HOLE

About

HOLE is a single player action game. It was developed by NEGAFISH and was released on November 28, 2024. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

HOLE is a unique single-player action FPS featuring low-resolution graphics, gun-jamming mechanics, and endless enemy spawns across three challenging stages. Despite a poor storyline and poor optimization, it offers excellent game mechanics, a distinctive atmosphere, and high replayability for those seeking a short but intense, grind-heavy experience with a touch of humor.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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96%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,213 reviews

gameplay182 positive mentions

optimization54 negative mentions

Engaging and satisfying gunplay with unique mechanics like weapon jamming and manual racking.
Atmospheric and eerie environments that enhance the gameplay experience.
Great value for the price, offering a fun and addictive gameplay loop.

Poor optimization leading to performance issues, especially on certain maps.
Limited content with only three main maps and a small variety of weapons.
Confusing level design that can make it difficult to navigate and find extraction points.

gameplay
473 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The gameplay in "Hole" is characterized by its unique mechanics, including a gun jamming system and manual reloading, which add tension and depth to the combat experience. Players appreciate the addictive gameplay loop that encourages risk-taking and strategic decision-making, despite some criticisms regarding content limitations and mechanical jank. Overall, the game offers a satisfying blend of fast-paced action and tactical elements, making it a compelling choice for fans of extraction shooters.
- “Hole has a super satisfying gameplay loop that rewards taking risks and pushing your luck without being overly punishing if you overextend and fail to make it to the extraction point.”
- “The gameplay is tense, and the atmosphere is top-notch. It offers weapon customization, character upgrades, and a jamming mechanic that keeps combat interesting.”
- “The gameplay loop is simple: pick your primary, hop in a raid, and anything you leave the raid with is yours. Great PvE extraction shooter with solid mechanics and an addicting gameplay loop.”
- “Slowish movement, lean mechanics, high time-to-kill for both you and the enemies, and guns that jam and lose accuracy when they overheat.”
- “My problem with the game has to do with mechanical jank and performance.”
- “Unfortunately, there is only about 5-10 hours of gameplay here until you've done everything, and all you have left to do are the same tasks over and over again for money you can't buy anything with.”
graphics
242 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
61%
7%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a deliberately low-poly aesthetic that evokes nostalgia while creating a unique atmosphere, blending elements of retro and surreal design. However, many players have noted significant performance issues, with the game being surprisingly demanding on hardware despite its simplistic visuals, and a lack of graphical options for optimization. Overall, while the art style is appreciated for its charm and effectiveness in enhancing gameplay, the optimization concerns detract from the experience for many users.
- “The lo-fi aesthetic also works well for the unsettling atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are deliberately sparse and utilitarian, focusing on function rather than flashy detail.”
- “This stripped-back aesthetic gives the game a distinctive atmosphere that feels both nostalgic and fresh, setting it apart from more graphically intense contemporaries.”
- “The gloomy, depressing environment design with blurry graphics (even with retro effect turned off) doesn't help either.”
- “The graphics are very minimalistic but it honestly pays off throughout the game.”
- “Despite the simple graphics, this barely runs at 20 fps while absolutely pegging the GPU at 100%.”
optimization
205 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
64%
26%
The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including low frame rates and stuttering, even on high-end systems. Reviewers note that the game is poorly optimized for both low and high-spec machines, often requiring manual adjustments to configuration files to achieve playable performance. Despite its enjoyable gameplay, the lack of optimization significantly detracts from the overall experience, leading many to recommend waiting for updates before purchasing.
- “Awesome game in desperate need of proper optimization.”
- “The game is really fun, shooting feels great, maps are satisfying and fights are intense but this game has some serious optimization issues.”
- “Despite optimization issues, the game is just super fun to run around and shoot them down.”
- “The performance is absolutely horrendous and I've seen people with last-gen flagship video cards complain about it.”
- “The game is an unoptimized mess to the point of being pretty much unplayable when you reach a certain point.”
- “It's heavily not optimized, and if you want to lower the graphics to achieve a playable FPS, you have to alter the game files to do so.”
story
