One of VR’s earliest archery games makes its way to Quest. What do we make of it? Find out in our Holopoint Oculus Quest review!
Holopoint is one of those games I’ve really been holding out for on Oculus Quest. I’ve always enjoyed the PC VR version of this archery wave shooter, which supplants its simplicity with a demanding workout, but its true enemy was the wire running back to your PC.
It threatened to tug and trip as you rapidly span on the spot, hitting holographic targets with precision and then throwing yourself out of the way of return fire. In fact, it was a big enough obstacle to occasionally cost you entire runs through the 30-wave structure, ruining your high scores. On Quest, however, there’s no more room for excuses.
Only now are you finally free to play Alzan Studios’ beast of a bow and arrow game the way it feels intended. But Holopoint’s Quest version does also arrive well over four years on from its initial release, and is undeniably on the simple side, with arcade roots pushing you towards high scores rather than any sense of story or progression.
So, yes, Holopoint remains as straight-forward as its ever been. Its initial batch of waves start out slow, with floating cubes forcibly making you duck and weave when they spit attacks back at you. Gradually, you’re introduced to new challenges, like targets that leap into the air when shot and will fire back if they hit the ground before a second arrow strikes them, or an army of holographic samurai that march in for the kill.
But it prides itself on never letting up; there are few VR games that will make as aggressive demands of you as this, ordering immediate spins on the spot, getting you to throw yourself left and right. Get hit three times and it’s all over, making a full 30-wave run one of the biggest challenges inside a headset (I’ve made it to wave 15 so far). Certain checkpoints will let you start over at set waves, though you’ll lose the chance to really maximize your place on the scoreboard.
15 minutes of Holopoint will leave you both sweaty and, in all likelihood more than a little dizzy. I get – with ease – a better workout out of it than some fully dedicated fitness VR apps, in fact. But it’s absolutely a game to be played in short, intense bursts; towards the end of one 30 minute session one wave saw me spin in one direction for 10 consecutive targets. I had to take my Quest straight off and go lay down for a while after that.
Even with the benefits of the Quest, though, Holopoint still feels like a game that will get progressively much more handle-able as headsets continue to get lighter and more comfortable. I want to get fully rid of that lurch in my stomach after 10 minutes of jolting my head back and forth, and it doesn’t feel like we’re quite there yet. Until we are, this is definitely one to play sparingly.
Holopoint Oculus Quest Review Final Impressions
Holopoint isn’t the deepest VR game out there, but its punishing challenge and exhausting physicality make it a worthy addition for any fitness-minded VR fans. Just take caution to pace yourself and find a big play space, because the game has little concern for neither limited room nor your sense of balance. If you’re looking for a VR workout that does a suitable job of gamifying its challenge and making it addictive enough to return time and again, this is a solid choice.
Holopoint: Oculus Edition is available now from the Quest store. For more on how we arrived at this score, check out our review guidelines. Like out Holopoint Oculus Quest review? Let us know in the comments below!
