For now, at least, forget about the upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake. hollow body is the latest survival horror game, and when VG247 previously described it as one of our most anticipated horror games, we had good reason to do so. Hollowbody is an extraordinary experience that pays homage to many cult classics while creating its own unique legacy.
Play as Micah, an undocumented black market shipper in a dystopian British city. While Mika’s home in the world of Hollow Bodies looks futuristic, with flying cars and neon accents, it’s a restricted area where you’ll spend most of your time as she struggles to find her missing partner Sasha. As newspaper clippings, posters and rows of corpses slowly reveal, the no-go zone was beset by a disaster; one that left scores of civilians dead and homeless, and one that was anything but natural. In fact, it appears to be made in a lab, so before you know it, Hollowbody is giving you a stark reminder of Resident Evil’s bio-terror.
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However, that’s not the whole story of Hollowbody. The intricate and provocative world-building allows you, as Mika, to really dive into the stories of these ramshackle apartments and desolate streets, and the people who have walked them. What you discover and the radio signals you listen to are sometimes so moving that it’s hard not to compare what these characters are going through to what real people are going through in 2024. A very relatable story.
Hollowbody rewards the most attentive players, but it’s also ultimately a nice appetizer for any horror fans waiting for the upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake. From the environments, to the enemies, to the music; Hollowbody manages to capture the atmosphere and aesthetic of Silent Hill while providing players with a completely unique experience. Lying-like enemies lurk, some with tentacles sprouting from their heads, reminiscent of the enemies that infected Las Plagas in Resident Evil 4.
The score is reminiscent of Akira Yamaoka’s work on Silent Hill; it’s eerie, industrial, and creates an unprecedented sense of tension. Even the game’s UI reminds me of Signalis, another indie game inspired by Silent Hill that I highly recommend. In short, Hollowbody is a survival horror feast that harkens back to the good old days of the PSX horror era, and it does so with maximum enthusiasm.
Those who, like me, got joy (and other emotions) from Hollowbody will be happy to know there’s more to the game. Not only was this a short endeavor that lasted me about 5-6 hours (although, you could definitely complete this faster than I did), but there are also secret endings and Easter eggs to be found in the extra gameplay. Notably, a secret ending involving the developer’s dog…sounds a lot like Silent Hill 2 if you ask me. A first-person mode will be available in future games, along with additional difficulty levels and even a Ghost in the Shell-inspired Mika costume for those who beat the game.
As you walk through the ruined British streets of Hollowbody and piece together the stories of the people who once lived there, you’ll also discover that there’s more to Hollowbody than meets the eye. No, I’m not talking about secret endings and Easter eggs.
Think never-ending corridors and ecosystems reminiscent of Contempt or even Borderlands (Elliot Goldner’s 2013 film, not That a), or “blink and you’ll miss it” moments that reminded me of Sam Barlow’s Immortality. These might give you an idea of what I mean, but if not, you’d better experience for yourself how Hollowbody plays with you and your sanity; pay close attention to your environment. That’s all I’m saying.
Independent developer Nathan Hamley of Headware Games funded Hollowbody via Kickstarter, and there are still more goals to achieve, with the next and final stretch goal being the addition of a shopping mall inspired by Silent Hill 3. What will be funded, but not yet added, is the ability to ignite enemy corpses, inspired by The Evil Within.
Hollowbody is a testament to Hamley’s work and is excellent in its own right, but its dedication to various cult classic horror and sci-fi games only adds to my fascination with the game; in a nutshell, this is how it’s made A game inspired by other media while creating a completely new experience. But don’t get me wrong, Hollowbody is more than just its inspiration, it’s made up of multiple moving parts and offers something fresh for fans of the survival horror genre.
Hollowbody was reviewed on PC using code provided by the publisher.
