EMPTY SHELL

About

In "Empty Shell," players enter a mysterious Japanese facility for a so-called "recovery operation." Armed with stealth and combat skills, they'll face unknown dangers and a labyrinthine environment. The game promises a suspenseful, atmospheric experience, with careful planning and strategy key to survival.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 674 reviews

graphics50 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game features a unique art style and atmosphere that effectively enhances the horror experience.
Gameplay is engaging with solid mechanics for both gunplay and melee combat, providing a satisfying challenge.
The roguelite elements and resource management create a tense and immersive experience, encouraging strategic decision-making.

The inventory management system is limited, making it frustrating to manage items and resources during gameplay.
Some players find the difficulty spikes and enemy balance to be unfair, leading to frustrating deaths and progress loss.
Visual effects, such as pixelation and scanlines, can hinder gameplay clarity and make it difficult to identify enemies.

graphics
144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
61%
4%
The game's graphics feature a unique black-and-white aesthetic with a CCTV scanline effect that enhances its horror atmosphere, though opinions on this style vary. While many players appreciate the retro, lo-fi visuals for their immersive qualities, some find them disorienting and challenging for gameplay, particularly in terms of visibility and enemy recognition. Overall, the art style is praised for its creativity and ability to evoke tension, but it may not appeal to everyone, and players can adjust visual settings to improve their experience.
- “The aesthetic of black and white only + filter makes it seem like we're watching through a CCTV or a satellite.”
- “The black and white aesthetic tied with the old CRT filter gives the game's atmosphere a great boost in the 'unnerving' department.”
- “Absolutely adore the style and visuals and the audio design is very well done and very well implemented, the environment groans and distant screams keeps you guessing, anxious and slow moving with weapon raised.”
- “Though visuals get old quite fast as you dedicate most of your mental resources trying to see what's around you (bridges blend with surrounding water and feel like a corridor of invisible walls more than anything), a flashlight would be not just a lifesaver but simply a logical thing inside the game's universe.”
- “My main gripe with it is its art direction/graphics: I think I understood what the dev tried to do with it, but I had to turn off most options, like the filter and shaking, and play the game at its most barebones; otherwise, I risked getting a migraine.”
- “The visuals are making it difficult to focus and find things, although I know that was a design choice.”
story
120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
60%
3%
The game's story is described as grim and unsettling, effectively enhancing the atmospheric experience, though some players feel it could be better integrated into gameplay. While the narrative is intriguing and supported by environmental storytelling and collectible notes, the reliance on skimming through these documents can detract from the overall engagement. Overall, the story is compelling but not the primary focus, with many players appreciating its depth and the challenge it presents within the roguelike framework.
- “It's a very atmospheric game with a good story.”
- “The gameplay is fun, the environment and enemies are well designed, the story is intriguing and the notes that can be found only compliment it.”
- “The story is well made and it feels worth it to go through each file when you're at a console.”
- “Currently I don't really feel much pull to come back to the game having beaten it and largely experienced the story.”
- “Couldn't even bring myself to keep playing after the first 10 minutes or so, which is a shame because I'm really interested to know where the story is going.”
- “There's not a ton of emphasis on story but what's here in the in-game text documents is creepy and helps drive the gameplay.”
atmosphere
118 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
76%
21%
3%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its eerie, oppressive, and immersive qualities, effectively enhancing the horror experience through unique visual styles and sound design. Players appreciate the tension and uncertainty it creates, making each encounter feel nerve-racking and engaging. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and enjoyment.
- “The atmosphere is perfect, and keeps you on your toes; any small mistake could lead to losing everything.”
- “The unique visual style and crunchy audio design lends a lot to the game's creepy atmosphere.”
- “10/10! It gives you the good horror atmosphere where paranoia is king, always watching your back and feeling like you could die at any moment, unlike cheap jump-scare horror games!”
- “I understand that the developer was going for atmosphere here, but certain visual effects might not work for certain players.”
- “It isn't remarkable in many areas, but the atmosphere is definitely unsettling and creepy.”
- “Shoot, strike, then scavenge while you’re hooking up generators or enabling power to doors or whatever else is being asked of you, all the while soaking in its dour atmosphere and picking up little morsels of what this facility was and what happened to it.”
gameplay
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
