For many of us the Holo Chess scene from Star Wars is ingrained into our psyche. It was a glimpse of the technological entertainment enjoyed in a galaxy far far away and we all knew it was better to “let the Wookie win.”
I am sure more than a few fellow geeks out there will know, that little bit of visual effects wizardry was created by none other than Phil Tippett. You may also recognize his work in films such as RoboCop, Jurassic Park, and most recently The Force Awakens.
Why am I telling you all of this, well because Phil Tippett is lending his creature making skills and teaming up with the developers at Happy Giant to create a new type of hybrid Collectible Card Game mixed with Augmented Reality called HoloGrid: Monster Battle.
In HoloGrid, you will use physical cards that will then be transformed into 3D models on your mobile device. A process called Photogrammetry is being used to put Phil Tippett’s physical monster models into the digital world with the results being extremely lifelike with a very high level of detail.
I had the chance to see the game in action first hand at PAX East in Boston this year, and I must say the creatures that the game spawns to life really take you to another place. I was a bit skeptical of the Augmented Reality angle but seeing the Battle Grids and Creatures rendered in real time from the physical cards was a something exciting.
HoloGrid also has some neat features on the gameplay side. It is, of course, a 2 player, PvP, head to head, game but matches promise to be quick lasting in the 10-15 minute range. The creatures you will fight with and against come with individual abilities and roles on the battlefield allowing you to craft a cunning strategy to defeat your foe. There will even be spells to sling at your enemies or aid your units.
The folks behind HoloGrid: Monster Battle have also announced today May the 4th a launch of their Kickstarter Project with all manner of backer rewards for supporting the initial development of the game. It is most certainly worth a visit to the campaign page to get a more in-depth look at all of the creatures and features of HoloGrid: Monster Battle.
I was pleasantly surprised and caught off guard a bit by the immersiveness of the Augmented Reality at PAX East. The developers have also detailed plans to take the game to other AR and even VR devices if stretch goals are met on the Kickstarter and that could only enhance the base game.
The creatures that Phil Tippett is creating for HoloGrid are both unique and yet solely recognizable as “his” style. The game as a whole fills you with a bit of nostalgia as if you have done this before, but then you have the sudden realization that this is actually a new experience. Maybe it took this long for the technology to be right but I for one am glad to finally to see a game like HoloGrid: Monster Battle come to life with the talent behind it to make it something special.