HoloVista

Absolutely incredible game. The story really hit home with the guilt and the insecurity and the suicidal ideation and the feeling of never being enough. The writing was fresh and modern and connected me instantly with the characters, and I love that there’s essentially a nefarious thing hanging over the atmosphere of the story but no one character is the villain. I love the premise, the art, the subtle planting of clues, the character relationships, the character development. I love that the main character is a young Latina architect who struggles with Catholic guilt. I love that she isn’t dealing with an immigration storyline. Honestly, it feels a little Black-Mirror-esque, only more hopeful. I just wish there were more about the consequences of Mesmer & Braid and their software. A court case in an epilogue, maybe? A sequel?? I cannot get this world out of my head and I’m sad that it’s over. Thanks for making this game. And if you’re wondering if you should play it, the answer is “yes.”

Gorgeous art, and an engaging sci-fi story about a crew of interesting characters with psychological depth. They aren’t defined by anything except what they believe, what they do, their way of communicating, and who they care about. (When do we get a game about Vlad & his intriguing creative world?) A refreshing change to see a trans character in a game not defined by that surface characteristic, but by their personality. After all, discovering who we really are over a lifetime is all about becoming our own truest (and hopefully most happy) self. This game, at its heart, seems to be about that. Who we think we are, who we really are, and the gulf between. It’s also about forgiveness and redemption. Not so much forgiving others as forgiving ourselves in the face of the fears, past baggage and negative stories we carry around with us. People who have faced great adversity in life may get a bit more out of the experience. Recommend this game to people struggling with depression/anxiety or low self-esteem. Wish it were longer, but understand what a huge amount of work it must have been for a small team doing a work this detailed! Great work folks! Bravo for having such a strong sense of what kind of game you wanted to make! You nailed it. 👏👏👏 Also. Experienced no bugs. 👍

I jumped into Holovista after playing the Mesmer & Braid ARG (alternate reality game), go search the web and play along. It’s not needed to know the game, but it’s more fun backstory as you play the game. This is essentially a discovery and story game purely set in the Vaporwave aesthetic. You’re Carmen. You’re trying to get hired at this architectural company Mesmer & Braid. You take pictures of objects (moving your phone around VR like or with your fingers), and then post them to a social media feed. You discover the story via your social messages and feed. I won’t spoil anything after that. It’s so refreshing to see fully contained games and experiences on the App Store. Well worth the $5, and just a neat vibe.