Horror games based on Hololive Vtubers are starting to become a staple among holo indie releases, and Holo ADV: SakuraSingularity.exe is the latest among them. It’s ambitious! It features segments that cover multiple genres. It can be ominous, with some overtones that can be a bit spooky. It also gives Sakura Miko another moment in the spotlight, which is good news for her fans. It does heavily rely on knowledge of Hololive and Cover to enjoy, but this is a situation in which that helps sext the experience apart.
Holo ADV: SakuraSingularity.exe begins with Vtuber Sakura Miko heading to the Cover offices as usual. This is a recreation of the facilities we see in the Holo no Graffiti anime series on YouTube, and it seems like a pretty solid replica! It’s the first indicator that Lexilia Games is really tapping into lore and everything we know about the organization. As she waits around, other members of the company show up. However, an unnatural disturbance sucks them all into a portal, leaving them trapped in awkward situations set in a version of the office that they can’t escape.
So the first way in which Holo ADV: SakuraSingularity.exe really feels like a solid tribute to the Vtuber organization and its Hololive performers is how accurate all the references are. Of course, the ones about Sakura Miko herself are spot-on. Mikodanye shows up as an enemy. There are standees of her, and they perfectly capture her costume and official appearance. There’s a reference to Kintoki. We are basically seeing the PekoMiko unit with Usada Pekora referenced through interactions. However, there are also great references to other members of the company, including ones that don’t show up in the game. Shirakami Fubiki’s Sukonbu is shown as a figure. The Koseki Bijou moai head emoji is referenced. There are doodles from Ninomae Ina’nis in one desk drawer.
Now, I also mentioned “ones that don’t show up in the game.” That’s because while Holo ADV: SakuraSingularity.exe is basically an adventure game with horror elements, Sakura Miko isn’t the only Hololive Vtuber there. Hiodoshi Ao, Houshou Marine, Ichijou Ririka, Oozora Subaru, Shirogane Noel, Tokino Sora, and Usada Pekora are present too. If you find topics to talk about, you can interact with them, build up affection up to two hearts, and see special story segments. It’s an interesting and unexpected bonus. I also especially liked seeing Ao and Ririka included.
The one thing I will say about Holo ADV: SakuraSingularity.exe is that it is very clearly a project from a group of newcomers. There are some lighting issues in areas, and it isn’t about creating atmosphere or making things seem spooky. There are clunky parts and bugs, though I have noticed some ended up patched along the way. The framerate is often off and shockingly low. Character models for the Vtubers standing around the offices don’t fit in due to lighting and textures and stand out in a bad way. The English localization also needs work. There are a lot of awkward phrasing situations, even though I found I could still understand what Lexilia Games was going for in almost every situation. It just doesn’t sound natural. Like “This is a prophetic dream where Miko will become an elite CEO in the future” and “You got a nightmare or something” are prime examples.
Holo ADV: SakuraSingularity.exe clearly shows knowledge of Hololive Vtubers like Sakura Miko, but this horror adventure game needs quite a few patches at the moment. Framerate and lighting issues, coupled with bugs and an awkward localization, really take away from the overall experience. It is fun to explore the Cover offices in this sort of situation and see all the references to performers. Plus members who we hadn’t seen in-game show up as members of the cast. Hopefully in a few weeks, it will be in better shape.
Holo ADV: SakuraSingularity.exe is available for PCs.