Holodance

Last updated

Holodance
Official-Holodance-Poster-V0 8-CC-BY-40 1440x1024.jpg
Developer(s) Narayana games
Publisher(s) Narayana games
Platform(s) HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
ReleaseApril 5, 2016
Genre(s) Music / rhythm
Mode(s) Single-player

Holodance is a collaborative multiplayer [1] virtual reality rhythm video game developed and published by Narayana games for Microsoft Windows. The standard version of the game features 12 songs people can dance on. [2] The game has been available as an Early access title on Steam since April 5, 2016. [3]

Contents

Gameplay

Players interact with the rhythm of a song using their hands, which are tracked using motion controllers. [4]

Catching Orbs

A mechanism used for percussion instruments, Catching Orbs puts attention on the timing of catching an orb. For each note of the instrument track currently played, one orb flies towards the player from a greater distance and arrives in hands' reach in front of the player at the exact moment that the note starts playing in the song. This location is marked by the outline of a sphere that glows up and down so that players know when they have to catch the note with their hand, and where. If players catch the note, they receive a score depending on how precisely they matched the rhythm, plus a bonus based on how fast they moved their hand before catching the note, and another bonus based on the rotation speed of their hand before catching the note. The locations where the orbs arrive can be used to create a dance choreography for the player. However, this mechanic only defines where the players have to have their hands at certain times. How the player gets there is up to the player, so it can be dancing, but it can also just be hitting orbs, allowing the players to find their way of expressing themselves in the game. When the player misses a note, that specific instrument is muted until they catch the next. This mechanic that has since been used by many other Virtual Reality rhythm games was inspired by a game jam project called E-Motion and first made public by Holodance in July 2015. [5]

Following Splines

Key screenshot of Holodance V0.8, in the environment "Virtual Clubbing", with gameplay (anime girl catching orbs). Official-Holodance-Screenshot-V0 8-CC-BY-40 Bonus-02-Clubbing HD.jpg
Key screenshot of Holodance V0.8, in the environment "Virtual Clubbing", with gameplay (anime girl catching orbs).

Following Splines is a mechanic introduced in Level 4 of the story mode of Holodance. It is used for sustained instruments. The way this mechanic works is similar to catching orbs in the initial phase until a note starts: The floating spline flies towards the player from a distance and arrives near the player when the note starts. Once the note has started and is sustained, the player now has to keep following an orb that keeps moving along the spline path, which is synchronized with the duration of the given note. That path starts when the note starts, and it ends when the note ends. The full spline path is visualized from the beginning, so the player knows where to move and by an orb following that path with the correct speed, the player also knows at what pace to move. This way, any hand movement could be choreographed. The score that players receive is calculated using how much of the time of the note their hand was actually inside the sphere while it moved along the path. This mechanic was first revealed in August 2015. [6]

Spinning Spinners

Spinning Spinners is a mechanic inspired by osu! Spinners and implemented so that all mechanics of osu! Beat maps are also supported in Holodance. The main difference is that instead of moving their mouse, players need to spin the controller.

Combo Multipliers

Official Holodance V0.8 screenshot of the beach level (Level 01 in story mode). Official-Holodance-Screenshot-V0 8-CC-BY-40 Level-01 HD.jpg
Official Holodance V0.8 screenshot of the beach level (Level 01 in story mode).

When players catch multiple notes without missing one, they receive combo multipliers. After eight notes, the score of each successive note is multiplied by two. After sixteen notes, the multiplier is increased to three. Finally, after 48 notes without missing a single one, players receive the 4x multiplier. The game also has events after not missing a single note and catching 30% and 80% of the notes. How these effects are visualized is depending on the selected environment, and not all environments support these events. Finally, a full combo, which means not missing a single note of the complete song triggers both an event and an achievement called No Note Missed.

Story and Environments

Official Holodance V0.8 screenshot of the first water level (Level 03 in story mode). Official-Holodance-Screenshot-V0 8-CC-BY-40 Level-03 HD.jpg
Official Holodance V0.8 screenshot of the first water level (Level 03 in story mode).

In Holodance's story mode, players experience land, air, and underwater environments in undergoing various levels of environmental pollution. In the first three levels, the environment has not been touched by human influence. Levels four, five and six illustrate mild pollution and the next three levels show the severe impact of the influence of an industrialized human civilization. Other virtual reality projects use a similar approach (see [7] ).