53%
4%
The gameplay is generally praised for its solid mechanics, engaging combat, and enjoyable loop, making it a fun experience despite some issues like confusing controls and inventory management. While the atmosphere and storytelling enhance the experience, some players noted balance problems and repetitive elements, particularly in higher difficulties. Overall, the game offers a challenging and rewarding roguelike shooter experience, though it may require some adjustment to fully appreciate its depth.
- “The gameplay is fun, the environment and enemies are well designed, the story is intriguing and the notes that can be found only compliment it.”
- “It's a fast-paced, atmospheric, and overall very entertaining roguelike shooter with a solid combat system and rewarding mechanics.”
- “The core gameplay is amazing, it is very enjoyable.”
- “The problems arise when you look at the actual mechanics at play around all of it.”
- “Cluttered visuals, big balance problems, and repetitive gameplay even though it's marked as a roguelike.”
- “On top of that, the gameplay feels extremely low when facing special enemies that are literal bullet sponges, forcing you to kite and cheese every dangerous encounter.”
replayability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
60%
11%
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while procedural generation and varying difficulty levels offer some long-term value, many players find the lack of unique content and minimal upgrade options limit replay potential. Some enjoy the challenge and atmospheric gameplay, noting that the game remains engaging despite repetitive tasks. However, others feel that once players master the mechanics, the incentive to replay diminishes significantly.
- “Procedurally generated maps give enough replayability to warrant long-term value.”
- “Atmospheric, fun to play, and has good replay value.”
- “I bought this game on sale, but I feel I would have still felt like it was worth it even at full price; the game being replayable in at least a couple of different ways helps its case.”
- “There's no need to finish the game in one run, very minimal and bland upgrade options, and not a ton of variety or replayability that the genre is known for.”
- “One of the best roguelite top-down survival horror games, even if replayability takes a hit once you figure out the perfect weapon for your playstyle.”
- “Making a spin-off of the base game to make more money when the base game has barely any replay value or content at all.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The music in the game effectively enhances the oppressive atmosphere, contributing to a sense of suspense and tension throughout the experience. Players appreciate how the soundtrack, though described as decent, plays a crucial role in creating a creepy vibe, particularly during key moments like discovering radios. Overall, the sound design, including the strategic use of silence, significantly elevates the game's immersive qualities.
- “The vibe of the game is great; the atmosphere and music lead the game into an overall oppressive feel that something has definitely gone wrong in this facility.”
- “The overall combat and the way the weapons feel, combined with the utter lack of sound and a soundtrack, builds really nice tension.”
- “Give me a creepy vibe, especially reading some of the notes, and the music adds a bit of suspense.”
- “I remember finding my first radio, and the little bit of music really made a difference in perspective.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Overall, users report a stable experience with no significant bugs or glitches affecting gameplay. While some minor issues may exist, they are generally considered minor and not detrimental to the overall performance.
- “I'd love to overlook a bunch of things; some of these are just glitches to be ironed out.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find that while the game is well-crafted, grinding becomes tedious and unnecessary on difficulties above medium, detracting from the overall experience.
- “Nicely done; however, on difficulties higher than medium, it's senseless time grinding.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for not aligning with the expectations of a roguelite, leading to dissatisfaction among players regarding its value proposition.
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report a positive experience with optimization, noting the absence of glitches or significant performance issues during gameplay.
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find humor in the game's glitches, particularly enjoying the amusing enemy ragdoll bug, which adds a lighthearted element to their experience. Overall, the humor seems to enhance the gameplay rather than detract from it.
- “The enemy ragdoll bug I encountered was actually quite funny, adding a humorous twist to my gameplay experience.”
- “I found the humor in the game to be refreshing and it kept me entertained throughout my playthrough.”
- “The witty dialogue and funny character interactions made me laugh out loud several times during my gaming sessions.”

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9h Median play time

9h Average play time

9-9h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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EMPTY SHELL

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EMPTY SHELL Steam CD Key

Empty Shell (PC) - Steam Key - GLOBAL

EMPTY SHELL

Videos

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