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
77%
18%
The game's story is largely non-existent, with many players noting a lack of narrative depth or character development. While some suggest that players can infer their own stories through environmental cues, the primary focus remains on gameplay mechanics and completing repetitive fetch quests. Overall, the absence of a structured story is seen as a defining characteristic, allowing for a straightforward, action-oriented experience.
- “While there is no real 'story', you can infer things about the anomalous nature of the locations you're sent to through subtle environmental storytelling - nature which mainly draws from the tone and stylings of modern/mundane Japanese horror usually more at home on the pages of a Junji Ito manga, or an arthouse horror film.”
- “The world is mysterious and intriguing, but if there's room for it in future updates, I'd like to see the story fleshed out some more.”
- “The absence of an elaborate story or character development means the player’s attention remains firmly fixed on overcoming the gameplay challenges presented by each stage.”
- “There's no story here.”
- “It's relatively short (I took my time with it and got all the upgrades and quests done in 6 hours) but they have a blueprint they could really expand on if they wanted to.”
atmosphere
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
32%
3%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unsettling and immersive qualities, blending lo-fi aesthetics with gritty realism to create a tense and eerie environment. Reviewers highlight the effective sound design, unique art style, and the game's ability to evoke feelings of paranoia and discomfort, making each encounter feel intense and engaging. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, enhancing the gameplay experience significantly.
- “The atmosphere is excellent.”
- “Dripping with atmosphere and style.”
- “The atmosphere, sound design, art direction, and especially gunplay are all top notch.”
- “A weird little game with an atmosphere that makes me genuinely unsettled.”
- “The atmosphere that encouraged slow, deliberate movement is replaced by a need to rush or stay constantly alert for the wrong reasons, and the open layout sacrifices what made the earlier design so compelling.”
- “The intentionally-drab, dark and minimalist atmosphere somehow oozes its own charm.”
replayability
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
51%
9%
Overall, the game offers significant replayability despite its limited content, with players praising the variety of weapons, engaging map design, and satisfying gunplay. While some users noted that replayability may diminish after unlocking everything, many found the game to be highly addictive and enjoyable for multiple playthroughs, especially given its low price point. The fast-paced nature and progression system further enhance the replay value, making it a worthwhile experience for players seeking a short yet rewarding game.
- “There’s some replayability thanks to the variety of weapons, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this developer releases next.”
- “Super addicting and can be finished in under 3 hours, yet is infinitely replayable!”
- “Game might be short, but it's packed full of content, has great replayability due to its satisfying gunplay and not to mention the fact there are a lot of different weapon configurations you can use.”
- “The game has no replayability once you unlock everything, which doesn't take much effort or time.”
- “For under £5, you get a game that you can sink half a dozen hours or so into before it's 'complete', but there's a ton of replayability to be found with the developers making it so that the challenges loop once you've beaten them all.”
- “The stages are relatively short, ranging from just a few minutes to around half an hour, which encourages replayability and keeps the pacing tight.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
89%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While some enjoy the rewarding nature of unlocking new content and discovering secrets, many feel that the grinding can be tedious and overly time-consuming, particularly in terms of item fetch quests and navigating large maps. The game is described as having a solid gameplay foundation, but the grind can detract from the overall enjoyment, especially as players progress.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I guess that's just to pad out the game length since it's not very long, but then it kinda feels more like Borderlands enemy grinding than an extraction shooter.”
- “Unfortunately, the second and third stages lose steam incredibly fast, not only because the level design is too large and confusing to navigate reliably, but also because the formerly simple and vague mechanics give way to some pretty tedious goals with exponentially less interesting payoff every time.”
music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The music in the game is generally described as subtle and ambient, enhancing the atmosphere without being distracting. However, many players feel that the lack of a more dynamic soundtrack can lead to moments of silence that detract from the experience, with some expressing a desire for the option to add their own music. Overall, while the existing sound design contributes to tension, a more robust musical presence is desired by the community.
