Now with A new perspective.
Survival Horror has seen a huge resurgence due to a few impressive remakes over the years and the indie scene revisiting the classic tone and feel of where the genre began. Hollowbody, is the latter, a game inspired to hell and back by Silent Hill 2. With a new update that adds a third-person perspective to the game, I've dusted off my hover car and crash-landed into the ruins of an old British town.
As Mica, you'll crash said hover car into the closed-off ruins of a suburb in Britain that has been walled off and destroyed, due to a government emergency that saw the need to nuke it from orbit. Intense scenario aside, Mica is in search of her partner, Sasha, who has gone missing at the start of the game. We experience this moment before taking over as Mica, getting a call from a colleague that they found a way to get her access to the exclusion zone.
It's an interesting premise, especially due to the futuristic origins of the story. That said, the future elements really only set up the story rather than carry it forward. The suburb setting, and approach that the developer has taken here does allow it to not just feel like a Silent Hill clone even when it has all the telltale signs of one.
When the game launched back in September, it only featured fixed camera angles and the dual control setup of both modern and classic tank controls, making it dialed in to the birth of the genre and some of its modern iterations. Recently, a massive patch has hit the game, addressing a ton of fixes but also adding in a fully functional third-person perspective, making it feel even more like Silent Hill 2. And after trying both, I do prefer the new perspective, but am thankful for the original mode existing here, allowing players of all types to find what they want from the game.
Exploring this suburb and the locations beyond is a relatively short experience, clocking in around 4 hours. As Mica, you'll explore, use your radio to experience echoes of the past, and solve a few puzzles. While most of them are pretty straight forward, there are a few that feel more suited to the genre and were legit harder to crack.
Given the fact that Hollowbody is largely the work of one person, I can understand the somewhat empty nature of several locations not providing much to explore. The apartment and the townhouses that make up the bulk of the game can feel repetitive and often empty, with rooms that offer no notes, collectibles, ammo, or enemy encounters. Some houses have the same decor and damage, usually with a decomposed body, shower, or bed, each of which Mica will comment on.
Combat is a mix of melee and gunplay, even if there is no active crosshair for aiming. I opted for melee, and despite how clunky it is, it served its purpose. That said, I never knew if certain weapons did more damage than the other. Was the roadsign better than the guitar? Who knows. You’ll track down a few guns, but I did wrap the game up with a ton of bullets left remaining, which can say something about the gunplay. Honestly, I used the gun for the larger monsters due to wanting to keep a distance, otherwise, I hacked, slashed, and boot-stomped my way to victory.
Given the dark nature of the game, the visuals, and the feel of movement, combat has just what it needs to feel like you are always at a disadvantage, like you are fighting for your life. It's not perfect, but it more than serves its purpose and lives up to the demand of what these games used to offer. Hollowbody is in no way an action game as even the first hour or so is devoid of any enemies. This is a game about exploring, discovering, and getting to the truth behind Sasha’s disappearance.
If you’ve played any PlayStation One horror games, or even those that were early on in the PS2’s life cycle, then Hollowbody’s visuals will certainly live up to your memory of those beloved games. Character models are sparsely detailed and modeled, and fit with the low-poly effort given to each environment. While not a looker, Hollowbody knows what it wants to achieve visually and I think nails the assignment.
Hollowbody is a pretty impressive game, especially one crafted by a solo developer. It reminded me a lot of 2021’s Tormented Souls, a Resident Evil clone that didn't look to reinvent the genre, but to contribute to its roots and provide that type of experience. There is enough here to keep you motivated to see it through, even if most of its environments tend to repeat a lot of the same overall aesthetics. It’s certainly a game of its inspirations and often does the genre right.
Developer - Headware Games.
Publisher - Headware Games. Released - September 4th, 2024. Available On - PC. Rated - (N/A) - No Details/Not Rated. Platform Reviewed - Steam/PC/Steam Deck. 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.