In my new-found quest to try as many experiences as I possibly can with my sparkly new PlayStation VR, I was intrigued by something that seemingly just popped up on the PlayStation Store. It wasn’t well documented with little to no hype surrounding it, but something about it pulled me in. I’ve never been superstitious. Maybe I was funny walking under ladders, and I still believe in seven years bad luck if I smashed or cracked a mirror, but that’s as far as it goes. Maybe if I was, I would have enjoyed this title a bit more. That title I’m talking about is Kismet.
Beginning Kismet, I found myself in some sort of a fortune teller’s tent sitting behind a table. I could see hanging lanterns and candles and a sleeping feline that had one eye half open, keeping watch on me from atop a shelf. Sat opposite me was Kismet herself, a slim, masked automaton with seductive eyes. She gave a brief introduction in a soft-spoken voice before giving me the choice of three very different options which are the full extent of this “game”.
The first option was a tarot card reading session. With the Dualshock controller, I was required to choose three cards out of the deck that Kismet laid before me. Choosing which ones is completely random, and each card chosen is flipped one by one as Kismet gives you her findings based on your choice. Like I said, I am not superstitious, so this didn’t enlighten me much, and after giving a couple of my family members a turn, I soon realised that Kismet said the same things about each card. It ruined the experience from a logical thinker’s point of view, but if tarot card reading is not your thing, try the second option.
The second option is a lot more spectacular: a horoscope reading. Selecting this, Kismet tells you to hold on tight as she flips the table in a mystical manner as a mechanical Solar System is shown on the table with a date counter. The entire room vanished, and I was bewildered by the stars now strewn above me. Kismet asked me to put in my date of birth which is done, again, using the Dualshock controller. Once I had done this, Kismet knew I was a Taurus and predicted a bleak future whilst slipping in what kind of person I am. Although it was an enchanting experience having my horoscope read out by a video game character, once again my logical mind overpowered my gullible one.
The third and final option was the chance to play Kismet in a virtual board game. That game is the ancient game of Ur. The basic premise of the game is kind of like playing Ludo: four pyramid shaped dice float in front of you, and pressing the X button causes them to drop. The amount of white corners showing is the amount of moves you can make with your three counters. You’re only able to move along a certain path. Numbered squares are meaningless; however, the squares with a flower on them allow a second turn. It’s quite a fun game, but winning or losing doesn’t carry any reward or consequence. The best feature of this board game is the transformation of the environment Kismet magically makes happen. Once again, the table flips and the room turns into a vast looking desert with our table, surrounded by pillars, in the middle. It’s a strange feeling but oozed production values, as the visuals are beautiful.
Kismet is a short lived experience but its production values and nice visuals gives it some appeal. It’s one for the superstitious minds. Ones that believe in ghosts and fate. If I was one of these kinds of people, I would have enjoyed it more, but its content is extremely limited. In VR, being greeted by Kismet herself is, at first, unsettling. I wondered if something was going to happen, bracing myself for some sort of action. However, nothing happens, and as soon as that sunk in, the appeal was lost.
Developer: Psyop
Publisher: Psyop
Platforms: PS4 (PSVR), PC (Vive, Rift)
Release Date: 13th October 2016