Thanks to Mudita Games and RedDeer.Games for a copy!

Pilo and the Holobook is a colorful adventure game that takes place in a far-away galaxy. You play as Pilo, the adorable fox. You’re an apprentice explorer teamed up with a scientist who dreams big, and together you set out to document the wonders and mysteries of the universe. Your teacher, Professor Chiron, has fashioned a handy notebook called the Holobook where you can record your adventures and useful items by turning them into stickers! 

Explore gorgeous hand-painted planets as you document the cool, the incredible, and the weird things you come across. Turn just about everything you come across into a sticker and see what all you can collect. Even solve some mysteries along the way, but most important of all, you need to figure out how to defeat the Tar! It threatens life in this galaxy and has driven away the inhabitants already. 

Can you defeat the Tar and collect all the stickers?

Sticker Collecting Fun

Unfortunately, Pilo and the Holobook is a short game. I spent around 5 hours wandering through the lovely worlds collecting everything I could get my hands on. Those short few hours were some of the best, most relaxing hours I’ve spent in a game in a long time. Not once was I bored and ready to move on, either. I was totally consumed by this cute game, and wish I had more! 

There aren’t many characters in this game, but each one has such a unique and fun personality. The dialogue between Pilo and Prof is witty and hilarious. The overall storyline is absolutely heartwarming, too. The galaxy was once inhabited by people, but the Tar’s terrible presence has made each planet dangerous, so they fled. Those who stayed paint such a lovely picture of what once was that you can’t help but feel sympathy and jump in to help. 

Of course, the stickers are the best thing. There’s no combat or fail states in Pilo and the Holobook. It’s just easy, relaxing sticker collecting and mystery solving. Even better, is that you could use your brain and reason out what ought to be a sticker and what may not be. Or, you could play like I did, and mindlessly shoot the Holobook at everything! Either way, gameplay was so laid-back and easy to get into. That’s part of what made the game so enjoyable. It’s easy to pick up whenever. Plus, the ending is so satisfying! 

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a short game to dive right into, this is it. There’s a time and place for the longer, more all-consuming games out there, and sometimes short little 5 hour games are the perfect palette cleanser. I can’t recommend this game enough. Plus, there’s a free demo on Steam so you can try before you buy! Absolutely go pick up Pilo and the Holobook, though. It’s worth it!

I give it: