Freeware Game Pick: Holdover (Fox Eye)
Holdover is a puzzle platformer in the style of the old Metroid series, where you are in control of a girl named Marie who had just woken up from a deep slumber inside an abandoned research complex. A holographic image of Marie's father informs her that she was involved in an accident many years ago, and had to be kept inside a medical treatment capsule for some time so that her organs could be regenerated by scientific means. After listening to her father's advice, she sets out to explore the complex and recover her motor skills which were impaired by her long sleep in the life chamber.
The research facility is a labyrinth of corridors, platforms and underwater sections, presumably caused by flooding in the lower levels of the building. Since you can't swim nor jump very high at the start of the game, the time in which you spent underwater will be limited to how long you can hold your breath. This is indicated by the bubble shown at the top left part of the screen, and Marie will drown when this counter reaches zero. Collecting enough blue hearts, and the ability to hold her breath underwater will improve.
Players can save their progress at any time by using the quick save slot, while maps and hints in Japanese can be accessed by clicking on the capture button at the official site. To download the game, just click on the blue button at the upper right part of the web page and a link to the zip file will appear. Take note that Holdover does have some blood and nudity in it. (unpack using 7-Zip)
Comments
Is it just me or is the protagonist not wearing pants?
Posted by: TheBlackMask | July 5, 2009 3:08 AM
You get "swimsuit armor", which breaks in halves. Not that it matters since almost anything that does damage seems to break it instantly.
Posted by: Chetyre | July 5, 2009 3:52 AM
the game is too haed for me!
need walkthrough!
Posted by: snake2020 | July 5, 2009 4:16 AM
Hard game, and the nudity doesn't seem necessary (and yes, she alternates between a full suit, no top and no pants), but the tension it creates as you barely, and I mean -barely- scrape past each underwater obstacle course makes up for it.
Posted by: A. Nonymous | July 5, 2009 5:34 AM
getting shot with topless lazers.
Posted by: auntie | July 5, 2009 6:41 AM
I really like it.
I'd do a proper translation but no one would care...
Posted by: Anonymous | July 5, 2009 7:07 AM
The timing while underwater was done really well. The "swimsuit armor" was really unnecessary, and the scene before the ending was quite an odd change of pace (not the ending scene, I'm saying it ambiguously so as to not spoil).
Overall the "puzzles" on where to go made it a really fun game.
Posted by: fish | July 5, 2009 11:42 AM
Holdover earns five billion points from me for implementing quicksave.
Posted by: FhnuZoag | July 5, 2009 6:19 PM
Does anyone know if you need to pick up *every heart*? I appear to be stuck again, so I assume it has to do with some hearts I skipped...
Posted by: Chetyre | July 5, 2009 8:10 PM
You definitely have to pick up every heart sooner or later, in order to win the game. No alternate endings (if you don't count the small costume differences, depending on the condition of your wear at the end of the game).
Posted by: Tim | July 5, 2009 8:13 PM
Good fun game, quite tricky in a few places. Translation was a bit ropey and the I didn't enjoy the different game style near the end but otherwise it was a good waste of a couple of hours.
Posted by: Keef | July 5, 2009 8:58 PM
Man, what a great game, i love how the blood from where you die don't disapear even if you close the game, i think all games should have this. the tlanslation is bad, but i prefer a thousant times a game tranlated with google tranlator than a japanese one. The nudity was very original, scrached that old question (why the characters bleed but the clothes remain intact?) Also it was very fun to be able to take one hit in th upper body and one in the lower body, this added alot of fun in the puzzles.
I been able to finish the game without a walkthough butthe game really stays a lot hard near the end making for me the perfect game. I don't have words for this game, congratz wharever make this. And if someone here like making plataform games, please check this out so you can have some new ideias, bloods stains FTW
Posted by: jack_in_the_dark | July 5, 2009 10:06 PM
The translation is Engrish gold.
The game itself is alright. Environment is bland and ZZzzZZzz... The only reason I kept playing is because of the timed sequences. Which, fortunately for me, was pretty much the entire game. The fact that it was required to make it through them with single digit O2 remaining made them a good fun rush.
Posted by: Kenzya | July 5, 2009 10:15 PM
Great game
While there are no alternate endings, you do get a picture generated to the same folder as the game file. I've managed to get 2 (present_cg & secret_cg) are there any others ?
Also, while I did collect all 450 hearts, it wasn't required, I was able to pass all the water hazards with one level below final level.
Tips:
1)collect hearts whenever you can - but not whenever you can't (if it'll will reduce your O2 too much). you'll become much stronger later and we'll be able to pick the missed hearts (you'll be surprised how easy it becomes after you get upgraded)
2)sometime you'll need to dive just so you could change a small thing, then go back for fresh air and then dive again without that small thing disturbing your path.
Posted by: someone | July 5, 2009 11:20 PM
Also, did anyone had the feeling that this game needed a bomb upgrade (or some sort of way to get rid of stones) ? there seems to be at least one unreachable place blocked by stones.
--spoiler--
If you want to get the secret_cg ,my speculation is that you need to find the secret room.
-- spoiler end--
Posted by: someone | July 5, 2009 11:27 PM
Pretty nice, but I'm having a rough time trying to find out what to do...
Posted by: XSportSeeker | July 5, 2009 11:30 PM
Wow, Holdover was fun. However, I had to start over when I was near the end heading form the network room B to the admin room because apparently I did not have any armor to get past one of the security bots.
Posted by: Silver | July 6, 2009 2:55 AM
Really good . A bit hard but that is fine with me .
The nudity was unnecessary and that stupid scene before the end too but it doesn't hurt the game much .
Posted by: Alexitrón | July 6, 2009 3:26 AM
If she was ripping the heads off enemies and drinking their blood, would you be wrinkling your noses at the "unnecessary violence?"
Sheesh!
Posted by: Mischief Maker | July 6, 2009 4:29 AM
I liked the sequence before the end! I think games should mix it up like that more often, but maybe that's just me. Really great game, I missed one heart somewhere but still beat it. I didn't find a secret room (I don't think?) though or unlock a secret_cg.jpg :(
Posted by: Maimed Fox | July 6, 2009 4:30 AM
http://www.indiegames.com/blog/images/misc/holdover/present_cg.jpg
http://www.indiegames.com/blog/images/misc/holdover/secret_cg.jpg
I'm not really sure how the secret_cg file is acquired though. Possibly by interacting with a machine in one of the first three rooms (much later in the game) for some documents on the research.
Posted by: Tim | July 6, 2009 5:03 AM
Ooh! Thanks Tim!
Love the secret CG not like the present cg...
Posted by: Silver | July 6, 2009 5:38 AM
Forgot to add but the secret_cg can be acquired after collecting EVERY single blue hearts and then come back to the very first room you were in at the beginning of the game and there's a room to the left which requires the high jump to get to.
Posted by: Silver | July 6, 2009 7:54 AM
as silly as this may sound, getting all the hearts in the game and managing to collect the secrets without a gamefaq made me feel the king of gaming.
Posted by: J.R. | July 7, 2009 2:13 PM
This game was amazing.
Posted by: Triplefox | July 11, 2009 2:43 PM
I translated the game from Engrish to English. If you're interested, just download this file and put it in the same directory as the game. Then, when the game starts, check the checkbox that says "use msgcustom" in the window that asks you whether you want the game windows or full screen. Enjoy!
http://halogen.note.amherst.edu/~wing/dumpbox/msglist_custom.txt
Posted by: Wing | July 12, 2009 6:34 AM