Having once worked the checkouts for a major supermarket, I can tell you that it’s an incredibly boring job in the wait between customers. There were many moments of doodling on receipt paper. Shooty Fruity is a game where you live the life of a supermarket worker, carrying out regular tasks like scanning goods, but with the added pressure of hostile fruit coming to take you out. Luckily the employer gives you guns to keep the fruit at bay while carrying out your normal tasks.

You begin life at the supermarket in the staff room which consists of a shooting gallery, a weapon vending machine, and a locker where you change your loadout. There are also shift cards here which correspond with different stages in the game. Before you start a level, you can test out weapons on the shooting gallery, working out which ones are best for you.

Experimenting with weaponry is necessary as some fruit are more susceptible to a certain weapon type than others. When you first start out you are given a pistol and sent out to scan items while shooting fruit. Things start off easy enough though there were a couple moments where shot impacts didn’t seem to register despite the aiming reticule being on the fruit. But as more levels open up more fruit types appear, and things get more challenging.

Each level has challenges to complete, such as destroying a number of fruit with a certain weapon, earning a certain amount of juice, or scanning a required number of items. Completing challenges unlocks more levels, so its a good idea to be aware of what the levels require before attempting them. The most obvious way to be prepared is to have the right weapons, but that’s where juice comes in.

Juice is the game currency and it’s earned from killing fruit. This juice can be used on the vending machines to unlock weapons, which can make your loadouts much more powerful. However there has to be a balance between the power of weapons, because you still need to unlock them during the levels by completing the task at hand. In one I decided to go for all power and was left wanting while the fruit began to attack as I hadn’t scanned enough items to unlock my revolver. Lesson learned. On top of the weapons you’ll unlock power ups that include armour piercing rounds or more power, which especially helps when it comes to larger hordes.

Scanning items isn’t the only job in the supermarket. Some shifts require you to work in the canteen to sort the food into the right trays while being plagued from all sides by fruit. Another job requires you to pack groceries the right way. These little changes help keep Shooty Fruity fresh enough to keep you going back to tackle the challenges. Where the game excels though is when you forget the tasks for a while and decide to dual wield weapons.

You can mix and match what you wield at will thanks to the simple control mechanics when using Move controllers. There’s no need to worry about reloading either; once a gun is empty, just throw it and pick another. You can also use grenades and one of the best things about these is being able to pull the pin with your mouth, so to speak. If you’re already armed, you just move the grenade to your face and the pin will be removed, allowing you to throw it without having to stop shooting

The only real issue is that playing Shooty Fruity for long stints may make the game feel repetitive, which is why it’s better suited to short bursts. Shots also don’t always seem to hit the mark despite the aim being right on the target, but this is an occurrence that doesn’t happen consistently enough to fully detract from the fun factor of the game.

The environments themselves look great with a lot of detail, while the cartoonish fruit is well designed. There are plenty of fruit that keep you guessing as to their abilities, requiring you to think quickly to target the most dangerous threat first. The guns are designed to look distinctive, so you know exactly what your picking up while in the heat of battle.

Shooty Fruity is a fun arcade shooter for VR that will be enjoyable for many people regardless of skill. The simple control mechanics makes it easy to pick up for anyone. Shooting aggressive fruit with various weapons is absurdly entertaining, while the pressure to perform basic tasks keeps you on your toes. Shooty Fruity is a simple premise well executed.

Score: 8/10

Version tested: PSVR