October 2026, the game is still listed on Steam, the Meta Horizon Store, the PlayStation Store and the Nintendo eShop.[2][14][10][9]
Reception
UploadVR rated the game "Not Recommended". The reviewer praised the environment, in which "the chilly night's rain" turns "to warmth in the orange glow of a fire", and said Holo was "dutifully animated to mirror her anime counterpart". The review criticized the lack of interaction ("all you'll really be doing is watching"), found the petting minigame "more unsettling than anything", and concluded that series fans would "probably enjoy the fan service on offer" while "everyone else should steer clear".[7]
Ladies Gamers rated the Switch version "I don't Like it". Its review called the game "a cute experience, that doesn't require any prior knowledge of the series", but said the roughly 25-minute length did not justify the price and advised fans to buy it on another VR platform because "any capacity to interact is removed in the Switch version".[8]
Sequel
Spicy Tails announced production of Spice and Wolf VR 2 on 28 August 2019, together with the PlayStation VR and Switch release date for the first game.[15][16] The sequel is an animation of Spice and Wolf: Spring Log. Lawrence and Holo now run a bathhouse and have a daughter, Myuri, voiced by Aimi Tanaka. It has a 30-minute story, plus a mode in which part of the anime is watched alongside the characters in the style of Japanese paper street theater, and a non-VR mode.[6]
In October 2020, Spicy Tails said the sequel had failed Facebook's review for the official Oculus Quest store. The studio suggested the price-to-playtime ratio was the reason, and the game was not released on Quest.[17] Citing the Japanese Nintendo eShop listing, VGChartz reported a 10 December 2020 launch on Switch, PlayStation VR, Steam, Oculus Rift and Oculus Go at US$24.99 (2,739 yen).[18] Steam lists the PC release date as 9 December 2020.[6] Anime News Network reported that the sequel does not support Oculus Quest 1 or Oculus Quest 2.[19]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 "Spice and Wolf VR - Press". Spicy Tails. https://spicy-tails.net/en/press/saw-vr. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "狼と香辛料VR/Spice&WolfVR". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1065970/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rafael Antonio Pineda (2019-01-15). "Spice & Wolf VR Anime Crowdfunding Campaigns End With 72 Million Yen". Anime News Network. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-01-15/spice-and-wolf-vr-anime-crowdfunding-campaigns-end-with-72-million-yen/.142058. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Enter the Anime World of 'Spice & Wolf VR,' Now Available on Oculus Quest". Meta Quest Blog. Meta Platforms. 2019-11-14. https://www.meta.com/blog/enter-the-anime-world-of-spice-and-wolf-vr-now-available-on-oculus-quest/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Jamie Feltham (2019-09-01). "VR Anime Spice And Wolf Is Getting A Sequel, Switch + PSVR Versions". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/vr-anime-spice-and-wolf-is-getting-a-sequel-switch-psvr-versions/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Spice&Wolf VR2". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1348700/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jamie Feltham (2019-09-03). "Spice And Wolf VR Review: Visually-Polished Anime For Series Fans Only". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/spice-and-wolf-vr-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Paige Detlefsen (2019-09-14). "Review Spice and Wolf VR (Switch)". Ladies Gamers. https://ladiesgamers.com/review-spice-and-wolf-vr-switch/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Spice and Wolf VR". Nintendo. Nintendo of America. https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/spice-and-wolf-vr-switch/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Spice and Wolf VR". PlayStation Store. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/234622. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "狼と香辛料VR". Spicy Tails. https://spicy-tails.net/saw-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2018-12-10). "'Spice & Wolf VR' Kickstarter Doubles Funding Goal, Coming to Rift, Vive, Go, PSVR & Quest". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/spice-wolf-vr-kickstarter-doubles-funding-goal-coming-rift-vive-go-psvr-quest/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2019-05-27). "VR Anime 'Spice & Wolf' Launching on Quest, PSVR & Nintendo Labo VR This Summer". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/vr-anime-spice-wolf-launching-rift-vive-go-june/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ "Spice & Wolf VR". Meta Horizon Store. Meta Platforms. https://www.meta.com/experiences/spice-wolf-vr/2917608654922903/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Sal Romano (2019-08-28). "Spice and Wolf VR 2 announced; Spice and Wolf VR for PlayStation VR and Switch launch September 5". Gematsu. https://gematsu.com/2019/08/spice-and-wolf-vr-2-announced-spice-and-wolf-vr-for-playstation-vr-and-switch-launch-september-5. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2019-09-02). "'Spice & Wolf VR' Coming to PSVR & Nintendo Labo VR Soon, Sequel Now in Production". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/spice-wolf-vr-launch-psvr-labo/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Jamie Feltham (2020-10-04). "Spice And Wolf 2 Will Not Come To Quest After Failing Platform Approval". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/spice-and-wolf-2-quest/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ William D'Angelo (2020-12-03). "Spice and Wolf VR 2 Launches December 10". VGChartz. https://www.vgchartz.com/article/446532/spice-and-wolf-vr-2-launches-december-10/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Crystalyn Hodgkins (2020-12-04). "Spice & Wolf VR 2 Anime's English-subtitled Promo Video Streamed". Anime News Network. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-12-04/spice-and-wolf-vr-2-anime-english-subtitled-promo-video-streamed/.167055. Retrieved 2026-10-07.