Developer: Glazial
Publisher: Glazial
Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
Tested on: PC
Holonoptic – Review
Holonoptic is a story-rich management sim, taking place in a cyberpunk-style future. You’ll be the CEO of a growing company, but are your actions really your own? This game is developed and published by the small indie game studio Glazial. We were lucky enough to check this one out, and here’s what we thought of the experience.
Story
You have been selected by a mysterious AI named Geist to be the CEO of a company in Switzerland, whose owner has mysteriously vanished after selling all assets and firing all personnel. It’s your job to grow this company into a prospering conglomerate, and a board of directors will see to it that you function well and help them with their schemes. But is your mind really your own? You will be assisted by the AI who selected you, who clearly has its own plans and agenda.
The disappearance of your predecessor is the main storyline of this game; you’ll be figuring out what happened to him by interacting with your executives and exploring locations. Next to the main story, you’ll meet several characters who have their own stories and personalities, and many of these can be persuaded to work for you as an executive.
The story is really fascinating and a great addition to the management sim part of the game. The mystery will keep you returning to the game, and while expanding and growing your company, you’ll keep working on unraveling the mysteries surrounding your predecessor.
Graphics
The graphics of Holonoptic are sketch-like with somewhat muted colors, which fits the setting. All companies have a really cool and unique design, and they have different rooms you can unlock, which have their own style and will get an overlay depending on which type of room you’ll build there. A lot of the gameplay plays out on the map, which is neat and stylized. Sometimes it’s a bit tricky to find a new company on the map, which pops up as a business opportunity, especially if you didn’t take note of the city that company is in. The many different screens and menus can be a bit overwhelming at first, but you’ll get the hang of navigating them quite fast. But while the overview screens and menus are designed pretty efficiently, it is possible to overlook certain options, especially if they are new.
Sound
This game relies mostly on soundscapes, and does this really well. The soundscapes convey the atmosphere of the game. The menu features a chilly wind sound, and most of the companies you’ll visit have their own weather-based soundscapes. Different rooms have their own backdrop fitting to the rooms. The game features narration, but not every line of dialogue is narrated. The voices fit the characters and often have distinct local accents.
Gameplay
Holonoptic is a management sim, but the addition of a story with several characters, stats, and checks makes this game also an RPG. Combining these genres makes the game really fun and keeps you playing to unravel the mystery and to learn more about the several characters.
The game is pretty complex; you get a plethora of different stats which come into play in different aspects of the game. The tutorial teaches you the basics, but it’ll take a while before you, as a player, get the gist of which stats take effect where, how you’ll be able to boost this stat, and what the precise effect of that stat will be.
The overview map of Europe is where the main gameplay aspects are. You’ll see your company there, and the map will gradually fill with different companies and relevant locations. On the map, you’ll also be able to keep an eye on your agenda and start projects or assign tasks to executives. You can use the map to visit other companies, negotiate deals, etc. On this map, you’ll also be able to accelerate time to make the game progress, or pause time to give you space to browse through the different menus, review deadlines, make decisions, and start projects. There are many things you can do with the companies on the map. Once you’ve established a good relationship with them by sending an executive there, you can buy items or room designs, spy on them, or even acquire the whole company. The tutorial teaches you to take over your first company, but for most other companies you can decide for yourself what you want to do with them.
Each company you own has different rooms available, and a few you’ll be able to unlock. In these rooms you’ll be able to build different things, like cubicles, a server room, a research lab, a warehouse, etc. All these rooms have different functions and projects available, and as you progress through the game, you’ll acquire designs for more room types. Specific room types are often required for tasks you’ll get from your executives.
As a CEO, you’ll lean heavily on your executives. These are the people who’ll assist with projects within your company and who travel the world map to different companies to negotiate deals. These executives all have a unique personality and have their own schemes and plans for you and your company. You’ll get tasks from them that you’ll need to complete in order to get them as a new executive or to keep them working for you. Through these tasks, they will also contribute to the story of the game. Executives have base stats, but you can equip them with items to boost these stats or give them additional stats.
The main stats of your characters are skill stats, which are important for completing projects and closing deals. These are stats like management, technology, science, and creativity. In each room you’ll build, you’ll be able to work on projects, and the total amount of stats of everyone in that room determines how fast you progress on a certain project. You’ll be able to boost the stats of your character and your executives by completing courses.
An important aspect of the game is the monthly meeting. Before this meeting, you’ll need to have spent your entire monthly budget, and you’ll get a new budget for the month based on your actions. During the meeting, you’ll meet different characters who can give you tasks and deadlines, and you’ll be able to choose replies based on your stats. Some replies require checks to see if, for instance, a bluff will succeed.
Mental stats are really important during meetings and conversations, and you’ll be able to boost them using substances. Later in the game, you’ll also get access to AI packages which enable you to enhance your mind, boosting certain stats even more. It’s not immediately clear which stats are important to boost, and it takes some trial and error to see which effects are desirable. Many substances influence more than one stat; some will be boosted while others are lowered.
The functionality of the AI named Geist can be enhanced by acquiring and installing different packages. Upgrading Geist is an important aspect of the game, and you’ll earn these upgrades while progressing in the story and completing tasks. These upgrade packages unlock new functionalities, options, and abilities you can use.
There are lots of different aspects of the game you’ll browse through, which seems complicated at first, but after a few hours of playing you’ll get the hang of it. At the beginning, you’ll feel like you have no idea what you’re doing, but gradually you’ll get a feel for what each stat does and what you’ll need to do in order to fulfill tasks and deadlines.
Conclusion
Holonoptic is a fun and original take on a management sim & RPG. It’s a pretty complicated game, and it takes a while to figure everything out. The game has a lot of depth, and the addition of a story and interesting characters gives a whole new layer to the management sim aspect of the game. This game is perfect for people who like figuring out complicated games and like to play management sims and story-rich games.
No Comments