Holodance
- February 28, 2020
- narayana games UG
Get on Steam"Holodance" is a single-player virtual reality rhythm game with a good plot and gameplay. The game offers an environmentalism-themed Story Mode, as well as a Free Mode where players can dance to their own music libraries or over 12,000 songs from osu!. With 20 diverse environments ranging from beaches to abstract tunnels and the option to enable a workout mode, players can enjoy an immersive and engaging experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features phenomenal maps and allows players to use their own music, enhancing the overall experience.
- Holodance has excellent integration with osu! tracks, providing a vast library of songs and a fun, engaging gameplay experience.
- The game has a strong community and responsive developers who are actively working on improvements and updates.
- The user interface is confusing and overwhelming, making it difficult for new players to navigate and understand the game mechanics.
- There are performance issues and bugs that can disrupt gameplay, such as lag and unresponsive controls.
- The story mode feels underdeveloped and lacks depth, which may disappoint players looking for a more immersive experience.
- music196 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game is highly praised for its extensive library, particularly its integration with osu! which offers thousands of beatmaps, allowing players to enjoy familiar songs while engaging in a physically active experience. However, some users noted issues with song loading times, a lack of pre-installed demo tracks, and occasional synchronization problems between gameplay and music. Overall, while the game excels in providing a diverse and enjoyable musical experience, it faces challenges in user interface navigation and song selection.
“It's absolutely amazing to play all the songs you know and love in VR - all the sparkles when you hit make you groove and also the osu!”
“The variety and massive library of songs it has makes it well worth the $20.”
“Not only is the game a decent workout, it is also extremely fun listening to your favorite songs and artists.”
“The music library in free mode is huge, and all the beatmaps I played so far were really good quality.”
“The story mode really isn't worth discussing as it has a very lackluster in-game soundtrack and the gameplay is rather shallow.”
“However, I found the automatic beatmapping of your songs to be subpar compared to other VR music rhythm games.”
- story51 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story mode of the game features charming dragons and offers a unique premise of catching orbs, but it is criticized for being unfinished and lacking depth, with many levels either missing or poorly structured. While some players find the story mode enjoyable and a good introduction to the game, others feel it pales in comparison to the more engaging free play mode, which utilizes osu! beat maps. Overall, the story mode shows potential but requires significant improvements to fully captivate players.
“The story mode is definitely a work in progress, but it has a lot of potential and I look forward to future updates.”
“While the story part is brilliant, it has great graphics (love the dragons!) and good ideas.”
“The story mode is unfinished.”
“The story mode really isn't worth discussing as it has a very lackluster in-game soundtrack and the gameplay is rather shallow.”
“It says it has a story mode, but as of right now it's just some static levels with some decently modeled dragons.”
- gameplay43 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mixed experience across various VR rhythm games. While some players appreciate the customization options and engaging mechanics that promote active participation, others criticize the lack of suitable beatmaps, chaotic gameplay, and poor synchronization with music, leading to a less enjoyable experience. Overall, the gameplay can feel shallow or janky, with some titles excelling in rhythm integration while others fall short in delivering a cohesive and satisfying rhythm game experience.
“There are plenty of gameplay styles to choose from outside of the already very fun 'orb/slide catching' base mode.”
“The tracking in this game is spot on - it's not like Audiosurf where your gameplay has no effect on the music, but more like Guitar Hero, so it actually feels like you're playing the song.”
“It has the best rhythm gameplay of all of them: you have to punch/slap the notes, just holding the stick in the direction is not enough; your punches/slaps make a sound when you hit so you hear the rhythm you are beating (not just a short vibration), the presentation is very beautiful, every song has three difficulty levels, all in all very fun and addictive.”
“Makes for dull gameplay.”
“Beatmaps result in a jerky and flowless gameplay.”
“The gameplay was not in sync with the music as the algorithm does not do that well.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics in the game receive mixed reviews. Many players praise the vibrant visuals and immersive environments, often comparing them favorably to other music and dance games, while others point out graphical glitches and a need for improvement in the art style. Despite some criticisms, the game's aesthetic and integration of sound and visuals are highlighted as standout features.
“Graphics: 10/10.”
“The osu support along with the great visuals puts Holodance far ahead of its competitors.”
“I think the visuals and environments look better in-game than I expected from the screenshots.”
“The graphics are not on par.”
“I know that a music game shouldn't solely be based off of the graphical quality of the game, but subjectively the game's art could use a lot of work.”
“Not to mention, I had graphical glitches in the story mode in the first scene.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report significant stability issues, including various bugs and glitches in gameplay and interface, particularly in song selection and story mode. While some improvements have been made in recent updates, such as disabling interface rotation animations and fixing random menu glitches, many players still find the experience frustratingly unstable, especially in specific features like beatmap uploads and virtual keyboard functionality.
“Very buggy.”
“It's still a bit buggy in song selection though.”
“Not to mention, I had graphical glitches in the story mode in the first scene.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users experiencing significant performance issues, particularly on certain hardware configurations like the Vive and GTX 1080 Ti. While some players find the game enjoyable despite these issues, others report severe frame drops and a need for further improvements, especially following updates like alpha 51.
“I can overlook the optimization issues.”
“It definitely needs more levels, and it seems that Alpha 51 introduced some performance issues, but I just had a session hunting for achievements and that was so much fun!”
“Only Holodance has given me performance issues (Vive, GeForce GTX 1080 Ti).”
“2020 edit: the game now has quite bad performance issues, dropping to super low frames.”
“It definitely needs more levels, and it seems that Alpha 51 introduced some performance issues.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the immersive experience of physically interacting with elements, such as the tactile sensation of touching a screen or the thrill of engaging with iconic elements like a lightsaber. This creates a deep connection that enhances the player's emotional engagement with the game.
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the amusing visuals, particularly the character's comical dancing during intense gameplay, which adds a lighthearted touch. However, some users feel that the overall experience falls short compared to competitors like Beat Saber.
“But I must admit, she looks hilarious when 'dancing' to the insane levels.”
