Hollowbody PS5 Review. Developed by Headware Games and available now on PS5, Hollowbody is an atmospheric ode to classic survival horror. Drawing inspiration from the genre’s golden era, it combines fixed camera angles, limited resources, and puzzle-solving with a bleak futuristic setting. While the influences are obvious, the game manages to carve out an identity of its own. More importantly, it understands that atmosphere and tension are just as important as the monsters lurking in the dark.
Hollowbody Review (PS5) – An Atmospheric Ode To Classic Survival Horror
Ol’ Reliable
You play as Mica, a black-market courier searching for her missing partner inside a quarantined exclusion zone. What begins as a simple mission soon spirals into something much darker. The mystery at the heart of the story remains compelling throughout the journey. As a result, there’s always another thread pulling you deeper into the nightmare.
Atmosphere is undoubtedly Hollowbody’s greatest strength. The abandoned streets and crumbling interiors are packed with detail and dread. Excellent lighting and clever camera placement create several memorable moments. Consequently, even quiet stretches of exploration feel unsettling.
Up Close And Personal
The sound design deserves just as much praise. Strange noises echo through empty buildings, while the soundtrack knows exactly when to step forward and when to stay silent. Playing with headphones adds even more tension to the experience. Together, these elements create a constant feeling that danger could be waiting around every corner.
Exploration and puzzle-solving form the backbone of the adventure. Limited resources encourage careful planning without becoming overly punishing. Thankfully, the puzzles avoid the frustrating trial-and-error design found in some older horror games. Instead, they strike a satisfying balance between challenge and accessibility.
Classic Camera Angles
Combat is where some of the game’s shortcomings become more apparent. The gunplay intentionally feels awkward to emphasise vulnerability, but it occasionally crosses the line into clunky. Melee combat makes up most of the encounters which becomes tedious as it’s even weaker than the gunplay. Enemy encounters also become repetitive over time, especially with all the classic jank, reducing some of the tension. Likewise, several character animations lack the polish seen elsewhere.
A Familiar Warning
Performance on PS5 is generally solid. Load times are quick and the presentation impresses throughout. However, stiff animations and awkward interaction transitions occasionally remind you of the game’s smaller budget. Fortunately, these issues rarely disrupt the experience in a meaningful way.
Perhaps the biggest compliment that can be paid to Hollowbody is that it understands why survival horror fans fell in love with the genre. Rather than simply relying on nostalgia, Headware Games has crafted something with its own identity. The futuristic setting helps separate it from the classics that inspired it. Meanwhile, the emotional themes give the story greater weight.
Hollowbody is out now.
Review code kindly provided by PR.