Worth the Sticker price.
Pilo and the Holobook stars the titular Pilo, a young fennec fox with a penchant for discovery. As he is gifted a book that can capture the essence of objects, creatures, and several odds and ends, his quest for discovery will change the lives of those around him. With no combat or antagonist to thwart these discoveries, Pilo is an adventure that will make kids feel that sense of exploration and discovery around every corner.
In the early moments of the adventure, Pilo is gifted a magical book that can capture things around him and turn them into stickers that you, the player, can place in the book. You can create scenes or make up your own stories as to why you place them where you do, or simply place them down at random and discover more at your leisure. There is even a puzzle that requires you to place stickers atop of stickers that, while not signposted that you ‘could’ do it, does convey the shapes of those stickers on it, making it fairly easy to figure this out. That said, this is only done once throughout the game and could have been better explained.
As you move the camera around with the book, you’ll immediately be told if this is a new item or one you have already discovered. While you can clear out areas after making stickers for everything each planet contains, you eventually are given reason to go back and scan for more. It’s a great way to breathe new life into areas you have thoroughly discovered.
The central story is built around discovery. You’ll travel to space in your little house that magically has some sort of shield that allows you to breathe, and use a spaceship built out of your room to travel to one of a few planets. From swamps to atop a huge whale-like alien, to even the vastness of a sandy desert, there is a lot to take in despite the small bite-sized locations that make up this roughly 4-hour journey.
The story eventually finds its footing when you discover a “tar” substance that is wreaking havoc across these four worlds. You’ll meet several characters that mention this substance, and once Pilo finds a way to use the holobook to dissolve this threat, his journey turns into one of saving these worlds and returning them to normal. It may not be the most dire or epic of stories, but it is one of doing the right thing, even if it takes away from your own personal fun. It’s a great message for kids, and one I feel is needed at this time.
Across a few of these worlds, you’ll encounter some puzzles. The desert planet is one that stands out as you use markers around the environment to find items to scan that progress the story forward. It’s nicely done with just enough hints on the maps to illustrate what you need to do. I will say that the toughest puzzle in the game is positioning a series of a few purple blobs around to find the way forward.
Had I not used the guide that was provided to me, I’m not sure I would have figured it out so quickly. That said, I sort of wish the game had some sort of hint mechanic for kids to find items they maybe haven’t found, such as a tracker upgrade; especially as you’ll gain several upgrades to the holobook itself throughout the game.
The presentation is solid with wonderful character art, a colorful and vibrant series of worlds, and little character chirps when it came to its vocal audio. That said, I really wish this game would have been fully voiced as the characters here just scream like they would be so much fun with voices. I will say that the only part of the presentation I found lacking was that the professor character would sometimes appear in multiple places in the same room, breaking the immersion of where he would be at times.
Pilo and the Holobook is a charming and bite-sized adventure with smart puzzles and a clever sticker system that could entertain kids of all ages. Pilo is adorable, and the lesson he learns on his journey is one that I feel is needed in times like these. With a fun sense of discovery and some playful characters and locations to explore, Pilo and the Holobook is quite simply a delight.
Developer - Mudita Games.
Publisher - RedDeer.Games. Released - April 10th, 2025. Available On - Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Steam, Mac OS. Rated - (E) - No Descriptors. Platform Reviewed - Nintendo Switch. Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.