Earlier this month developer Happy Giant studios announced it was working on a new version of Star Wars-inspired digital strategy board game HoloGrid: Monster Battle was being rebuilt with ARKit. Apple have now given approval and the title is available on the Apple App Store.
HoloGrid: Monster Battle was inspired by the ‘Holo chess’ scene in Star Wars: A New Hope and was created in collaboration with the visual effects expert who helped to create that scene, Phil Tippett. Tippett created the various monsters that are used in the title, using his experience in visual effects to bring them to life.
Integrating the new depth-sensing and motion-tracking capabilities available in ARKit, the new version of HoloGrid: Monster Battle is a free-to-play all-digital title featuring new spells, game arenas and monsters. New monsters and spells can be unlocked by opening Treasure Chests, which can be earned by winning matches. Players can also earn currency by winning battles, which lets them level up their monsters and spells. The new ARKit features means that players can scale up the arena to make if life-sized, or scale it down and walk around to get a better view.
“The ARKit version of HoloGrid is a completely different type of gaming experience,” said Mike Levine, HappyGiant’s CEO and Founder. “You can now play the game like before, on a flat table top surface. But we also allow to play it in a huge, “Harry Potter” chess-style, which really takes the game to another dimension. Being able to walk into and around a life-size board game with giant animated monsters is something we think people will enjoy!”
VRFocus will bring you further news on HoloGrid: Monster Battle as it becomes available.
Since the release of Apple’s ARKIt, many companies have been keen to take advantage of its enhanced augmented reality (AR) capabilities. Tippett Studio have announced they are also using the ARKit to make a new version of HoloGrid: Monster Battle.
HoloGrid: Monster Battle is inspired by the holo-chess scene in the original Star Wars movie, and was developed in partnership with Phil Tippett, the visual effects expert responsible for creating that very scene. Featuring monsters designed by Tippett and a gameplay style combining videogame and board game elements, HoloGrid: Monster battle has previously seen versions on Samsung Gear VR, Google Tango platforms and Microsoft HoloLens.
The developers say that the iOS11 ARKIt version of HoloGrid: Monster Battle isn’t simply a port of the existing videogame, but rather a completely new version that has been re-built from the ground up using the ARKit toolset.
As the development team said on the Kickstarter update page: “This means you can keep playing your current version with the cards without any issues. This new app has new Spells, new Arenas and very soon, new Monsters! It’s going to be FREE, so we highly encourage you to check it out! There is a whole new leveling up mechanic, and new competitive arena based match making! As you can see from the screenshot, there is now a “scale” feature and you can play the game “Harry Potter Chess” style, or smaller, on any table top or flat surface. It uses AR Kit, so there are no longer cards needed. This is “markerless” AR.”
The developers have submitted the new version of the title for Apple and are currently awaiting approval, so a release date is yet to be confirmed.
VRFocus will bring you further new on HoloGrid: Monster Battle and ARKit as it becomes available.
HappyGiant has today has launched its critically-acclaimed HoloGrid: Monster Battle on Microsoft’s HoloLens. A tactical strategy videogame that combines elements of chess, board games, and collectible card games, HoloGrid: Monster Battle is now on five leading augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) platforms.
Tailored specifically to take advantage of the HoloLens platform’s core technologies – spatial mapping and spatial sound, gaze tracking, gesture input, and voice control – this new version of HoloGrid: Monster Battle ‘reads’ the player’s environment and then allows them to place and scale the board and characters into the real world accurately.
“HoloGrid: Monster Battle allows you to see table top games in an entirely new way, mixing digital holograms of chess battle with the real world,” said Brandon Bray, leader of Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality Developer Ecosystem. “It’s amazing! I’m excited to see HappyGiant pioneering the path to bring games to life in your own home.”
Inspired in part by the Star Wars HoloChess scene, and created in conjunction with two-time Academy Award winner Phil Tippett, HoloGrid: Monster Battle features gameplay is similar to that of videogames like HearthStone but set on a grid like Chess. Players can play against AI driven opponents.
“Playing HoloGrid on HoloLens is the ultimate experience. It fulfils the purest vision yet of the game we set out to make, and that I was inspired to play 40 years ago when I saw Star Wars as a young kid,” said Mike Levine, HappyGiant Founder and Creative Director. “Phil Tippett called it “magic” when I showed it to him, and I think that says it best.”
