Scary things are scary.
That’s always been my belief.
Fear is a negative emotion that I don’t find particularly enjoyable to experience.
Therefore, I can say with absolute certainty that if I were not reviewing this game for work, I would never have even considered playing Hollowbody.
So as you read this, please bear in mind that it took me quite a while to get through this game, not in terms of hours played, Hollowbody take around five hours to get through, likely longer as the puzzles and progression are not exactly mapped out for you.
No most of the time taken to complete this game was spent doing one of a few things
- Mustering courage
- Waiting for daylight
- Singing silly songs to distract myself
- Resisting the urge to look up a guide on online so I wouldn’t be surprised
- Telling others about my predicament
All in all, this is because, to me at least, Hollowbody is very good at what it sets out to do, scare the pants off people, me specifically in this case.
Developed and published by Headware Games, don’t let the fancy company title fool you, this was made by one person and is a love letter to the early 2000s horror games such as Resident Evil – Code: Veronica or Silent Hill 2. And in this regard, it does a fabulous job of emulating those historied franchises with grim settings, mysterious monsters, and a horrifying (in a good way) soundtrack that tingles the spine (in a bad way).
For the most part, you play as Mica, searching for Sasha a character we play as in the prologue, who evidently has gone missing whilst doing work in what appears to be the remnants of a biochemical attack, given the hazmat suits. As to what exactly happened to the old Britain/Earth we don’t know, clues can be found throughout the game, but it is never exactly stated. Whatever it was, there now exist zombie-esque monsters that stagger about doing zombie stuff like shamble, moan, try to kill you, and most annoyingly, hide in the darkest possible parts of the game.
Baked into this nostalgia for games gone by is a deliberate decision to make Hollowbody feel like one when controlling Mica or whoever, the controls are janky, making feel somewhat powerless, movement is awkward with character models moving as though they were the ones with soiled underwear, rather than me (a joke). There is even an option within the game’s settings to enable tank controls, giving those the early Resident Evil games nightmarish flashbacks, rather than me waking up at 3am (another joke, there’s football on a 3am, you think I sleep?). All of this is to create an atmosphere of not only paranoia and despair, but also fondness for simpler times.
In the early game you will progress through an apartment block that has been left destitute, and not by post-Brexit Britain, at least not solely. Of course an apartment block is full of corners, rooms, stairs etc. All perfect spots for things that go bump in the night to lurk. Hollowbody is exceptional in its sound design, often having the only noise be the movement of Mica and her interactions/dialogue with the environment around her. Music slowly building in anticipation of something only to disappear when you round a corner, leaving you doubling back, fearful of something creeping up behind you.
This early section of the game is truly brilliant. However, it must be said that once out of the tower block things do tend to become far more linear in scope and somewhat rushed, at least in my view. But don’t let that put you off as if you’re a fan of suspense, body horror and creepy cackling freaks then Hollowbody has all that in spades. So much so that, as mentioned above, I needed to play in broad daylight, not easy when you have a day job and the World Cup is on at night.
Speaking of scary, how about those ticket prices eh?
Not apologising.
In summary, if you’re a fan of old school thriller/horror games then Hollowbody is for you, whilst I can’t say that I’m a fan of £14 for only five hours (more like 10 for completionists), it’s better than spending £60 on Resident Evil: Village, also 10 hours. That might be a better game, probably is, but there’s a cost-of-living crisis on.
Hollowbody is a great example of what a passionate fan can do with enough drive and expertise: make me jump out of my skin and cry.
Now if you’ll forgive me, France vs Senegal is starting soon.
