Holodrive
Holodrive is a fast, side-scrolling PvP shooter that puts you in control of pint-sized robot fighters. Matches are built around jetpack movement and quick weapon swaps, with several objective modes that lean into the game’s playful tone, including a sports-like mode where teams escort a chicken to score.
|
Publisher: Versus Evil Playerbase: Low Type: 2D Shooter Release Date: March 24, 2016 Pros: +Adorable presentation. +Deep cosmetic and loadout customization. +Several modes that keep matches from feeling one-note. Cons: -Small community makes queue times and match quality inconsistent. -Stages start to blend together visually. -Controller support feels rough. |
Holodrive Overview
Holodrive is a snappy 2D arena shooter centered on momentum, jetpack traversal, and improvising with whatever weapons you can grab. You pilot small robots through compact maps, trading fire in classic Deathmatch and team formats, plus objective-driven variants like Cocoball, which turns the match into a frantic tug-of-war over a chicken and a goal zone. The game’s biggest hook is how much it lets you personalize your bot, from heads and limbs to skins and jetpacks, with themed cosmetic sets (for example Ninja or Shinobi) that change your overall look. Progression feeds into collecting and crafting gear, and in a match you can hold up to 7 weapons at once, encouraging constant swapping as the situation changes.
Holodrive Key Features:
- Multiple Game Modes – jump into deathmatch and several team objective modes built for quick rounds.
- Jetpacks –dash, hover, and reposition rapidly, with mobility playing a major role in winning fights.
- Weapon Arsenal –carry up to 7 weapons, acquiring them through crafting, packs, or by scavenging from downed opponents.
- Customization –mix and match parts (arms, legs, heads, skins, jetpacks, and more) to create a distinct robot.
- Map Variety –battle across multiple arenas that reward smart angles, movement, and aim.
Holodrive Screenshots
Holodrive Featured Video
Holodrive Review
Holodrive is an approachable, free-to-play PvP shooter that feels designed for short sessions with friends, the kind of game you can install, understand quickly, and still find room to improve over time. It started life as a browser project and later moved to Steam, and that origin shows in the best way, the fundamentals are straightforward and readable, but the matches can get surprisingly tense once players begin using mobility and weapon variety intelligently. Whether you are simply hunting kills or chasing an objective like escorting the chicken to score, the game is at its best when a lobby is full and everyone is flying around the arena.
Movement That Feels Immediate
Holodrive’s strongest first impression is how responsive it is. A short tutorial covers everything you need to start contributing, movement with WASD, aiming with the mouse, and jetpack control on right-click, and from there the game quickly becomes about decision-making rather than wrestling with inputs. Your robot pivots cleanly as you aim, and the jetpack lets you change height and direction in a way that keeps firefights dynamic instead of flat, horizontal duels.
Weapon cycling is also constant. Q and E rotate through your carried guns, and since you can hold a large arsenal, you end up thinking in terms of tools rather than a single “main” weapon. There is also a nice sense of momentum when you use slopes and ramps, letting skilled players chain movement into fast approaches or clean escapes. The end result is a control scheme that is easy to learn, but still rewards map knowledge and mechanical confidence.
Charming Look, Repeated Palette
Visually, Holodrive is not trying to compete with high-end shooters, and it does not need to. The robots are toy-like and expressive, and the explosions and hit effects communicate what is happening without clutter. Performance is also a plus, it runs smoothly and stays stable, which is exactly what you want from a competitive, reaction-based game built in Unity.
The weak spot is variety in the arenas’ presentation. Many stages lean heavily on similar cool tones, with teal and turquoise dominating the scenery. That consistency helps readability, but after several matches the environments can start to feel interchangeable. More distinctive themes would have helped each map stand out and made the rotation feel fresher.
A Big Toolbox of Weapons
Combat is built around having options. You will find everything from familiar automatic guns to longer-range picks, and the ability to carry up to 7 weapons pushes you to adapt on the fly. Weapons appear around the map, so movement doubles as resource gathering, and dying wipes your current loadout, forcing you to rearm quickly and get back into the flow.
Some of the most enjoyable moments come from weapons that interact with the level layout. Bouncing explosives off walls to hit someone holding an angle, or using the geometry to set up an unexpected shot, adds a small but satisfying layer of tactics. It is not a deep simulation, but it is skillful in the way good arcade shooters are, the better you understand spacing and trajectories, the more consistently you win duels.
Cosmetics and Packs Done the Safe Way
Playing earns Holopacks, which function like familiar loot-pack systems in other games, they contain cosmetic parts and weapon-related items that feed your collection. The game hands out packs early, including during the tutorial, so you can start customizing right away. Between heads, limbs, skins, and jetpack designs, the mix-and-match potential is large enough that lobbies rarely look uniform.
Additional Holopacks can be purchased, and the emphasis stays on appearance rather than power. If you enjoy collecting themed sets and assembling a distinctive robot, the system gives you plenty to chase. If cosmetics do not matter to you, you can still play matches without feeling pressured into spending.
The Problem It Cannot Hide
Holodrive’s biggest obstacle is not its mechanics, it is population. With a low playerbase, matchmaking can be inconsistent depending on the time of day, and the game’s best modes lose their appeal when you cannot consistently find full teams. In the worst cases you end up in small, awkward matches that do not show off the intended chaos and objective play.
An AI bot option would go a long way toward keeping the game playable during off-hours and would help new players learn the maps and weapons without relying on perfect queue timing. As it stands, the core is fun, but it is difficult to recommend as a regular competitive staple when the game cannot always provide proper lobbies.
Conclusion – Good
Holodrive has the ingredients of a strong pick-up-and-play shooter, smooth movement, a playful personality, and enough weapon and cosmetic variety to keep matches lively. Its main limitation is outside the arena, the small community makes it hard to reliably experience the game at its best. If you can bring friends along, or you catch it at a time when queues are active, Holodrive delivers energetic rounds and satisfying jetpack gunfights, even if it does not offer the long-term depth of larger PvP titles.
Holodrive Links
Holodrive Official Site
Holodrive Steam Page
Holodrive Developer Website
Holodrive YouTube Page
Holodrive System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 10
CPU: Dual Core 2.6GHz
Video Card: GeForce 8000/ AMD Radeon HD 2000
RAM: 4 GB
Hard Disk Space: 2 GB
Recommended Requirements:
Operating System: Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 10
CPU: Dual Core 2.6GHz
Video Card: GeForce 8000/ AMD Radeon HD 2000
RAM: 4 GB
Hard Disk Space: 4 GB
Holodrive Music& Soundtrack
Coming Soon!
Holodrive Additional Information
Developer: BitCake Studio
Publisher: Versus Evil
Engine: Unity
Steam Greenlight: January 22, 2014
Early Access: March 24, 2016
Release Date: TBA
Development History / Background:
Holodrive is developed by BitCake Studio and published by Versus Evil. It originally existed as a browser-only game under the name Project Tilt before transitioning to a Steam release. The developers confirmed the rename from Project Tilt to Holodrive on December 17, 2015. Later, on March 31, 2016, BitCake Studio stated they would discontinue the browser version following Unity’s announcement that its browser plugin would no longer be supported, and would focus on Steam instead. The title appeared on Steam Greenlight on January 22, 2014, and ultimately launched on Steam in Early Access on March 24, 2016.