Star Wars holochess-inspired AR game Hologrid: Monster Battle hits closed beta

You can now let the Wookie win.

Happy Giant and the Tippet Studio announced that HoloGrid: Monster Battle is now on sale on mobile and is entering a closed beta in which you can play the game with cutouts as you wait for the boxed product to arrive. Phil Tippet is behind the visual effects house that’s working with Happy Giant on the game, and his epic career includes the holochess from Star Wars — one that served as the inspiration for this augmented reality game. It’s the rare iOS or Android game that also comes in a box (hence why it’s an AR title, though you still download the software). You use your smartphone to scan the playing board and figures. The two companies also say they’re looking into versions for Microsoft’s HoloLens and Google’s Tango AR platforms.

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HoloGrid is a mix of tactical and strategy gameplay, building on mechanics from board and card games. Happy Giant and Tippet Studio use a process called Photogrammetry, which films 3D models for the creatures in the game. The two say that the monsters “pop off their collectable cards and into the digital game.”

You can take on players either locally or online, and offline play is available.

“We’re extremely excited to get the game into the hands of our backers and early customers, and to share everything we’ve put into the game,” said Michael Levine, the founder and creative director of HappyGiant. “Getting feedback from the people who have supported this project through its development will help ensure we make the game the best it can be.”