HoloBall: Lining Up the Perfect Shot for Victory

It only took two days since I first started HoloBall to get to the point where I couldn’t lift up my arms without grunting due to the soreness I now have from playing this game.

Because of HoloBall I now struggle to lift my mug so I can take a sip of the pure joy that a comforting warm cup of coffee offers. It’s also affected my aim in Space Pirate Trainer, because now instead of holding steady with my arms up high and shooting bots that way, I’m basically playing Space Cowboy Trainer and shooting from my hips. I wonder if Malcolm Reynolds has any tips for me…

HoloBall, you’ve made my arms sore and I’m not happy about this. Primarily because I want to play more HoloBall!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_cEBgbGSTM

HoloBall is simply straight forward with its design, but creates all kinds of fun for those who want to score goals by hitting a ball past an ever increasing AI defender. It’s neon glow and hot musical jams makes every round a blast to play. There are 5 modes of difficulty, each with 5 rounds that increase in difficulty as well.

After each round in a game of HoloBall the AI defender will either increase its movement speed or shot power. So even when playing on easy, the AI becomes a lot tougher toward the end of the match than it was in the beginning. This makes claiming victory on the expert difficulty level that much more of a pain to get through, but it sure is fun trying.

HoloBall uses the HTC Vive’s motion tracking controllers as the player works them as paddles to smack the ball past the AI defender or defend against difficult return shots. Like I said, it’s very straight forward, and the easier modes will become simple once the player grows more familiar with the game and creates a good strategy for playing. Thankfully, the hardest difficulty mode is always a challenge, and there’s also an Endurance mode that tests the player to see just how many goals they can score before giving up 3 against.

Endurance mode feels so easy at first, and then the player quickly realizes that they’re not just pressing buttons like they would in a normal game while sitting on a comfortable chair. This is when they truly understand that HoloBall is a physical activity and that players will wear down and start making mistakes which leads to letting in easy goals. It’s funny and sucks at the same time, but it’s good times all around.

Also, not only does the player get tired during a session of Endurance mode, but the more goals they score the tougher the AI becomes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_bn3c11VB8

One of the best things I like about the game is that if I don’t receive a good return feed (AI blocking the shot) I’ll simply guide the ball to an area where I feel the computer will set me up for a strong strike on the next return. I quickly learned the need to conserve energy and only take strong swipes when I know I have a good chance at scoring a goal. This is one of my favorite aspects with the game and why I have such a good time with it.

There’s nothing better than slamming a great shot past the AI. On the flip side, it’s frustrating to use physical energy to hit the ball hard and have the AI stop it, hitting it back at the player at a high speed that’s difficult to defend. But this is why the game is so much fun, and did I mention that the music is absolutely perfect for the game?? It so is!

HoloBall is entertaining all the way through and is the perfect VR game to pick up and play at any time – unless you’re still recovering from sore arms, of course.

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