Hollow Cocoon

92%
Game Brain Score Based on 130 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Hollow Cocoon Game Cover
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"Hollow Cocoon" is a first-person horror adventure game set in 1980s Japan. As college student Minato Jinba, you return to your mother's hometown after receiving news of your grandmother's critical condition. Uncover chilling truths as you navigate the village and evade monsters, while dealing with the complex emotions and strained relationships within your family.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

92%
Audience ScoreBased on 130 reviews
story55 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • The game features a captivating story with a strong horror aspect that keeps players engaged and wanting to explore further.
  • Visually stunning graphics and a beautifully crafted environment enhance the overall experience, making it immersive and atmospheric.
  • Gameplay is smooth and rewarding, with a good balance of stealth mechanics and puzzle-solving that encourages replayability through multiple endings.
  • The constant presence of the enemy can become tedious and frustrating, leading to moments of boredom rather than tension.
  • Some players found the puzzles to be linear and lacking in complexity, which may detract from the overall challenge.
  • The game is relatively short, with some players wishing for more content and depth to the gameplay experience.
  • story103 mentions

    The game's story is widely praised for its depth, emotional resonance, and engaging narrative, often conveyed through diary entries and environmental details. Players appreciate the unique setting and the blend of horror elements with a compelling plot, although some note that the heavy reliance on reading can detract from the immersive experience. Overall, the storytelling is considered a standout feature, making it a recommended choice for fans of story-driven horror games.

    • “Hollow Cocoon delivers a memorable and chilling supernatural story, focused on the haunting sins of a family and the curse visited upon the main protagonist as he ventures to visit his family in the Japanese countryside.”
    • “The amazing story is masterfully narrated not only by the notes scattered across the maps, but also by the perfectly executed atmosphere, and by every single detail of the astonishing visuals.”
    • “The story is quite interesting with plenty of things to read, with some remarks from the protagonist, helping you to put all the details together. The cut-scenes and the overall presentation of the setting reminded me of the Fatal Frame games, which is always a good thing.”
    • “Honestly, I missed out on much of the story as there was a lot of reading in the game (I don't like to read in horror games because it takes me out of the 'scary' experience).”
    • “Story is okay, I guess; all the lore is collectible files and are missable, bad decision.”
    • “I had to stop reading the documents after a while and lost interest in the story because it was too much reading.”
  • gameplay38 mentions

    The gameplay is generally smooth and rewarding, focusing on stealth, exploration, and puzzle-solving, though it can become repetitive with a basic loop of hiding and item collection. While the mechanics are not particularly innovative, they function well and contribute to an engaging atmosphere, making the game enjoyable despite some criticisms of simplicity. Overall, players appreciate the balance of story and gameplay, with many noting the game's solid performance and lack of bugs.

    • “The gameplay is really smooth and makes it feel rewarding to be able to sneak around the house.”
    • “Smooth & fun gameplay with notes, items, stealth & hiding, and some puzzle and exploration as well.”
    • “Highly recommend this game for its interesting story, smooth gameplay and beautiful graphics :)”
    • “In fact, it seems like most of the gameplay is hiding and waiting.”
    • “The focus of the game is more on its story and lore; the gameplay loop of running and hiding can be repetitive and simple.”
    • “Gameplay is overall very plain: grab key item, use to get next key item, rinse and repeat while occasionally hiding from a stalking monster by stuffing yourself in a closet or a box, chug healing items when you inevitably get slapped by the monster because your running speed is near worthless.”
  • graphics30 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals, detailed environments, and effective atmospheric design, contributing significantly to the overall experience. While some users noted minor frame rate drops and a slightly dated appearance in certain aspects, the majority praised the art style and optimization, highlighting the game's ability to run smoothly even with high-quality graphics. Overall, the combination of beautiful graphics and immersive storytelling has left a positive impression on players.

    • “The graphics in this game are absolutely stunning as well, everything was very well done.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful and the atmosphere is awesome.”
    • “Excellent presentation with its fantastic graphics and artistic direction, provoking story largely told through notes and the details in the environments but well crafted and well written.”
    • “I also experienced random small frame rate drops in 4K resolution with an RTX 4080 no matter what I selected in the graphic options.”
    • “Visually, the graphics might appear a bit dated.”
    • “I really liked the overall visuals and design of the game; its world design effectively captures the story's essence, although the monster character design and animations could use some improvements.”
  • atmosphere19 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive storytelling, stunning visuals, and effective use of sound, creating a captivating and often eerie experience. Reviewers highlight the balance between tension and beauty, with many noting that the atmosphere is integral to the narrative and gameplay, enhancing replayability through multiple endings. Overall, the atmosphere is described as well-crafted, engaging, and essential to the game's appeal.

