Vive Report

My VR game count is now over 100 titles. Out of those 100 + games, one has been my rock, my daily dip, my new source of exercise: HOLOBALL. Firstly, for those of us looking to slim down a bit using the Vive, Holoball is #1. Even beating out Audioshield, in terms of how many steps taken/ level of physical activity achieved. And when I do play Audioshield, I play hard, moving my entire body and punching with as much might as I can muster in between beat orbs. But Holoball becomes a different animal once you really commit yourself to trying to defeat the AI.

In terms of immersion, there is something about the clean Tron-like visuals and the controller mechanics that really make me feel more immersed in the virtual world than most other currently available VR titles. Within 5 minutes of loading this up, I am completely into it to the point where I almost forget I’m wearing a headset at all. I just get fully enveloped in the virtual world they have created, and even truly begin wanting to destroy my AI opponent.

The scoring system is ingenious in that to get a high score, you must defeat the AI as quickly as possible because every second that passes you will be deducted points from your total score for that round. They give you 2000 points for the round, but every second that passes you lose more and more of those 2000 points, to the point where if you take too long you will be rewarded 0 points for the round, aside from any bonus points you may have acquired throughout the round. Bonus points can be reaped either by hitting the ball very close to the rim and scoring a point, this earns you 200 points and is called, what else but a “Rim Shot!”. Other bonus points come from either “Ace”-ing a goal, which is getting a goal on your first hit. And, my favorite bonus, “Skunked!”, this is achieved by defeating the round without letting the AI score a single point against you and earns you a lofty 1000 points (as well as feels, fantastic feels). I tend to vocalize these achievements while playing by screaming “ACED!” or “SKUNKED MotherF&@cKEr!”. I mean there’s nothing quite like Acing all 5 rounds with Rim Shots and totally Skunking that danged AI.

One important factor: playspace. I am extremely careful with my VR gaming and Holoball was the first game where I hit my hand on something and lost the controller to entropy. So please, start off slow, be comfortable with your playspace and get familiar with your bounds and where you stand while you serve the ball, as you swing with essentially all your might, bad things can happen. Thankfully the game comes with multiple game modes to help you acclimatize: Zen, Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert, Endurance, and Custom. I won’t go into details on each, have fun exploring!

At the end of the day, it’s great fun, great exercise and a reason to return daily with a special score board for the “Daily Champions,” which allows most everyone the opportunity to be hoisted upon the great scoreboard for all to see (for that day, at least) because really, what’s better than glory? Give it a try and keep a look out for me on the Daily Champs board.

Check it out on Steam  Holoball $9.99

– dgtlhrt