Virtual Lab

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Virtual Lab
Virtual Boy Virtual Lab cover art.jpg
Developer(s)Nacoty
Publisher(s)J-Wing
Platform(s)Virtual Boy
Release
  • JP: December 8, 1995
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Virtual Lab[a] is a 1995 puzzle video game developed by Nacoty and published by J-Wing in Japan for the Virtual Boy. Its gameplay is reminiscent of Pipe Dream and the Game Boy title Chiki Chiki Tengoku, and involves the player moving worm pieces of different shapes that descend onto the playing field by linking or shutting their open orifices together to make them disappear and gain points across multiple levels.

First announced under the working title Chiki Chiki Labo, Virtual Lab was created by a developer only known by the pseudonym of Megumi, who operated under the Nacoty label when working on the project. The game was reportedly launched by J-Wing in a unfinished state to recoup investment after they discovered Nintendo was planning to discontinue the platform under a very limited run of copies. It is considered by gaming journalists as one of the rarest, most valuable and sought-after Virtual Boy titles.

Virtual Lab received mostly negative reception from critics since its release; criticism was geared towards its presentation, poor use of the Virtual Boy's stereoscopic 3D effects, high difficulty and lack of replay value, while some felt divided regarding its gameplay but the soundtrack was commended. Retrospective commentary have been equally negative, with some considering it one of the worst games for the platform, being panned for its unfinished state as well as the lack of depth, controls, frustrating gameplay and repetitiveness.

Gameplay[]

Gameplay screenshot.

Virtual Lab is a falling-tile puzzle game reminiscent of Pipe Dream and the Game Boy title Chiki Chiki Tengoku.[1][2][3][4] During gameplay, the player must clear worm pieces of different shapes that descend onto the playing field by linking or shutting their open orifices together to make them disappear and gain points in order to progress into the next level.[1][3][4] There are 100 levels in total, with last one being a endless loop, while the player can also adjust the game's speed at the title screen, ranging from "Low" to "Mid" to "Hi", but "Mid" is the fastest.[1][3][5]

The main objective across every level is to make a determined number of linked worm pieces.[3] The player can also use the bottom and side edges of the playfield to make linked worm pieces disappear. If the worms pieces are linked in a certain way, a fairy will spawn to clear the bottom pieces in the playfield.[1][3][4] The game is over once any stack of worm pieces reaches the top of the playfield. The game gives a password after completing each level, but there is no dedicated screen to input them, rendering the passwords completely useless.[1][3][4][5]

Development and release[]

Virtual Lab was created by a developer only known by the pseudonym of Megumi, who operated under the label "Nacoty" when working on the project.[6]

Virtual Lab was first announced at E3 1995 under the working title Chiki Chiki Labo.[7] The game was first showcased to the video game press and attendees at the 1995 Consumer Soft Group (CSG) trade show and later at Shoshinkai 1995.[8][9] The title was originally slated for a December 22, 1995 release by J-Wing in Japan,[9][10] but was published on December 8 instead and was housed in an eight megabit cartridge.[11][12] Due to being one of the last releases for Virtual Boy in Japan, coupled with rumors of J-Wing publishing it in a unfinished state to recoup investment after discovering Nintendo was planning to discontinue the platform under a very limited run of copies, makes the game harder to find and more expensive than earlier releases, becoming a rare collector's item that commands high prices on the secondary game collecting market.[1][5][13]

Reception[]

Virtual Lab garnered mostly negative reception from critics since its release. Famitsu's four reviewers criticized the game for its "cheap" presentation, poor stereoscopic 3D effects, high difficulty and lack of replay value. They also stated that its gameplay was more fitting for other platforms.[14] The Japanese book Virtual Boy Memorial Commemorative Guidebook gave it the lowest rating in the publication, regarding it as a very strange title due to its gameplay premise, and found the 3D effect of the girl's breasts to be "unnatural".[16] In contrast to the other publicacions, a writer for British magazine Retrogames was more positive towards the game, noting its gameplay to be addictive and "catchy" soundtrack, but criticized its poor use of the hardware's capabilities.[17]