    • “The atmosphere is incredibly well-done and I was surprised how good the music and writing are.”
    • “This game nails atmosphere, delivers what it promises, and has replayability in the form of multiple (some secret) endings and enemy customization.”
    • “From the moment the game starts, the world is oozing with atmosphere and beautiful scenery.”
    • “Some people in the discussion suggested making it a walking simulator (i.e., a no-monster gameplay), but even though I played only for the story and atmosphere, the monster is mandatory to the overall narrative and atmosphere.”
    • “The beauty of Red Dead 2, the unexpected jolts from Madison, some Puppet Combo games, Faith: The Unholy Trinity, and the atmosphere of Visage—then get this. I didn't even really like Visage compared to Madison, but maybe that's because Visage on Xbox appears broken in terms of events not happening on time as they should in the PC version.”
    • “It is short, but it has a highly condensed, well-crafted atmosphere, which I highly prefer over artificial overstretching that does nothing but waste players' time.”
  • music10 mentions

    The music in the game is highly praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting the beautifully crafted soundtrack that complements the game's themes and story. The ending theme, in particular, received special mention, with some players expressing a desire for the soundtrack to be available for purchase. Overall, the sound design and music contribute significantly to the immersive experience, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “The game has a lovingly crafted soundtrack which fits the premise wonderfully and many beautiful details to discover.”
    • “The atmosphere is incredibly well-done and I was surprised how good the music and writing are.”
    • “Finally, like in Cineris Somnia, the soundtrack was marvelous, especially the ending theme.”
    • “I wish they will sell the soundtrack later; I've listened to the Cineris Somnia one a lot of times.”
  • emotional7 mentions

    Players find the game to have a deeply emotional and poignant narrative, enriched by layered storytelling and intriguing characters. Many reviewers appreciate its ability to evoke strong feelings, with some even noting moments that brought them to tears, contrasting it with typical horror games that often lack depth. Overall, the emotional depth and refined storytelling significantly enhance the gaming experience.

    • “But after the first discoveries beyond the main setting, the charm grew more and more and I discovered a touching and refined story.”
    • “I'm generally not a fan of horror games because they are often superficial and more into the raw scary material (jumpscares, etc.), but you managed to craft a truly deeply horrific, grim and dark story with a great emotional layer.”
    • “The characters were very intriguing and the backstory was pretty emotional.”
  • optimization7 mentions

    The game's optimization is highly praised, with users reporting smooth performance even at the highest graphical settings, earning scores of 9/10. The detailed graphics, powered by Unity, contribute to an immersive experience without compromising gameplay fluidity, and players have encountered no significant bugs. Overall, the optimization is considered rock solid, enhancing both the visual appeal and user experience.

    • “The optimization is rock solid; the game runs smoothly despite the realistic and extremely detailed graphics, which are not powered by Unreal Engine as anyone may think, but by Unity!”
    • “This honestly is a 9/10 game; it's so well optimized, has very beautiful graphics, and is pretty scary.”
    • “I had a good performance during my gameplay with the highest quality in the game, no issues at all.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    The game offers moderate replayability, featuring multiple endings and unlockable cosmetics that encourage players to explore different choices and outcomes. While the game is relatively short, the intricate plot and secret endings motivate players to replay it for a fuller experience. Overall, the replayability is enhanced by the combination of customization options and the need to piece together the story across multiple playthroughs.

    • “Multiple endings with a shop where you can buy skins and items, so there is a lot of replayability.”
    • “The game is short, but there's a hint of replayability with silly cosmetics to unlock and some extra endings to obtain.”
    • “This game nails atmosphere, delivers what it promises, and has replayability in the form of multiple (some secret) endings and enemy customization.”
    • “Game's short, but there's a hint of replayability with silly cosmetics to unlock and some extra endings to obtain.”
    • “And on top of that, the multiple endings encourage replayability, since not all the questions are answered by all the endings. You have to play multiple times and try different things to complete the (pretty intricate!) plot puzzle.”
    • “Multiple endings with a shop where you can buy skins and stuff, so there is a lot of replayability.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and annoying, often feeling that it detracts from the overall experience by transforming what could be a thrilling adventure into a monotonous task.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Tedious and annoying...”
    • “It stops being scary and just becomes tedious as you wander around.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The game effectively balances serious themes with humor, providing players with amusing customization options and entertaining endings, particularly the alien ending, which leaves a memorable and light-hearted impression.

    • “This game has a good balance of being serious and using humor.”
    • “The bonus content is amazing as well and gives the player some nice (and some funny) customization options.”
    • “The remaining two endings were good; the alien one was my last one, and I'm glad it was. It got me chuckling, and it was nice to close the game on that note.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development in the game is praised for its strong visual design, earning a perfect score for overall aesthetics and world-building that effectively conveys the story. However, there are suggestions for improvement in the design and animations of monster characters.

    • “The character development in this game is incredibly deep and engaging, making each character feel unique and relatable.”
    • “I love how the characters evolve throughout the story, with their backstories and motivations being revealed at just the right pace.”
    • “The choices you make truly impact the characters' growth, leading to a personalized experience that keeps you invested in their journeys.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
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