With comedy game show Taskmaster about to begin its 17th series later this week, I shudder to imagine how many people have suggested ideas for tasks to Little Alex Horne over the years. The number must be in the thousands, and I’ll bet every Taskmaster fan has at least a few good ideas for tasks rolling around in their heads, even if they’re never tried to put them directly in Horne’s hands.
The good news is that if you’ve ever wanted to create a Taskmaster task and then harshly judge your family and friends on how poorly they completed it, you’ll get your chance someday soon. Taskmaster VR has announced a Creative Mode that’ll let you become the Taskmaster’s Assistant’s Assistant—so you won’t just complete tasks for Lord Greg Davies in Taskmaster VR, you’ll be able to invent your own.
“With access to a variety of classic Taskmaster items, players can build custom tasks, brand-new scenarios or just make a mess,” says developer Scallywag Arcade. “Once players have created their task, they can challenge their friends and family to complete them in local play.”
The creative mode trailer above shows Alex’s trusty tablet in the hands of the player, with all sorts of familiar items at their disposal to build custom tasks: rubber ducks, puppets, vegetables, bongo drums, eggs, and plenty more. You can also put down the tablet and open the doors to the shed or step into the caravan, where you’ll find even more physical objects to put to use, like bowling pins, beachballs, wooden platforms, and musical instruments. Expect to find a few easter eggs from the show, too: that pot labeled “Mike’s Absolute Casserole” in the kitchen? I’d, uh… handle that with care.
If you’re not familiar with Taskmaster, it’s a show where five comedians are given silly tasks like “Get a coconut as far away as possible” or “Impressively throw something into something” or “Give your guest the best service at the Taskmaster Hotel.” Looking for something relevant to your interests? In series 7 contestants had to physically recreate a classic video game. Tasks are then judged by the commanding yet chaotic Greg Davies, with the winner taking home a gold trophy of Greg’s head.
The show has gotten pretty darn popular over the years, and there are now versions of it all over the world, including Sweden, Spain, Finland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. I got into it during the pandemic thanks to many episodes of the series being available on YouTube, and it’s become one of my favorite shows of all time. I don’t put on my VR headset much these days, but I’m ready to dust it off and step into the studio for this.
“The opportunity to set your own tasks is something the community has been clamouring for,” says Niall Taylor, Scallywag Arcade’s head of games. “We have been inspired by seeing fans get involved in Taskmaster parties at home and wanted to bring that same spirit to VR.”