Retrospective commentary for Virtual Lab have been equally negative, with some considering it one of the worst games for the platform. Nintendo Life's Dave Frear wrote that the game had potential with some polish and refinement, but criticized it for being unfinished as well as its lack of depth, "buggy" controls, dull and frustrating gameplay, and repetitiveness.[15] Retro Gamer also criticized the title for being unfinished and having "very little" content, commenting that it was good as a collector's item for enthusiasts of the Virtual Boy.[5] Concurring with Frear, Retronauts writer Jeremy Parish found its gameplay frustrating and the controls occasionally unresponsive as well. Parish agreed that the game could have been a good puzzle title for the system with more effort placed into correcting its flaws and improving it. He ultimately deemed it one of the worst Virtual Boy titles.[1]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Japanese: バーチャルラボ, Hepburn: Bācharu Rabo

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Parish, Jeremy (2021). Virtual Lab: Scientific progress goes "boing". Virtual Boy Works. Limited Run Games. pp. 126–131. ISBN 9781955183000. Archived from the original on 2019-08-13. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  2. ^ "VB Express - バーチャルボーイソフト最新情報をCHECK! - J・ウイング" [VB Express - Check out the latest information on Virtual Boy software! - J-Wing]. 3D バーチャルボーイ Magazine [3D Virtual Boy Magazine] (in Japanese). No. 1. Tokuma Shoten. June 16, 1995. p. 34. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Virtual Lab 取扱説明書 (Virtual Boy, JP)
  4. ^ a b c d "バーチャルボーイ: Virtual Lab (バーチャルラボ)". Family Computer Magazine (in Japanese). No. 25. Tokuma Shoten. December 15, 1995. p. 163. Archived from the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  5. ^ a b c d "Virtual Boy: More Than Meets The Eye — Japan-Only Releases - The Virtual Boy's Home Territory Boasts Some Real Collector's Items: Virtual Lab". Retro Gamer. No. 102. Imagine Publishing. April 26, 2012. p. 48.
  6. ^ Cassidy (August 8, 2021). "Interview: 'Virtual Lab' Developer Megumi-tan — "I Guess I'm Tentatively This Game's Main Character."". Bad Game Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  7. ^ "E-3 The Biggest And Best Electronic Entertainment Show Ever! — '95 Next Generation Software Listing: Virtual Boy - Bullet-Proof Software". GameFan. Vol. 3, no. 7. DieHard Gamers Club. July 1995. p. 41.
  8. ^ 15 > J・ウイング. CSG 新作発表会 - 出展ソフトリス卜 (in Japanese). Consumer Soft Group. September 17, 1995. pp. 1–20. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  9. ^ a b "ファミコン スペースワールド'95: J・ウイング - バーチャルLAB - VB". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 363. ASCII. December 1, 1995. p. 107. Archived from the original on 2015-06-11. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  10. ^ "バーチャルLAB".  [ja] (in Japanese). No. 20. Kadokawa Shoten. December 8, 1995. p. 82. Archived from the original on 2019-05-31. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  11. ^ "最速 VBファイル 2!! - バーチャルLAB" [Optimized VB File 2!! - Virtual Lab]. Dengeki Super Famicom (in Japanese). Vol. 3, no. 18. MediaWorks. November 10, 1995. p. 117. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  12. ^ "バー���ャルLAB".  [ja] (in Japanese). No. 10. Media Factory, Recruit Holdings. February 1996. p. 160. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  13. ^ Reichert, Nick (December 7, 2020). "The Rarest and Most Valuable Virtual Boy Games". Racketboy. Archived from the original on 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  14. ^ a b "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: バーチャルLAB". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 365. ASCII Corporation. December 15, 1995. p. 31. Archived from the original on 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  15. ^ a b Frear, Dave (August 26, 2009). "Virtual Lab Review (VB) — Where to begin?". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. Archived from the original on 2019-09-26. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  16. ^ 世界の絶滅動物シリーズ - バーチャルボーイ 全ソフト一覧 (96年8月現在): バーチャルLAB [World’s Extinct Species Series - Virtual Boy List of All Software (As of August 1996): Virtual Lab]. バーチャルボーイ追悼記念ガイドブック [Virtual Boy Memorial Commemorative Guidebook] (in Japanese) (改訂第ニ版 [Revised Second Edition] ed.). Toyo Baphomet Council. January 31, 1998. p. 7. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  17. ^ "Virtual Reality — Virtual Lab". Retrogames. No. 18. 1999. Archived from the original on 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2021-11-04.

External links[]

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