Product Info

Platform

Switch

Publisher

Toyful Games

Developer

Toyful Games

Genre

Action, Multiplayer, Party, Simulation

Players

1-4

File Size (Minimum)

444 MB

Release Date (NA)

May 25, 2021

Purchase From

Amazon

Best Buy

eShop

Very Very Valet is a madcap, couch co-op party game developed by a new indie team called Toyful Games with the help of retail publisher Nighthawk Interactive. The objective is simply to valet customers’ cars to and from a parking area. However, similar to other couch co-op games such as Overcooked or Moving Out, many of the levels feature various challenges, throwing a wrench into the simple parking aspect. Although a bit on the chaotic side, the fun couch co-op lets players mix it up with friends.

Valet or Bust

The goal of the game is relatively simple in nature: a team of 1-4 wacky characters are given the task of valeting cars. A blue bird with a headset provides simple instructions to the team regarding the goal for each level, which is basically to do the job by any means necessary. The game requires the team of valet ‘experts’ to overcome various obstacles found on the levels to achieve that goal.

The game offers a tutorial to new valet drivers to teach them the controls and essentials of the job. There is time to practice maneuvers and get tips on how to best drive and park the cars before tackling the challenges ahead.

Park ‘n’ Drive

Driving the cars takes some getting used to as the controls are not quite intuitive as they appear. Generally, you press the analog stick in the direction you want the car to go, whereas in other games, it’s more relative to which way the car is facing. Cars are able to drive forwards or in reverse, depending upon the direction of the car itself and the analog stick (or the keypad on PC). In open spaces, driving is manageable. However, it can become confusing when you are caught against a wall or in a corner where the car directions aren’t as predictable. Still, with coordination and timing, cars do have the ability to spin on a dime, which helps you reposition in a bind. You can also perform a power slide which allows for quicker turns at the cost of some control (the cars tend to wind up on two wheels at higher speeds).

Additionally, each type of vehicle drives at different speeds with different handling. For example, a large minivan may drive and turn slower. Meanwhile, a smaller sports car goes much quicker and tends to be harder to control. Fortunately, speeds can be adjusted based upon how far the analog stick is moved.

Animated Characters

Driving said vehicles is one or more of four wacky and unique characters that you pick at the start of the game. Each one has several different color options available. One of the characters, named Fervor, wears a conductor’s hat and a big grin on his face as he bounces back and forth in place (and oddly looks like Elmo when in the red shade). In contrast, Prim looks like a butler with a stiff posture and chicken-like legs. No matter who you choose, you just know that craziness awaits with these characters involved.

The characters are able to move around the levels smoothly and easily. Outside of the car, they can jump and shove objects around the level. They can also jump from cars, which can be helpful when navigating quickly across the level. When they hit the invisible walls around the map, they even have a special animation.

Wild Wild Levels

There are a fair number of interesting levels to enjoy in the game, ranging from a simple restaurant with a loop to rooftop parking to an airport where reaching the parking lot requires the valet service to cross the runway. Each level has designated pick up spot(s), where cars/customers drive onto the level, and parking areas to store the vehicles until ready to bring back to the customers. Generally, the dropoff zone for a customer’s car is a yellow flashing box and the cars needing to be returned have a yellow flag with a number. There are no restrictions when it comes to how the cars need to be returned, leading to cars being driven off a roof to the zone below, over other cars, or simply just calmly up to the zone.

With each level, there are obstacles that pose challenges to the characters, such as teleportation portals, traffic to avoid, or even a launcher that catapults cars across a gap to the other side of the level. In addition, levels will drop wooden boxes with power-ups that will temporarily increase your character’s running speed. For variety, there are even a few levels that are different from the standard valet-style gameplay where you’ll be knocking over bowling pins in a changing course or driving garbage vehicles and collecting bags of trash. It’s a nice change of pace.

Shifting the Difficulty Gears

The game features 20 levels that range in difficulty, and each one rewards up to three stars based upon performance in the level. It features a strike system where, for each car missing the pick up or dropoff, the reward stars decrease until none are left. The game still allows you to complete the level, but no gold stars are rewarded. There are timers on vehicles pending pick up or dropoff to help guide the urgency in which to valet each car, so act accordingly. Additionally, there are clues in the customers’ verbiage to designate their length of stay, and many levels have short-term and long-term valet parking.

On the default difficulty, it can be quite challenging to achieve enough stars to progress to the next level, tending to favor teamwork with others over solo play. However, the difficulty can be adjusted at any point to make things easier or harder. Of note, the default setting tends to be quite chaotic towards the end due to how quickly customers come out in the last phase and the chaos that ensues trying to cram 5-8 cars in one zone. Changing the settings may allow for more time to valet, along with another setting that can provide a buffer to an occupied car in case of a driving mishap. On the flipside, there is a higher difficulty mode above the default which provides red stars instead of gold ones, providing a tough challenge for those who desire it.

Co-op by Design

While solo gameplay is available, the game is designed for co-op style play, which makes the gameplay easier but also more chaotic. For the most part, the chaos is quite enjoyable. However, due to the size of the dropoff zone and the small map sizes themselves, the chaos can be a bit much. For example, the last phase of a level may create a frenzy of drop offs all at once, leading to multiple cars stacked upon each other and making it hard to maneuver or clear.

Of note, at this time, the game does not feature any online co-op play and only features up to 4-player local co-op. This meshes with the style of gameplay where it is meant to be enjoyed locally with friends. After the end of each level, teammates can vote on one of several highlight reels that were automatically or manually captured. The highlight reels tend to be rather entertaining to watch, and after the voting, each character receives a title, such as tallest or most cars parked. Teammates can ride in the same car together or even right on the hood of the car only to be launched forward after stopping, leading to some interesting reels.

Very Very Colorful

Graphics-wise, the game plays rather smoothly, given all the activity and chaos. There is nice shading and warm, bright color patterns to characters and levels. There are a few jaggies around the characters during the selection process, but that’s about it. The game is intended to be played in docked mode since it is easier to see the characters and level better. That said, it can be played solo on the handheld mode as well.

The music is light and playful, full of bells, chimes, and synthesizer and xylophone-like sounds. During the final phase of each level, where it generally becomes busier, the music tends to speed up to help heighten the intensity of the final phase. In between levels, during the highlight reels, calm, elevator-style music plays. Various sound effects overlay the music, such as revving engines, squeaking tires, chings when dropping cars off, and inaudible mumblings of customers when they leave their car.

Parking Mayhem

Overall, Very Very Valet is a fun addition to the increasingly crowded co-op arena. The core gameplay is unique and interesting even if aspects like its driving controls and the chaos that ends each level on the default difficulty take some getting used to. Fortunately, the difficulty can be adjusted so that friends and family of all skill levels can pick up and play. So park your rear on the couch and have a very very good time!

A Nintendo Switch review code provided by the publisher for this review and gameplay footage.