Monsters in your pocket
While not an officialStar Warsproduct, special effects legend Phil Tippett’s (A New Hope, RoboCop, Jurassic Park, The Force Awakens) upcoming AR/VR card-and-video gameHoloGrid: Monster Battlewill definitely resonate with a lot ofStar Warsfans. Since the Holochess concept seen inA New HopeandThe Force Awakenswas in-part Tippett’s creation, I think it’s more than fair for him to take the concept on the road at this point, more than 40 years after its initial inception. According to Mike Lavine of Happy Giant, co-developers ofHoloGrid, “The tech has finally caught up to the point where this game can be made,” explaining the wait.
The plan is forHoloGridto use a process called Phototelemetry to scan Tippett’s actual monster sculptures into polygon-based models, to be projected in three dimensions using AR or VR. Each monster will get its own physical AR card, with battles taking place on an set board, for an experience less like chess and more likeCard Warsfrom the episode ofAdventure Timeof the same name.
We’ll be hearing more from Tippett aboutHoloGridand itsterrifying bio-monsterssoon enough, hopefully on an upcoming episode of Sup Holmes.
