Deracine

In the end, Deracine accomplishes little that a point-and-click adventure couldn't do. It's capable of beautiful and engaging moments, but hamfisted dialogue, awkward voice acting, and frustrating VR behaviors ruin it, for the most part. When the game is clearly trying to be delicate and graceful, the sinister undertones (likely due to the voice acting) give it a bizarre, unnatural tone, and for a studio that's capable of absolutely excellent narratives and gameplay, this felt quite tone deaf.

Deracine doesn’t stick the landing with its ending, and the game can often be more annoying to play than it is fun. It gets points for its bizarre atmosphere and intriguing plot, but they’re not quite enough to make it a game worth playing through. If Miyazaki decides to create another VR game in the future, hopefully that game retains what’s good about Deracine while delivering a gameplay experience that lives up to FromSoftware’s impressive legacy.

Déraciné is a solid addition to PSVR’s growing stable of exclusives. It’s not a must-play game though, especially if you’ve been through any of the other VR adventure games out there. It does have a bit of extra magic thanks to its developer and the story they are telling. FromSoftware crafted this game with love, and it shows in its overall polish and heart. If you devote yourself to getting engaged in Déraciné’s story then you certainly will.