HappyGiant continue to support all versions of HoloGrid: Monster Battle with frequent updates. VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details.
The Star Wars-inspired multiplayer title HoloGrid: Monster Battle – an augmented reality (AR) title that held a successful Kickstarter last year then arrived in virtual reality (VR) form for Samsung Gear VR this April – created by Tippett Studio will now be made available to owners of Tango-enabled smartphones.
Inspired by the holo-chess scene in the original Star Wars and developed in partnership with the very personal responsible for the visual effects of that scene, Phil Tippet and his production studio Tippett Studio, HoloGrid: Monster Battle is a hybrid of board game, collectible card game and videogame. Featuring monsters designed by Phil Tippet, the gameplay of the title resembles other videogame/board game hybrids such as Blizzard’s Hearthstone
The augmented reality (AR) version of the title uses the technologies provided by the Tango platform, such as motion tracking, depth perception and area learning. By utilising those technologies, HoloGrid: Monster Battle can accurately scan the environment and place the game board in a way that looks like it is really there.
The CEO of developer HappyGiant will be discussing HoloGrid: Monster Battle and AR and VR technologies with attendees at Augmented World Expo (AWE) 2017 this week as part of a session titled ‘Augmented Reality and the Future of Board Games’.
Available to play as single-player or with two-player multiplayer, either locally or with players from around the world. HoloGrid: Monster Battle is available from the Google Play Store for Tango-enabled devices such as the ASUS Zenfone AR or Lenovo Phab 2 for $4.99 (USD). The Gear VR version is currently available at a discounted price of $2.99.
VRFocus will bring you further news on HoloGrid: Monster Battle and other AR titles as it becomes available.
Last year, Phil Tippett, the special effects director who created the original Holochess scene from Star Wars: A New Hope, launched a successful Kickstarter campaign for an augmented reality (AR) version called HoloGrid: Monster Battle. With Star Wars day fast approaching (May 4th), videogame studio HappyGiant and Tippett Studio will mark the occasion with a tournament.
Beginning at 12:01 am EST, 4th May, and ending at midnight EST Sunday, 7th May 2017, the three-day event will give participating players a chance to win prizes such as t-shirts and vintage prints signed by Tippett. All they need to do is accumulate the most multiplayer match victories where they’ll be placed into a pool to receive prizes. To join in sign up here.
“It’s been a dream come true to work with Phil Tippett, who inspired myself and so many others,” said HappyGiant CEO and Creative Director Michael Levine. “AR and VR tech has given us a whole new playground in which we can interact and create our own vision and worlds that previously only existed in fiction. We can’t wait to see what people think of HoloGrid in VR!”
While originally an AR experience with players having to purchase a physical pack of cards, the studio then launched a virtual reality (VR) version for Samsung Gear VR a couple of weeks ago. This was in time for the new Gear VR controller which the title supports. HoloGrid: Monster Battle is compatible with Gear VR Avatars as well.
As an extra bonus, HoloGrid: Monster Battle can now be purchased from the Oculus Store at a discounted rate. For a limited time players will be able to download the title for $2.99 USD/ £2.29 GBP rather than $4.99. Or for the AR mobile version head to the Happy Giant website or Amazon for $24.99.
In the future HoloGrid: Monster Battle might be coming to more platforms, with HappyGiant and Tippett Studio revealing support for Microsoft HoloLens and Google Tango are also being explored.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of HoloGrid: Monster Battle, reporting back with further updates.
Remember the scene in Star Wars where Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO are playing a kind of holographic chess game involving monsters? Ever wanted to play it yourself? Well good news, as users of the Samsung Gear VR can with the launch of HoloGrid: Monster Battle VR.
The title uses creatures and monsters created by visual effects expert Phil Tippett, who was responsible for the aforementioned holochess scene in Star Wars, and was also credited as the ‘Dinosaur Supervisor’ in Jurassic Park. The title is a collaboration between development studios Happy Giant and Phil Tippett’s own Tippett Studio, who have previously been know primarily for producing CGI effects for big Hollywood movies such as Hollow Man. The ‘soft launch’ of the title on Gear VR was announced on the HoloGridMonster official twitter.
