Virtual Lab

Virtual Lab is a falling block puzzle game. During gameplay, the player must clear different shapes that descend onto the playing field by linking them, with the goal being to shut their orifices on all ends to make them disappear. The main objective across every level is to make a determined number of linked shapes. The player can also use the bottom and side edges of the playfield to make linked shapes disappear.

If the shapes are linked in a certain way, a fairy will spawn to clear the bottom pieces in the playfield. The game is over once any stack of worm pieces reaches the top of the playfield. The player's goal is to gain enough points in order to progress to the next level.

Virtual Lab was created by anonymous video game designer Megumi, a transgender woman. Her employer, Game News Network, developed the game under the pseudonym Nacoty. She was approached by publisher J-Wing about developing a Virtual Boy game, and was given Virtual Boy specifications and development language to do so. She was given no instructions on the game's design, so she had the freedom to design it how she liked it.

She only received the development equipment one week before the deadline. She spent her first day checking the equipment, and then 2-8 days were spent creating the game.

Virtual Lab garnered mostly negative reception from critics since its release. Famitsu's four reviewers were critical of the game, with a common criticism being that the game is too difficult due to how significant a single mistake can be. They also questioned why it was on the Virtual Boy, suggesting it didn't take good advantage of the stereoscopic 3D. However, one reviewer felt it was both unique and fun. The Japanese book Virtual Boy Memorial Commemorative Guidebook gave it the lowest rating in the publication, stating that the 3D effect of the girl's breasts was unnatural.

Retrospective commentary for Virtual Lab has been similarly negative, with some considering it one of the worst Virtual Boy games. Nintendo Life's Gavin Lane considered it one of the worst on the platform, noting that while it was almost "passably fun" at times, it "never escapes its crushingly dull, repetitive loop." Fellow Nintendo Life writer Dave Frear felt that it had potential with some polish and refinement, but criticized it for being unfinished as well as having a lack of depth, "buggy" controls, dull and frustrating gameplay, and repetitiveness. Concurring with Frear, Retronauts writer Jeremy Parish found its gameplay frustrating and the controls occasionally unresponsive as well.