Home Sports [Meta Quest 3] | REVIEW

Home Sports attempts to blend the addictive sporting antics of Wii Sports with the immersion of virtual reality, with the idea one that I’m actually surprised hasn’t happened sooner. However, whilst the five sports it offers are each enjoyable in their own ways, the lack of depth, progression, and accessibility means that it doesn’t quite reach the heights of similar titles that came before it.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Home Sports is made up of five different sports: Pickleball, Badminton, Mini Golf, Hockey, and Bowling. While the variety is commendable, the quality of execution varies, and whilst no sport is bad at all, they might not all keep you coming back for more.

Pickleball aims to capture the strategic gameplay of its real-world counterpart but falls flat due to its overly simplistic mechanics and limited shot options. Matches can quickly become repetitive, and the lack of depth leaves little room for skill development or strategy as you face off against rival players. I found myself doing a lot of the same things over and over again, and whilst multiplayer can make things more interesting (more on that in a bit), the lack of depth means it’s not something you’ll find yourself returning to too often.

Badminton features slower-paced rallies and a focuses on precision, making for a more delicate gameplay style that makes each accurate shot you pull off feel all the more satisfying. That being said, its core mechanics share a lot of similarities to Pickleball, with it easy to argue that only one of the two sports needed to be included. Personally? I enjoyed playing Badminton more, with it feeling more unique for the platform.

Mini Golf is arguably the most accessible sport in the collection, with its straightforward controls and satisfying gameplay loop making it easy to pick up and play. Unfortunately, the courses lack creativity – especially when compared to dedicated virtual reality mini golf titles like Walkabout Mini Golf, that offers a more robust and rewarding experience. It can be a little unfair to compare the two in some ways, but as a dedicated player of Walkabout Mini Golf, I just found Home Sports’ take on the sport a bit underwhelming.

“Home Sports is a decent attempt at modernizing the Wii Sports formula, but it ultimately feels like a missed opportunity.”

Hockey is my favourite sport in the collection. Don’t get me wrong, the physics can be a little unpredictable in places, but the manic nature of the sport, having to line up your hockey stick with precision, and then nailing the perfect shot (or saving an incoming one) always felt really, really good. Like the other sports included in this collection, there’s not a lot of depth to be found, but the causal approach is what made it so fun. It’s the sport that I spent the most time with, and it’s also the one that kept me coming back to play more.

Bowling plays like… well… bowling. It’s simple and easy to understand, and hey, it always feels good to get those strikes. However, much like Mini Golf, there’s a better option already available on the Meta Quest 3 in the shape of ForeVR Bowling, so it’s hard to recommend this over that. It suffers from a few similar issues too, with the sometimes-iffy ball physics and a lack of tactile feedback diminishing the experience. It’s fun, but just lacks that special *something* to make it feel like you really are bowling.

All five sports include practice drills and challenges to enhance replayability, so whilst they do lack depth, they add something to keep you invested in them a little longer. And hey, certain sports will definitely resonate with some players more than others – whilst I wasn’t a big fan of Pickleball, I have no doubt that other players will love it, especially youngsters who are newer to virtual reality and are just looking for something easy-going and enjoyable. The comparison to similar titles can be a little unfair too, especially since you’re getting five sports in one collection here. I think I just hoped for more from Home Sports. If there was just some from of progression system or unlockables to earn it’d be something, but I just found it lacking in overall content.

However, it is worth noting that there’s online multiplayer, which makes the whole experience a lot more entertaining. I’ve had a blast playing Hockey and Badminton with friends, with it easy to excuse the lack of depth when you’re playing against a real opponent with a similar skill level (and who can laugh at your lack of fitness when the going gets tough). Home Sports definitely shines a lot brighter when playing with others, with it the best way to experience the excitement of each sport.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Home Sports also implements mixed reality into the experience, integrating your real-world environment into its virtual sports arenas. This helps create a more immersive experience that sees the game living up to its name and REALLY bringing the sports into your home, whether that’s when you’re golfing in your living room, blasting the hockey puck across your bedroom, or when accidentally crashing into your dining room wall when playing badminton (it happens, ok). The vibrant, cartoony art style complements the family-friendly feel of the game, and the mixed reality integration showcases the potential of the Meta Quest 3. It’s really, really cool and one of the things that impressed me the most about Home Sports.

However, this also highlights one of Home Sports’ biggest shortcomings: its limited accessibility. The requirement for standing play and a sizable play area restricts the audience significantly. Players with smaller living spaces will find the game frustrating or even unplayable, with this oversight particularly glaring given the game’s family-oriented design. Of course, it’s something that players might have expected before playing – especially since this is a sports game where players are expected to be active – but I don’t recall having as many issues when playing the likes of Wii Sports, which is obviously one of the game’s biggest inspirations.

Developer: Resolution Games
Publisher: Oculus Publishing
Platform(s): Meta Quest 3 (Reviewed)
Website: https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/home-sports/8975028309180826/