Cosmonious High

Lore & Background

The player takes on the role of a Prismi, whose first day at Cosmonious High begins with chaos when their space bus collides with the building due to a malfunction of the school's AI, Intercom. This is the first of many malfunctions the player must combat using powers that manifest as needed. The school's students belong to three other species—Flans, Bipids, and Trisks—and all must work together to control the repeated malfunctions while the principal hides in his office. The plot progresses non-linearly as the player unlocks parts of the school, earning credits for completing assignments, extra-curricular tasks, or cleaning up using powers such as water, ice, crystals, telekinesis, wind, telepathy, resizing, and fire.

Reader's Guide

Cosmonious High received 'generally favorable' reviews on Metacritic. Critics highlighted its colorful appearance and charm, with Shacknews praising Owlchemy's continued expansion of VR design. Android Central predicted it would be remembered as a classic VR game, though not as ground-breaking as Job Simulator. Common Sense Media rated it favorably for children, citing positive messages and role models. VentureBeat emphasized its accessibility features, including a mindful color palette, single-handed play, and dynamic subtitles. The game was nominated for Immersive Reality Technical Achievement and Immersive Reality Game of the Year at the 26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. Its development was announced in September 2021, with anticipation driven by the success of Job Simulator. The developers stated Cosmonious High would be the largest VR space they had built, fundamentally changing player interaction with 'live' characters. The game also gained attention through a collaboration with the creators of Among Us, featuring a crewmate as an Easter egg.

Did You Know?

• The game's plot is triggered by a malfunction of the school's AI, Intercom, causing the player's space bus to collide with the building.
• The Prismi can unlock powers in a different order depending on how the game is played, including telepathy, telekinesis, and resizing.
• The game was nominated for two D.I.C.E. Awards at the 26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards: Immersive Reality Technical Achievement and Immersive Reality Game of the Year.

A School Built on Chaos and Cooperation

The player steps into the role of a Prismi, the first member of their species to enroll at Cosmonious High. The very first moment sets the tone: the space bus carrying the new student slams into the school building because of a malfunction in the school's AI, Intercom. This is just the opening act of a long series of disruptions that plague the campus. The Prismi, alongside classmates from three other species—Flans, Bipids, and Trisks—must work together to keep the chaos in check, all while the principal hides away in his office. Classes carry playful, blended names like Chemosophy, Visualetics, and Astralgebra. The story's twist arrives only after the Prismi has unlocked every power and successfully rebooted the school: the founder, Yuwin R. Cosmonious, engineered every single disruption as part of a "New Kid Protocol," designed to force cooperation across species. The narrative closes with a celebratory dance in the Sports Dome, and the player is free to finish any remaining social quests or collect leftover credits.

Sandbox Powers and Player-Driven Progression

Cosmonious High is built around a non-linear structure. As the Prismi completes assignments, extra-curricular tasks, or simply cleans up the school using their powers, they earn credits and unlock new areas of the campus. There are 100 credits to collect and a variety of social quests tied to individual characters. The Prismi's powers—water, ice, crystals, telekinesis, wind, telepathy, resizing, and fire—can be unlocked in different orders depending on how the player approaches the game. What sets the experience apart is the degree of creative freedom: most objects within reach can be manipulated by touch or by a power, and the motion controllers serve as literal hands, letting the player interact with the environment the way they would in real life. Traversal is handled through joystick-based teleporting. The result is a sandbox-like VR space where the path to solving a problem is rarely singular.

Owlchemy Labs' Ambitious VR Leap

Owlchemy Labs announced Cosmonious High in September 2021, and the news generated considerable buzz, largely because of the studio's earlier hit, Job Simulator. The developers described the project as the largest virtual reality space they had ever constructed and emphasized that interacting with "live" characters in such an environment represented a fundamental shift in the player experience. They also noted how far VR technology had advanced since their earlier titles, expressing excitement about the new possibilities. Before launch, the game attracted additional attention through a collaboration with the creators of Among Us, which included a crewmate hidden as an Easter egg within the school. The title launched in 2022 for SteamVR, HTC Vive, and Oculus Quest 2 via Windows, and a PlayStation VR2 port arrived alongside that platform's launch on February 22, 2023.

Critical Acclaim and Inclusive Design

Critics responded positively overall, with Metacritic aggregating "generally favorable" reviews. Shacknews singled out the game's vivid visual palette and its charm, while expressing enthusiasm for Owlchemy Labs' continued push into VR design. Android Central called it a future VR classic, though it acknowledged the title may not reach the same level of groundbreaking innovation as Job Simulator. The game also drew praise for its family-friendliness: Common Sense Media highlighted its positive messages and role models, and VentureBeat pointed to a broad set of accessibility features, including a mindful color palette, single-handed play options, and dynamic subtitles. At the 26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Cosmonious High for both Immersive Reality Technical Achievement and Immersive Reality Game of the Year, underscoring the title's impact on the VR landscape.