Ever since R2-D2 and Chewbacca gathered for a round in 1977 we’ve wanted to play HoloChess for real. Today we’re one step closer.
HappyGiant and Tippett Studio today released HoloGrid: Monster Battle on Gear VR. You may have heard of this series before; it started life as an AR boardgame that we reviewed earlier this year. Players used tablet-like devices to visualize monsters on a board game that would correspond with cards you pulled from a deck. The same appears to be true for the Gear VR version, only you won’t need a tablet to visualise the game as you’ll actually be inside of it.
The new app features support for the Gear VR’s new controller as well as multiplayer. We thought the boardgame itself was worth checking out, though lacking in depth and in need of more card types. Still, the game uses designs from Phil Tippett, the animation pioneer that actually designed HoloChess for the first Star Wars movie all those years ago. It’s not official HoloChess, then, but it’s as close as you’ll get for now, and it joins a suite of other card games for Gear VR like Dragon Front.
Following this release, it’s possible the game also comes to true AR platforms like HoloLens and Google Tango.
HoloGrid is releasing at a limited time discount of $2.99 before going up to its standard price of $4.99. Either way, it’s a lot cheaper than the $30 physical set. A three day tournament will also be held starting May 4th (in recognition of Star Wars day), with t-shirts and prints up for grabs. You can sign up to take part here.
