Hollow Cocoon

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 300 reviews

story128 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

The game features a captivating story with a strong emotional core, enhanced by beautiful graphics and a haunting atmosphere.
Gameplay is engaging with a mix of stealth mechanics and puzzle-solving, providing a tense experience as players navigate the environment while avoiding the relentless enemy.
The game offers good replayability with multiple endings and unlockable content, making it worth the price for fans of the horror genre.

The AI of the enemy can be frustrating, often leading to situations where players feel unfairly caught or cornered, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
Some players found the game to be too short, with a playtime of around 3-4 hours, leaving them wanting more content and depth.
The reliance on reading numerous documents for story progression can be tedious for players who prefer more direct storytelling methods.

story
232 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
44%
1%
The game's story is widely praised for its intriguing and emotional depth, set in a beautifully rendered rural village during the 1980s. Players appreciate the unique narrative structure, which unfolds through diary entries and environmental storytelling, although some find the reliance on reading documents can detract from the immersive horror experience. Overall, the combination of a gripping plot, strong atmosphere, and well-executed visuals makes it a standout in the horror genre, despite some critiques regarding pacing and gameplay mechanics.
- “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 journey the game takes you through as it gets darker and darker, the twists and turns, and the heartbreak it makes you feel for the characters if you take the time to read the story is more than anything I expected.”
- “It is just not interesting to 'dance' the same 'moves' with the monster to push the story forward.”
- “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).”
- “I had to stop reading the documents after a while and lost interest in the story because it was too much reading.”
gameplay
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
63%
3%
The gameplay is characterized by a simple and repetitive loop of item collection and puzzle-solving, often involving stealth mechanics to evade a relentless enemy. While the controls are smooth and the atmosphere is engaging, many players find the core mechanics frustrating and lacking in originality. Overall, the game is praised for its story and sound design, but the gameplay itself is seen as generic and could benefit from more innovation.
- “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 :)”
- “So yeah, there were really good elements here but everything good about this game takes a dive when the main mechanic of hiding/running from a constantly patrolling/aggressive monster just isn't fun but rather frustrating and annoying.”
- “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.”
- “The focus of the game is more on its story and lore; the gameplay loop of running and hiding can be repetitive and simple.”
graphics
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
32%
4%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their beauty and detail, with many reviewers highlighting the stunning visuals and atmospheric design that effectively complement the story. While some players experienced minor frame rate drops, overall performance is noted to be solid, with smooth gameplay even at high resolutions. The artistic direction, particularly the Japanese aesthetic, adds to the game's immersive experience, making it a standout feature for many 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, graphics might appear a bit dated.”
- “Wasn't a fan; although the art style was well made, the game didn't give much sense of direction in my opinion.”
atmosphere
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
28%
6%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, creepy vibe, enhanced by stunning graphics, a compelling soundtrack, and effective sound design. Reviewers highlight the immersive storytelling and the tension created by the presence of monsters, which contribute significantly to the overall experience. Many agree that the atmosphere is masterfully crafted, making it a standout feature that elevates the gameplay.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly well-done and I was surprised how good the music and writing are.”
- “From the moment the game starts, the world is oozing with atmosphere and beautiful scenery.”
- “This game nails atmosphere, delivers what it promises, and has replayability in the form of multiple (some secret) endings and enemy customization.”
- “Some people in the discussion suggested making it a walking simulator (i.e., a no-monster gameplay), but even if I played only for the story and atmosphere, the monster is mandatory to the overall narrative and atmosphere.”
- “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.”
- “The atmosphere is incredibly well-done, and I was surprised by how good the music and writing are.”
music
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
19%
12%
The music in the game has received high praise for its fitting and beautifully crafted soundtrack, which enhances the tense and atmospheric gameplay. Reviewers noted the quality of the sound design and voice acting, particularly appreciating the emotional impact of the music, especially the ending theme. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout element that complements the game's visuals and story effectively.
- “The game has a lovingly crafted soundtrack which fits the premise wonderfully and has many beautiful details to discover.”
- “The atmosphere is incredibly well-done, and I was surprised by how good the music and writing are.”
- “Music is also fitting, voice work seems to be good (it's in Japanese but still, it sounded right).”
- “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.”
emotional
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have praised the game for its deeply emotional and layered storytelling, which transcends typical horror tropes to deliver a poignant and immersive experience. Many found the narrative to be touching and symbolic, evoking strong feelings and even tears, while the characters and their backstories added depth to the emotional impact. Overall, the game successfully combines horror elements with a rich emotional narrative, making it resonate with players on a profound level.
- “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.”
- “Plus it has a great story, even made me cry a little, quite emotional.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The game offers solid replayability through multiple endings, unlockable cosmetics, and additional side content, encouraging players to explore different choices and outcomes. While the main storyline is relatively short, the inclusion of secret endings and customization options adds depth and variety to subsequent playthroughs. Overall, players can expect a fun experience revisiting the game to uncover all its secrets.
- “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.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is highly praised, with multiple users rating it 9/10 for performance. It runs smoothly even with detailed graphics, showcasing impressive optimization through Unity, and players report no issues while enjoying the immersive experience. Overall, the game delivers a solid performance that enhances both the visuals and gameplay.
- “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, with no issues at all.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
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.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game effectively balances serious themes with humor, providing players with amusing customization options and entertaining bonus content. Many players appreciated the comedic elements, particularly enjoying the humorous alien ending that left them chuckling as they concluded their experience.
- “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 it.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The character development in the game is highly praised for its exceptional visuals and design, effectively reflecting the story's essence. However, there are noted shortcomings in the design and animations of monster characters, suggesting room for improvement in this area.