Crepe Master Hands-On: A Short & Sweet VR Treat For Kids

Crepe Master is a fast-paced brawler inspired by the likes of Sailor Moon and aimed at younger audiences. Read on for our full impressions.

Smaller experiences thrive in virtual reality. As an introduction for tweens to the technology, even more so. There are a slew of cartoony titles that are aimed at a younger audience thanks to the approachable entry point of its motion controllers. From Mythic Realms to Wreckin’ Raccoon, there is no shortage of wacky, creative adventures. Swinging your arms around as if holding a sword or conjuring spells might sound more enticing for a spry crowd than for a veteran of the medium. In that sense, Crepe Master is strictly aimed at that target demographic with its simple but fun mechanics.

Taking on the role of Hana, our young protagonist suddenly becomes a Magical Girl after accidentally touching her grandmother’s Sacred Pan. This is reflected in the characteristic floating hands in VR shown with white silk gloves while grabbing her magic wand and pan in her left and right hands, respectively. A floating, sentient crepe called Mother Crepe appears in the first tutorial to guide the main character through a nonsensical plot that includes facing an organization called F.a.R.T.S. and saving the universe. As one does.

Crepe Master is quite humorous. Giving the impression that it is totally aimed at juvenile gamers, most everything else does not make much sense. Considering it can be finished within 2 hours or less, this is probably for the best. The game primarily consists of fighting your way through 15 levels against three types of monsters and smashing machines to move forward. There are no secrets or interactable objects to speak of in any level. Thankfully there is more seasoning to this dish.

Enemies like big-eyed creatures, fire-spitting worms, and tanky enemies each have a unique mechanic to make them vulnerable to damage. Because the clever creatures can defend themselves from the basic right attack, using the wand to break their stance and create an opening is necessary. More elaborate, physical moves are required when engaging with the other foes. Described as a brawler, Crepe Master’s Sailor Moon inspirations come out in full when magical abilities are introduced.

Much like the magical girls that it is emulating, Hana has several spells at her disposal that can be activated by gesturing in specific ways. For instance, the Strawbarrier move to deflect projectiles from the worms spitting fireballs is used by crossing both arms in an X position. An even sillier move called the Bananattack is used by joining both fists to destroy the bulky enemies’ armor. Not to be confused with Kpop Demon Hunters’ Honmoon, the Honeyboom attack sticks enemies in place, triggered by squatting. This attack is mostly useful for an enemy-healing bee that is hard to pin down.

All of these moves have a cooldown period, so it’s not like it is possible to spam them infinitely. More powerful versions of these attacks exist, and they are activated by positioning the right hand up and the left hand at waist level. Posing exactly like the transformations of the Sailor Guardians, this is finally the introduction to the game’s cooking mechanic. Poking fun at itself in some dialogues, this move by the name of Crepo-Trance empowers each spell to deliver devastating variations of it. The Strawbarrier Megabomb, for example, quite literally acts like a mini atomic bomb.

A silly game at its core, Crepe Master is one of those fun distractions easy to pick up and play. Thanks to its more engaging and responsive spells and commitment to the Magical Girl bit, it is able to separate itself from the competition. Quick to finish but chipper to the end, its two-hour runtime will go by quick for any type of player. Food-based puns galore abound in this otherwise surreal journey that will surely keep energetic 12-year-olds busy on a slow afternoon.

Crepe Master is out now for Quest 3.