Survival horror Horror puzzle Fixed camera horror Horror

Hollowbody

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Crash inside the walled-off ruins of Britain and search its dark streets for the partner who went in first.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (85% of 1,625 reviews); Metacritic 74 and OpenCritic 74 from critics; 4.04/5 from 273 ratings on PlayStation Store
Length: About 3 to 5 hours for a first run
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard and mouse or controller (full controller support)
Made by: Headware Games
Released: 2024

On GOG: one of the GOG horror games.

No. 22 of the spider horror games · No. 21 of the horror games set in ruins · No. 22 of the dystopian horror games · No. 11 of the quarantine horror games

Get it on Steam GOG PlayStation Store (PS5)Xbox Series X|S

What frightens Your hover crashes inside a walled-off exclusion zone, the ruins of a British town sealed off after a collapse. Alone in the rain and the dark, with little ammunition and often only a flashlight, you search empty homes, a church and flooded streets for your missing partner while pale, mutated creatures stalk the ruins.
Content: gore, blood, violence, strong language, drug references, spiders.

Hollowbody is a tech-noir survival horror game by Headware Games, a one-person studio in the UK. As Mica, a black-market shipper, you crash inside a sealed exclusion zone while searching for your missing partner Sasha. Ration ammunition, swing a club when you can, solve puzzles and explore the ruins under fixed and moving camera angles. A first run takes about 3 to 5 hours, and there is more than one ending.

About Hollowbody

Hollowbody is the work of Headware Games, a one-person studio in the UK. It came out on Steam and GOG on September 12, 2024, and on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in June 2026. It is a short survival horror story built on the games of the late 1990s and early 2000s, with Silent Hill 2 as a clear model, and it is fully voice acted in English.

In the 22nd century, Mica is an unlicensed shipper from the island city of Aeonis. Twelve days ago her partner Sasha went into the exclusion zone, the abandoned British Isles walled off after a collapse, and never came back. Mica pays a border guard for a two-hour window to fly in, but her hover loses power and crashes into the empty streets of a ruined town. From there she has to find Sasha and a way back beyond the wall.

The camera mixes fixed angles with shots that follow Mica. You solve logic and environmental puzzles, read documents for codes and clues, and make careful use of the little ammunition and healing you find. Melee weapons such as a spiked club and an improvised axe save bullets, though they do not work equally well on every creature. Save points are spaced out, and the mutated creatures are pale, grotesque and quick to punish a wasted shot.

Difficulty options let you ease the combat if you are here for the story and the puzzles. A first run takes about 3 to 5 hours. A conversation in the first area decides which of two endings you see, and a third ending waits on the unlockable Punished difficulty, along with other post-game unlocks. Eight lost radio signals and 26 documents are hidden around the zone for collectors.

How to play Hollowbody

Buy Hollowbody on Steam, GOG, PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S.
Pick a difficulty; lower settings ease the combat for players who came for the story and puzzles.
Explore the exclusion zone as Mica, reading documents and checking your map for routes.
Solve the environmental and logic puzzles that block your way.
Fight only when you must, use melee weapons to save ammunition, and save at the save points you find.

Screenshots

A rainy, overgrown street of terraced houses at night with a wrecked walking machine in the road ahead

Hollowbody screenshot: Mica walks down the aisle of a dark, abandoned church

Mica fires a pistol on a rainy night street beside a wrecked car and a kebab shop menu

A red, spiny creature stands in the doorway of a ruined kitchen

A grey coastline with radar domes and a huge wall running along the ridge

A chained grey figure behind iron railings with a glowing red heart-shaped padlock in its chest, flowers at its feet

Mica in a tiled corridor with orange barriers, locking on to a pale creature clinging to the wall

Tips

Avoid fights you do not need; ammunition runs short just as tougher enemies appear.
Use the spiked club or axe on weaker creatures and keep bullets for the worst ones.
Read every document; codes and hints for puzzles are in them.
Carry key items back to the first area later on; a few secrets and a useful weapon are hidden there.
Listen for static on the pocket radio; eight lost broadcasts are hidden around the zone.

Questions

What platforms is Hollowbody on?

PC through Steam and GOG, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

How long is Hollowbody?

The developer says most testers finished a first run in 3 to 5 hours. A careful first run on normal difficulty can take around six and a half.

Does Hollowbody have multiple endings?

Yes. Two endings are possible on a first save, and a third is available on the unlockable Punished difficulty.

Is Hollowbody like Silent Hill?

It is a deliberate homage to Silent Hill 2 and other early survival horror, with set camera angles, puzzles and scarce supplies in a ruined, sealed-off town.

Who made Hollowbody?

Headware Games, a one-person studio in the UK.

Can I lower the combat difficulty?

Yes. The store says there are difficulty options for players who prefer exploring to fighting.

Is Hollowbody scary for people afraid of spiders?

Kotaku warns serious arachnophobes to steer clear, so expect spider-like creatures.