XBOX REVIEW | Pilo and the Holobook

I had to play a demo for Pilo and the Holobook some time ago as part of the jury of the Indie Cup Europe and remember enjoying the cosy vibes and the satisfaction of scanning an entire region and adding the stickers to my collection. I was very excited when I heard the full release was out and coming to Xbox as well and spent the last week trying to complete it.

The story is simply, you play as Pilo, a Fennek fox (I think) who’s helping the professor test-run his new Holobook, a tool that can can any object in the world and learn more about it. It also produces a sticker to put in the holobook and you’ll instantly feel to need to scan everything! You take off into space and your scans will be used to inform the scientific community of the extraterrestrial trip you were on, but Pilo sees fit to also help all the new characters he gets to meet along the way.

Things I liked!

• Cozy and colourful | Pilo and the Holobook looks great, with handpainted objects to scan everywhere and you’ll instantly feel the irresistible urge to complete every area before moving on. It looks nice and has a calming vibe to it. There is no combat, no timed pressure, just scan the planets you visit at your own pace and look at your book filling up.

• It’s short but sweet | You can probably beat the game in around 2 hours if you ignore all the optional scans (but why would you?) and it takes about 4 hours for a completionist run. It’s the perfect game to play in between long RPGs or games that require your attention for dozens of hours.

• It’s satisfying | Scanning your environment and seeing all the checkboxes is super satisfying, as it placing the stickers. though I do prefer finding the outline for them and putting them into the correct spot, which is only encouraged for about 10% of them. You can stick the others where you want and it can quickly become a nice chaotic mess. But there is no punishment for this.

Mixed & disliked!

• Basic Gameplay | You don’t really do much outside of scanning objects and running around. There are a few minor puzzles to solve but don’t expect to bend your brain over them. It’s satisfying, but let’s just say it’s also good the game doesn’t overstay its welcome. Ironically, given some time between and playing some other games, I’d be happy to revisit a new outing of Pilo and his holobook, exploring new worlds.

• No hints system | If you’re stuck at some point, there is no in-game solution to keep you going. I got lost in the desert for a bit because I couldn’t figure out what to do after I was given a disc. there were no hints, no instructions, yet it was crucial for moving the story along.

• Completionists beware | Most achievements can’t be missed, but there are 3 that you need to pay attention to. One of them is scanning a fish within X seconds, and you only get one shot at this, which is super frustrating as it requires restarting and replaying half the game to get to that point again. Another requires you to scan a character that is only scannable once or twice and is easily missed, two of the game’s achievements are tied to this.

• Not Quick Resume friendly | If you’re an Xbox gamer in 2025, chances are you’re a big fan of quick resume and just continuing where you left the game in a few measly seconds. Sadly, Pilo has some issues with the feature and if you load the game from it in the central location, there is no way to trigger opening the map. And if you go “quit to main menu” you’ll even get a scare as it’ll say “new game” as the only option. Luckily a quick restart of the game fixes it, but it’s worth mentioning for Xbox gamers and reading this may help prevent a heart attack on your end 😉

How long did I play the review before publishing? 4 hours
How long to beat the story? 2.5 hours
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 34 out of 37, or 875/1000G
How long to achieve 1000G | 3-4 hours
You’ll love this game if you like these | Hidden through Time, A tiny Sticker Tale

CONCLUSION

Score: 70/100

Pilo and the Holobook is a short, fun and cozy indie game that’s definitely worth a quick scan,
but it doesn’t “stick” around for long.