The videogame itself is a hybrid between virtual reality (VR) board game and collectable card game, somewhat akin of Blizzard’s Hearthstone. Each monster and spell has a unique ability it can bring to the board and they can combine in unique ways, which brings an element of complex strategy to each match.
HoloGrid: Monster Battle VR can be played single player against the AI, or against friends in Multiplayer mode.
Let’s get it out of the way up front and early: HoloGrid: Monster Battle from HappyGiant and Tippett Studio looks similar to the hologram chess scene in Star Wars because the same guy that created that scene also created the monsters in this game. Phil Tippett (Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Dragonheart, Willow) is an Academy Award-winning visual effects designer with decades of experience creating monsters and visual designs for some of the most iconic film franchises of all-time.
When I visited his studio last year to see a pre-release preview build of HoloGrid in action, he also showed me the real-life models of the creatures from the game that he created first. After making those, they were then scanned with photogrammetry to construct the grotesque and articulated character models you see in the final game. It’s a unique way of building a game world and the results are extremely satisfying visually.
After getting funded on Kickstarter to the tune of over $100,000, the game is now finally released for both iOS and Android devices. The app is available for free, but in order to play you also need to purchase the card packs as well. The card packs are sold on Amazon for $30 and come with two stands for phones or tablet devices, along with a rule sheet, and two decks of cards. This way you can play with a friend locally even if you only purchase one box.
Each deck includes three champion creatures, nine minions, five spells, and a board card used to display the game. Since this is a hybrid card game and augmented reality (AR) holographic board game, you’ll use your device in conjunction with the cards to enjoy the experience. Although if you want, you an disable the AR features and just play it like a standard mobile game.
At the main menu you select to either play against the A.I. alone, with a friend locally or online, or play a random person online. From there you construct your deck by placing cards in front of your device’s camera. Each game deck consists of a single champion, three minions, and two spells. Since you’ve got more than the needed amount in each category, you’re afforded a bit of customization flexibility.
Unfortunately, that seems to be all there is for cards. In the realm of most card games like Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, or digital excursions such as Dragon Front or Hearthstone, decks consist of at least twice as many or more cards. When your entire deck is only 17 cards and there are only six different total options of those cards that can be used in any individual battle, it feels limiting.
Luckily the animations are wonderful and the attention to detail afforded each creature really shows through. As a technical marvel, it gets the job done. As a deep, immersive, and engaging card game with AR integration, it isn’t revolutionary.
The goal of each match is to destroy the opposing player’s champion. Every turn, you’ll receive five mana points, which are used to summon new creatures, move monsters, cast spells, and attack with your summoned monsters. In this way, everything you do is part of the meta-game of resource management.
Monsters take the form of one of five different class types, ranging from either Champion, Fighter, Shooter, Specialist, or Tank. Crafting a diverse army is recommended to address whatever your enemy throws at you. Each unit has a defined health pool, attack value, and movement points.
When playing your creature cards, you can only summon a monster in a square that is adjacent to another friendly monster you already own. All attacks provoke counter attacks, unless the attacked monster is killed by the initial attack. You can also swap a card from your hand to your deck.
Each card has some sort of special attribute as well that helps it stand out from the rest. In the case of the Carnifex champion, he buffs all adjacent monsters with extra attack power. The Strut is a ranged shooter minion that attacks any monster located in a straight line in front of it, regardless of distance. Then the Vanguard gets a bonus to its attack if it doesn’t move, making it a great tank minion.
One issue that I found is that you can only see a monster’s health, attack, and movement stats if you scan it into the game. The physical cards themselves don’t actually display any information other than their special ability, name, and class type. It doesn’t impact gameplay, but it seems like an odd stylistic omission. The image below shows the digital cards — the physical ones don’t have the information at the bottom. This could be due to the need for balancing patches and updates that may alter stats slightly.
Final Score:6/10 – Decent
Overall the gameplay gets the job done and the novel aspect of HoloGrid combining both the digital and physical world together is enough to make it a fun distraction for fans of the genre, but it lacks the depth and diversity to really keep you coming back for more. I’d have liked to have seen at least twice the number of cards to build a deck from, some expansion packs of some kind, or at least a bit more tactics in the strategies. If you’ve got someone to play with locally that loves card games, it’s worth checking out.
