HoloVista is a mixed reality game where you play as Carmen, a junior architect who has been charged with photographing an opulent, dreamlike mansion.
Reviews View More
Just remembered this was one of my favorite games from 2020 and instantly had to reinstall it. It’s got a strange style for the character faces, but the architecture and design as a sorta AR game is incredible.
A nice fusion of hidden object puzzles with a visual novel, and both aspects felt very developed. The selling point is the art though, this is GORGEOUS.
Reviewed for The Big Issue in 2020:
Newly hired by a mysterious firm, architect Carmen is sent to photograph and review a luxury home. But instead of an indulgent working holiday, Carmen’s job takes a nightmarish turn for the surreal, threatening her friendships, family and sanity. Part hidden object puzzle, part social media simulator, HoloVista tasks players with taking photographs, then posting them on Carmen’s social media feed. Each 3D scene is cluttered with gorgeous neon, glitchy visuals, and an electronic soundtrack to match. No matter how long it takes to find an object, environments never grow stale – though extensive accessibility options and a hint system means there’s little chance of actually getting stuck.
The writing is sharp, with ruthless satire of online influencer culture met by thoughtful discussion of trauma, identity and forgiveness. It’s a combination made easier through humour, particularly in messages from Carmen’s friends.
HoloVista is a brief, rewarding adventure in digital dystopia. If you feel like you’ve spent too much time on Instagram lately, HoloVista might help you kick the habit – if only for a little while.
Newly hired by a mysterious firm, architect Carmen is sent to photograph and review a luxury home. But instead of an indulgent working holiday, Carmen’s job takes a nightmarish turn for the surreal, threatening her friendships, family and sanity. Part hidden object puzzle, part social media simulator, HoloVista tasks players with taking photographs, then posting them on Carmen’s social media feed. Each 3D scene is cluttered with gorgeous neon, glitchy visuals, and an electronic soundtrack to match. No matter how long it takes to find an object, environments never grow stale – though extensive accessibility options and a hint system means there’s little chance of actually getting stuck.
The writing is sharp, with ruthless satire of online influencer culture met by thoughtful discussion of trauma, identity and forgiveness. It’s a combination made easier through humour, particularly in messages from Carmen’s friends.
HoloVista is a brief, rewarding adventure in digital dystopia. If you feel like you’ve spent too much time on Instagram lately, HoloVista might help you kick the habit – if only for a little while.
Helped make it baby!
Really incredible, loved this a lot <3 will eventually get around to writing more thoughts down about this but this is an all-time favorite. One of my favorite pieces of fiction