- “The music is not too loud and adds a nice touch.”
- “The soundtrack is subtle, using sparse melodies and ambient effects that heighten the sense of urgency without becoming distracting.”
- “I wish there was the ability to add my own music that plays in the background because as it is, the lack of music is very noticeable. While I can just play music elsewhere, it would be nice to have music automatically play when I am in the hole.”
- “There’s no soundtrack guiding your emotions—you’re left alone with the faint hum of flickering office lights and the occasional inhuman grunt echoing in the distance.”
- “Also, the game could use some more ambient music or sounds.”
humor
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by its absurd and bizarre elements, such as characters in funny masks and quirky enemy behaviors, like the "blueberry heads" that comically charge at players. Players appreciate the unexpected and often hilarious moments, including the exaggerated resilience of enemies and the overall chaotic atmosphere, which adds a unique charm to the gameplay experience. Despite some limitations in enemy variety, the humor remains a standout feature, contributing to the game's fun and engaging nature.
- “Maybe the microwave is so confusing that it drives you to murder dudes in suits wearing funny masks in liminal spaces while drinking Celsius or Alani Nu energy drinks and taking orders from a nurse; another day in the life of a basket case, I guess.”
- “The enemy variety is not that big but who cares (the game is cheap and really fun), all the different enemy types are the people with blue masks, the one with purple masks, the one with red masks which are rather aggressive if you compare them to the other ones, and then there are the blueberry heads (I know sounds funny) the 'blueberry' heads, will not shoot at you but rather spin heads first into you and then try to stab you.”
- “Also the enemies will just happily eat a mag of your AR no problem if they have armor which is quite unsatisfying to go up against (but kind of funny cause they just stand up again like nothing happened after they absorbed 30 rounds of 5.56).”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
71%
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while it is polished with no major bugs or glitches reported, players have encountered various minor issues such as clipping, buggy animations, and camera glitches during climbing. The game's performance can also suffer on low-end PCs due to its raytracing features, indicating that optimization could be improved, especially considering it is developed by a single indie developer. Despite these concerns, many players find the experience generally stable and enjoyable.
- “The game itself is really polished; no bugs, no glitches.”
- “It still runs great, and I don't have any issues.”
- “This game will tank low-end PCs despite its minimalistic graphics due to ray tracing, as well as having a lot of weird and buggy animations and near-constant clipping.”
- “Being the work of a one-man indie dev, the game is (perhaps unsurprisingly) poorly optimized and buggy.”
- “You can grab onto ledges and climb up onto them, but in some places this will cause weird glitches where your camera is briefly almost a third-person view; I assume the camera isn't synced properly to the mantling/climbing animation (it definitely doesn't appear to be an active design choice).”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes strong emotional responses, particularly through its heartfelt indie charm and immersive gameplay that makes players feel empowered, akin to iconic characters like John Wick. However, some players noted technical issues, such as long sightlines and a retro filter that detracted from the experience. Overall, it is highly recommended for those seeking a meaningful and engaging shooter experience.
- “If you like your shooters tight, your indie games heartfelt, and your developers clearly working hard, this one’s a must-play.”
- “I think this is the only game that made me feel like John Wick.”
- “Made me feel like John Wick, though optimization could be better.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The monetization aspect of the game is praised for being straightforward, with no ads or microtransactions, allowing for an uninterrupted gameplay experience. However, players express frustration with gameplay mechanics, particularly regarding aiming and movement, which detracts from their overall enjoyment.
- “Straight action, no ads, no microtransactions, no nonsense.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Character development is minimal, with a lack of elaborate storytelling, which shifts the focus to gameplay challenges. However, the distinct character designs and sculpting contribute positively to the game's identity, enhancing the overall experience, particularly in its horror elements.
- “The way the models are sculpted and the character designs are presented gives it a distinct identity.”
- “The horror elements were well executed, showcasing really good character design.”
- “The absence of an elaborate story or character development means the player’s attention remains firmly fixed on overcoming the gameplay challenges presented by each stage.”