It brings me back to a simple time in life when all a kid had to worry about was being the king of the jungle gym, swinging across the monkey bars as fast as possible, leaving school at the end of the day, hands covered in blisters that you wore proudly like badges of honour as you triumphed over every obstacle.

It’s time again to unleash your inner ape in TOSS! Developed by Agera Games and published by Vertigo Games, go bananas as you swing and toss yourself freely across spacy jungle gym playgrounds as an acrobatic ape in this VR platformer, now on PS VR2.

Players will find themselves crash-landed on a cloud planet and their rocket in pieces. In order to make our escape we are going to need to repair the ship. Collect parts as you launch yourself around seventy-five plus levels in nine vibrant cloudscape biomes. Normally I’d share some comments now about the story, however, this is not that type of game, and what it lacks in story it certainly makes up for in pure unadulterated fun. This is the type of platformer where you’ll write your own story, as you strive to achieve total mastery of each level, overcoming the many obstacles that stand in your way.

Before we get started breaking down the gameplay, I want to point out that this is a very physical game. Make sure you have a nice clear space with plenty of room for throwing your arms about. I’d even go as far as to recommend a good stretch before you play, as this is one thing that I didn’t do and I’m suffering for it.

As I write this, my arms, neck, chest, and shoulders are all screaming in unison at me to stop moving. While this game can be played seated, I wouldn’t recommend it, as I quickly discovered this will likely end with you hitting yourself, or taking hits from the arms of your chair.

Each level opens up to you standing upon a platform in the clouds, and in front of you is the playground-inspired gauntlet that you must pass through in order to reach the end goal. This sort of gauntlet run reminds me a lot of something you might see in Ninja Warrior, but with a twist.

Grab onto the golden pipes, walls, trees and even bounce pads and send yourself flying through the air to help this mighty ape reach the end of the level and smack the green banana button as you achieve your triumphant victory. Seems simple enough, however, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

You’re going to need to dig deep into the platforming skills you’ve developed over the years, whilst also learning to apply just the right amount of force to get you where you need to be. I really enjoy hurling myself across the beginning levels at full force, but as you progress, the parkour becomes increasingly challenging and this is where you’ll learn to finesse your way to the next grab position.

Once you’ve managed to see yourself through all of the levels, it’s time to reach for total mastery, taking on the speed run, grab limit, and banana collection challenges. Show off your ultimate sweat by unlocking cosmetic cuffs for beating the challenges and competing in the online leaderboards, and furthermore, unlock two modifiers that add the ultimate replayability.

There is something about the art style that I find refreshingly childlike, which spoke very directly to my inner child. Oversized ape hands with tiny, stubby fingers, bright colour palettes, and creative urban jungle playgrounds that reminded me of drawings gifted to me by my own children as they grew and explored art.

Each of these beautifully bright and wondrous biomes had me feeling as if I had my head in the clouds and I was without a care in the world. This art style reflects the very playful nature of the game perfectly, it brings a smile to my face as I’m reflecting on it.

Just as bright and joyous as the gameplay looks and feels, so too is the audio experience. Hearing the wind rush past you as you send yourself hurtling through the air, or the joyful squeals of our ape, as we launch from pipes, walls, and trees, is incredibly satisfying.

Beating a level and being greeted with a very thumpy, bright, and playful tune is sure to get those victory dances flowing. I am indeed very guilty of partaking in many of these victory dances as if infected by an overwhelming urge to just let loose. The music is a little bass-heavy but not so much that it becomes unbearable.

TOSS! is a bright, playful, joyful, VR platformer that is sure to leave you with a smile on your face. It delivers a gameplay experience that is extremely physical and challenging enough that it puts all of your parkour and platforming skills to the ultimate test. Do you have what it takes to become a master? Grab yourself a copy now on PS VR2 and embrace your inner ape today.

Written by: Gary Nielsen