Harmonix Music VR is not a game it has to be stated so there’s no confusion. It’s a piece of VR software for music lovers or those who just want to chill out inside the ambience of the new Playstation VR without the expectation to do anything in particular. Basically you listen to music and watch the splendid visuals unfold before you. If you wish to take things further then you’re able to do that too with some interactive elements.

Firstly, there are four distinct areas to mess around with. The Beach, The Easel, The Dance and The Trip. The Beach offers the chance to have your music play against the backdrop of a changing beach scene> it’s quite basic to look at but there’s an interactive element of being able to warp around the beach to set points and then stare at objects which come to life before you eyes in the form of shapes and such like. It’s supposed to be a relaxing environment to forget your worries and just sit back listening to your chewns. It’s perhaps the weakest part of the package.

The Easel on the other hand is a different kettle of fish and allows you (with two move controllers) to start getting creative. Here you can chose various shapes and then paint them or doodle before your very eyes in full 3D. The objects pulse with the music and allow you to create images based on how you feel about the music playing. It’s a pretty effective tool to mess around with and if you’re really creative you can come up with some interesting compositions beyond merely doodling your name in flashy lettering.

The Dance is another full interactive experience requiring two move controllers where this time you can move and control the movements of various oddly shaped characters who populate the dance-floor. You can nod heads to the beat, gyrate and do lots of crazy things making for a fun distraction. Eat some cake and you get transported to either the DJ booth where you can scratch the record, speed up oe slow down the music, shoot items into the audience or just blast them with a fog horn. More cake turns you into a giant and allows you to grab your audience and toss them aside or through a basketball hoop. It’s an interesting distraction but is not something you’ll spend a lot of time with (unlike the Easel which has infinite possibilities).

Lastly there’s The Trip which as its name implies puts you in an invisible chair, pumps up the beats and has you take it all in whilst the imagery constantly changes before your very eyes much like a kaleidoscope. You feel like you’re going on a trippy journey into the unknown. This is a great assault on the senses but sadly there’s no interactions here.

So it has to be said that with each of the scenarios on offer you can use various tracks which come with the package although these might not be to your tastes. You can create a playlist and just pick the tracks which appeal although cycling through these mid program is a bit fiddly where there’s no skip option without having to pause the experience first. However, the main draw for this experience is using your own music uploaded into the PS4 which gives the game a more personal flavour.

With flashy visuals, the option to create your own virtual masterpieces or mess around with crazy characters there’s something here for everyone and with its low asking price of £12 it’s hard to complain really. Some might even suggest the Easel portion is worth the price of entry alone and the others are just welcome extras but if you’re not artistic then it won’t appeal. Having sampled all of what’s on offer here this is kind of a niche experience set within a niche product and unless you really are looking for something quite different for your Playstation VR then it’s pretty hard to recommend this, not that it’s bad per se just not universally appealing. The bottom line is, if you don’t get creative and just want to sit back then there’s limited appeal here. It’s possible you’ll play this only once and never venture into its arms again. Still, if you are of creative spirit and a music lover then this is perfect way to blend listening and interactions in VR and worth checking out.