Reception

Official Holodance V0.8 screenshot of the last water level (Level 07 in story mode). Official-Holodance-Screenshot-V0 8-CC-BY-40 Level-07 HD.jpg
Official Holodance V0.8 screenshot of the last water level (Level 07 in story mode).

Upon release Holodance received a very positive reception, with an 85% positive rating on steam [8] and multiple critic reviews praising the game:

UploadVR wrote after testing an early pre-alpha build that “the game was pretty darn fun ... both for me and those watching.” [9]

“With plenty of music variety, your workout is only limited by your music choice. For those who like to dance or like the challenge of sliding and spinning notes this game can become addicting quickly.”

8.5/10 – VR Fitness Insider [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fitness game</span> Video games that are also a form of exercise

Fitness game, exergame, and gamercise are terms used for video games that are also a form of exercise. Fitness games rely on technology that tracks body movement or reaction. The genre has been used to challenge the stereotype of gaming as a sedentary activity, and promoting an active lifestyle. Fitness games are seen as evolving from technology aimed at making exercise more fun.

nDreams Video game company

nDreams, Ltd. is a company that develops and publishes video games. It is located in Farnborough, Hampshire in the United Kingdom. The company was formed in August 2006 by former SCi and Eidos creative director, Patrick O'Luanaigh. Since formation, the developer has worked on numerous projects for different video game platforms, initially PlayStation Home, the virtual world on Sony's PlayStation 3 console, where they grew to become one of the leading publishers. From late 2013 nDreams began working on content for virtual reality (VR) headsets, such as Sony's PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR. nDreams has stated that they are now entirely focused on developing content for virtual reality.

Eve: Valkyrie was a multiplayer dogfighting shooter game set in the Eve Online universe that was designed to use virtual reality headset technology. Originally launched for Microsoft Windows for use with the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, CCP Games had announced they plan to enable cross-platform play between the three major VR systems: the Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive, and the PlayStation VR. Released in March 2016, the game had two game mode options: Chronicles could be played in single player, while Combat allowed eight by eight combat PvP missions. Reviews generally criticized the limited plot and limitations of single player mode, although the described "arcade experience" was praised for having intuitive controls and "exhilarating" dogfighting features, with PC Powerplay dubbing it "arguably the best VR experience currently available for the [Oculus Rift] platform."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation VR</span> Virtual reality headset developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment

The PlayStation VR is a virtual reality headset developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, which was released in October 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Studio Roqovan</span>

Studio Roqovan was an American independent game and VR development studio made up of former Infinity Ward and Disney employees. It is headquartered in Los Angeles.

<i>Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin</i> 2017 video game

Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is a virtual reality adventure game developed by Double Fine Productions. It was released for PlayStation VR in February 2017 and on Microsoft Windows in April 2018. The game's story bridges the events between Psychonauts and Psychonauts 2.

<i>Job Simulator</i> 2016 video game

Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives, commonly referred to as simply Job Simulator, is a virtual reality simulation video game developed and published by Owlchemy Labs for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Oculus Quest, and Oculus Quest 2, in which players participate in comical approximations of real-world jobs. A sequel, Vacation Simulator, was released in 2019.

<i>Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope</i> 2017 video game

Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope is a 2017 first-person shooter game for virtual reality (VR) developed by Croteam VR and published by Devolver Digital. One or two players fight waves of enemies, including bosses, across five thematic planets. The enemies approach from a 180° field and the player can use dual-wielded weapons while moving across a limited space. To develop The Last Hope and experiment with other VR implementations, Croteam VR was established as a specialised division of Croteam. Devolver Digital announced the game at E3 in June 2016 and launched it in early access that October. After several updates, it was released in September 2017 for Windows with compatibility for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift VR headsets. The Last Hope received mostly positive reviews, with post-release reception lauding the game's gameplay and visuals while criticising difficulty spikes and issues with the online multiplayer mode.

<i>Robo Recall</i> 2017 video game

Robo Recall is a virtual reality first-person shooter game developed and published by Epic Games for Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest platforms. The game was released for the Oculus Rift on March 1, 2017, and an Oculus Quest version titled Robo Recall: Unplugged was released on May 21, 2019. Players that activate their Oculus Touch virtual reality controllers with its software are able to download the game for free.

<i>Audioshield</i> 2016 video game

Audioshield is a rhythm game created by Dylan Fitterer for the HTC Vive. The game generates levels based on music supplied by the player. The player blocks incoming "notes" with a shield of matching color.

