hololive Dreams Review Summary

Hololive fan service and cute character designs with a large song library, but the rhythm game is poorly adapted with unsuitable keyboard controls and a hidden kernel-level anti-cheat.

Great Hololive fan service: Players enjoy playing Hololive songs and pulling for oshis, with free original songs and covers. The game is praised as a fun rhythm game that fulfills wishes for more Hololive content.

Cute character designs: Characters are consistently described as cute, especially the SD and chibi animations. The adorable art style and mini characters are a major appealing factor.

Large song library at start: A huge selection of over 150 songs including covers and originals is available at launch. This extensive music library is a major highlight for players.

Fun casual rhythm gameplay: The rhythm game part is casual, fun, and solid, with lenient controls and customizable difficulty including auto-play. It is enjoyable even for beginners.

Many mini-games included: The game offers many well-made mini-games, including cooperative and competitive multiplayer options. The jump rope mini-game is particularly simple but fun.

Rhythm game poorly adapted for PC: The rhythm game portion is designed for mobile touchscreens and is nearly unplayable on PC due to awkward controls, unsuitable lane layouts, and lack of optimization.

Keyboard controls are unsuitable: The 6-key layout forces players to use only 2 keys most of the time, and the controls feel unintuitive, awkward, and frustrating for PC rhythm game players.

Undisclosed kernel-level anti-cheat: A kernel-level anti-cheat is installed without clear disclosure on the store page, violating Steam ToS, and remains running at system startup even when the game is closed.

Cannot purchase membership on PC: Users cannot buy memberships, monthly passes, or subscriptions through the Steam version; only top-ups for in-game currency work, making purchases incomplete on PC.

Scores not counted on PC: PC version scores are not eligible for leaderboards, ratings, or official high scores, forcing players to use mobile for competitive play.

Multiple difficulty levels: The game offers Normal, Hard, Expert, and other difficulties, accommodating a range of player skills. Clusters mention this as a standard but appreciated feature.

6-key rhythm game design: The game uses a 6-key layout (SDF JKL) with overlapping note zones, sliders, and flick notes, derived from mobile rhythm games. Multiple clusters highlight this core mechanic, noting its touchscreen origins and potential awkwardness on PC.

Gacha monetization system: Gacha mechanics are central for collecting character cards, with limited-time offers and FOMO elements. Clusters note SSR rates, guaranteed pulls, and a potentially predatory system.

Original songs and music tracks: The game includes original songs from Hololive members, which are a key selling point. Clusters note that the music tracks are diverse and engaging.

Lane and note type variety: Note types include normal, flick, slide, and long notes, with variable-width and slanted lanes. Clusters appreciate this variety but note it can be confusing on PC.

Long loading times and slow data retrieval: Loading times are reported as long, and the game suffers from slow download speeds for large files (19 GB). This impacts user experience when starting the game or loading content.

Kernel-level anti-cheat causes incompatibility: The kernel-level anti-cheat makes the game unplayable on Linux and Steam Deck due to incompatibility. Users report that this anti-cheat prevents the game from running on those platforms.

Overheating and high resource usage: The game causes high heat and battery drain on mobile devices, like the iPhone 12 Pro, and high GPU usage at elevated temperatures on PC. This may indicate poor optimization.

PC version capped at 60 FPS: Players note that the PC version is locked to 60 FPS, which is frustrating given that mobile devices support 120 FPS. This cap is seen as a limitation for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Frame drops and stutters on PC: Users note frame drops, including unstable 60 FPS and specific stutters at high resolutions (3440x1440) and during fast camera movements. These issues affect smoothness.

Play on mobile, not PC: The majority of reviews strongly recommend playing on mobile or tablet instead of PC, citing a better overall experience and full access to content.

Recommended for Hololive fans: The game is widely recommended for fans of Hololive VTubers who enjoy the music and characters, but not for general rhythm game enthusiasts.

Not for rhythm game purists: Reviews indicate the game is not recommended for serious rhythm game players seeking a high-quality experience, especially on PC.

PC version not recommended: Many users advise against the PC version due to poor port quality, lack of touch input, and subpar rhythm game adaptation, especially for keyboard and mouse.

Mobile version recommended for rhythm: Multiple reviews stress that the mobile or tablet version offers a superior rhythm game experience compared to PC.

Community fair range: $0.00 - $5.00.

Game completion: 6.0h.

Story completion: 3.0h.

The game suffers from an overwhelming tutorial, mobile-first controls on PC, and grindy progression, causing many players to never find it fun, though a few fans become hooked immediately.

Friction: interminable tutorial; mobile-oriented PC controls; boring story and dialogues; forced grind in mini-games; unclear stats and mechanics; P2W multiplayer modifiers.

Hololive Devotee: Casual exploration, minigames, and rhythm mode at low to moderate difficulty. Motivation: Enjoying Hololive characters, songs, and fan service. Stance: buy.

PC Rhythm Game Purist: High difficulty rhythm mode, focused on accuracy and score. Motivation: Precise, responsive, and well-adapted rhythm gameplay on PC. Stance: no buy.

Casual Newcomer: Easy difficulty rhythm, exploration, minigames, multiplayer. Motivation: Relaxing, low-pressure fun and discovering Hololive content. Stance: buy.

The game's performance varies widely: lower-end Windows systems show mixed results, mid-to-high-end Windows systems often suffer from stuttering and low FPS, and Linux/Proton systems are entirely unplayable due to anti-cheat restrictions.

Windows <8GB VRAM: mixed. Performance varies from smooth on low-spec PCs to stuttering and FPS drops on similar hardware, with additional compatibility issues on Steam Deck.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: negative. Frequent complaints of lag, stuttering, and inability to maintain 60fps even on high-end systems.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: mixed. Some users report acceptable performance while others experience unstable 60fps and camera issues.

Steam Deck: The game is effectively broken on Steam Deck and Linux due to an undisclosed kernel-level anti-cheat that blocks all play. Additionally, poorly adapted PC controls (keyboard-only, no touchscreen support) create further friction, even on systems where the game could run.

Linux and Proton: The game is effectively broken on Linux and Steam Deck due to a kernel-level anti-cheat that blocks these platforms entirely. The anti-cheat is poorly disclosed, and no reliable workaround exists. Users express frustration, noting that comparable gacha games support Linux/Proton. One isolated report of running with Proton Experimental contradicts the majority and may be erroneous.

Monetization: User reviews overwhelmingly describe HoI Live as having predatory monetization: pay-to-win modifiers in multiplayer, a tangled web of individual subscriptions per character, a battle pass with limited cosmetics, and a gacha system. Many players feel the game demands constant spending to stay competitive or collect content.