Released September, 2020 on iOS, by Aconite
HoloVista is an immersive hidden object and storytelling game, allowing players to experience five days in the life of Carmen Razo through the lens of her phone’s camera and her social media feed.
As Aconite, Star St.Germain and Nadya Lev assembled an exceptional team of engineers, writers, designers, artists and audio folk to create something truly special. My involvement was always in support of their vision, lending my expertise in prototyping, documentation, pre-production planning, and user experience design to help craft and ship an experience we could all be proud of.
You could call HoloVista “a VR game without VR tech.” Rather than requiring a headset, your phone acts as the portal: Opening the camera lets you see into Carmen’s world, where you can photograph objects, post them to her feed, and engage with her friends and family through both public posts and private messages.
The result is an immersive and unique experience that’s still approachable and playable by anyone. The gameplay is casual in nature, allowing for complexity to be expressed through the narrative rather than through the controls and systems.
HoloVista is unlike anything I’ve ever worked on before. It’s been a fascinating and exciting challenge figuring out how to tell a compelling, immersive story while still being a fun, casual game to play. Our unique take on hidden object games is bolstered by an incredible team, with story by Strix Beltrán and Cory O’Brien, art by Blake Kathryn and Andrew Morgan, music by Mariode, and more.
Press
- An intoxicating journey to another world, NME
- A dark and dazzling critique of social media, Eurogamer
- A Brilliant Post-Modern Hidden Object Game, GameZebo
- A game about the ouroboros of social media, Input Mag
- Where reality fuses with tech to tell a human tale, Vulgar Knight
- Welcome to HoloVista: a surreal game that explores our relationship with technology, The Verge
- HoloVista is a gorgeous narrative-driven puzzler where you’ll explore an opulent, secret-filled mansion, Pocket Gamer
- Aconite Comes Out Of Stealth And Announces First Game: ‘HoloVista,’ A Stunning Mobile Mixed Reality Experience, Forbes
Accolades
Winner, Inclusivity
2021 Apple Design Awards
Winner, Narrative
2021 IndieCade Awards
People’s Voice: Independent Creator – Games
The Webby Awards 2021
Finalist, Mobile Game of the Year
24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards
Best Mobile Game
Brazil’s Independent Games Festival 2021
Most Innovative Game
Pocket Gamer Awards 2021
Official Selection
Latinx Game Awards 2020
Best Indie Game, Mobile
Best Art Direction, Mobile
Best VR/AR Game, Mobile
Best Music, Mobile
2021 NYX Game Awards