'HoloGrid: Monster Battle' Heads To Gear VR

Tippett Studio and HappyGiant released HoloGrid: Monster Battle, their card-based strategy game, on the new Samsung Gear VR. HappyGiant also said it will host a virtual tournament from May 4-7 to celebrate "Star Wars Day" and give competitors a chance to win prizes signed by Phil Tippett.

Tippett is a two-time Academy Award-winning visual effects artist who worked on Jurassic Park, Robocop, and the original Star Wars trilogy. His studio designed the monsters that appear in HoloGrid: Monster Battle, and HappyGiant handled the rest of the game's development. They raised $101,000 on Kickstarter in 2016 to fund the game, and released it on Android and iOS in December 2016. Now it's making the jump to the new Gear VR.

HoloGrid: Monster Battle combines physical trading cards with grid-based combat. Here's how it works: You install the game on your device of choice, purchase the cards, and use them to summon virtual monsters, which you then have to command as you and your opponent vie for dominance. Imagine Magic: The Gathering combined with the Holo Chess from Star Wars with a little more panache, and you have the game's basic concept.

The studios said in a press release that new features--a single-player AI campaign and cross-platform multiplayer support--were added to HoloGrid: Monster Battle for its Gear VR release. The virtual tournament will help show off that new multiplayer by rewarding participants with the most victories with "a chance to win prizes such as t-shirts and vintage prints" signed by Tippett. No other details about the tournament's prizes were provided.

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HoloGrid: Monster Battle is available now for the Gear VR with a special $3 launch price; it will cost $5 in the future. The Android and iOS versions include two device stands, two card packs, and a rule sheet; the bundles cost $25 from Amazon or the game's website. The studios also said that next-gen AR and VR platforms, "including but not limited to Microsoft HoloLens and Google Tango," are also "being explored" for future releases.

You can sign up for the tournament by filling out this form.