The Mage's Tale is a first-person virtual reality dungeon crawler role-playing video game developed and published by inXile Entertainment in partnership with Oculus VR. It is a spin-off of The Bard's Tale, set before the events The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep. It is inXile's first virtual reality title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual reality game</span> Video game played in virtual reality

A virtual reality game or VR games is a video game played on virtual reality (VR) hardware. Most VR games are based on player immersion, typically through head-mounted display unit or headset with stereoscopic displays and one or more controllers.

<i>Beat Saber</i> 2019 virtual reality rhythm game

Beat Saber is a virtual reality rhythm game developed by two Slovaks Ján Ilavský, Vladimír Hrinčár and published by Czech game developer Beat Games. It takes place in many different surrealistic neon environments and features the player slicing blocks representing musical beats with a pair of brightly-colored sabers. Following an early access release in May 2018, the game was officially released for PlayStation 4 and Windows on May 21, 2019, and supports most virtual reality headsets including HTC Vive, Oculus Quest, Quest 2 and Quest Pro, PlayStation VR, PlayStation VR2, and Valve Index.

<i>VR Kanojo</i> Virtual reality simulation game

VR Kanojo is a virtual reality eroge social simulation game made by Illusion, released in February 2017 for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift on Microsoft Windows PCs. VR Kanojo is the successor to Illusion's 2010 game REAL Kanojo, and follows a similar premise where the player is allowed to interact with a virtual girlfriend. It has been described as similar to Bandai Namco's Summer Lesson.

TheBlu is a digital media franchise that utilizes virtual reality technology to create 3D-rendered, interactive simulations of underwater environments in the world's oceans. Iterations of TheBlu have appeared as applications for the Samsung Gear VR and HTC Vive headsets and on the Steam and Oculus stores. In 2018, the most recent project in the franchise was launched using the Dreamscape Immersive platform, allowing up to six users to engage in a location-based experience. TheBlu was initially released as an interactive web application and screensaver by Wevr in 2011.

<i>Red Matter</i> (video game) 2018 video game

Red Matter is a 2018 sci-fi virtual reality game developed and published by Spanish studio Vertical Robot. The player plays as Agent Epsilon, who crash lands on one of Saturn's moons, Rhea, and goes to explore a nearby military base belonging to the fictional People's Republic of Volgravia. The game received positive reviews from critics, who praised the atmosphere of the environments, but criticized some of the puzzles as being confusing. Red Matter released on May 24, 2018 for Oculus Rift, with versions for the HTC Vive, Oculus Quest, and PlayStation VR launching in November 2018, December 2018, and August 2019, respectively. A sequel, Red Matter 2, was released for Steam VR and Meta Quest 2 on 18 August 2022 and for Playstation VR2 on 18 May 2023.

<i>A Fishermans Tale</i> 2019 video game

A Fisherman's Tale is a 2019 virtual reality game developed by InnerspaceVR and published by Vertigo Games. The game is set in a recursive world where the player controls a fisherman in a lighthouse. The game was released on Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 on January 22, 2019, with a Oculus Quest port being released in 2020.

<i>Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR</i> 2018 video game

Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR is a 2018 action and virtual reality game. It was developed by Imaginati and published by FoxNext for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows. It is based on the Planet of the Apes reboot film series, taking place between Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

References

  1. ↑ Feltham, Jamie. "Holodance Dev Explains 'collaborative' VR Multiplayer". VRFocus. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  2. ↑ Baric, Ivona (September 7, 2016). "Holodance Challenges Players to Dance with Dragons". Fitness Gaming. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  3. ↑ Feltham, Jamie. "HoloDance Hits Early Access, Gets Mixed Reality Trailer". VRFocus. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  4. ↑ Fitness-gaming.com (September 7, 2016). "Holodance Challenges Players to Dance with Dragons". Fitness Gaming. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  5. ↑ Graham, Peter. "Update: Dance in Virtual Reality with Holodance". VRFocus. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  6. ↑ Feltham, Jamie. "New Holodance Gameplay Showcases Dragons And New Mechanics". VRFocus. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  7. ↑ Simons, Marlene (September 24, 2016). "Using Virtual Reality to Avoid Catastrophe". Popular Science. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Holodance on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  9. ↑ Mason, Will (August 8, 2015). "Dance like nobody else is watching with Holodance VR". UploadVR. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.