The Hollow

Hunters no longer receive the praise or the recognition they once enjoyed, mainly because hunting is now considered a cruel hobby, given the fact that everyone has easy access to all kinds of food. However, their skills were valued greatly back when entire tribes and villages depended on the prey they brought home, which is why they are always mentioned in myths and legends.

The Hollow is an interactive story that allows you to play the role of a hunter, as well as explore and survive a dangerous forest filled with unsavory creatures. The game is not very long, nor is it very complex. On the other hand, you can really let yourself be captured by the atmosphere and the characters. Even if you do not actually interact with anything, the dialog and the choices you have to make give you plenty to think about.

To begin with, the story revolves around a hunter who finds out that his daughter has gone missing in the forest. As he is looking for her, strange creatures start approaching him, posing riddles or challenges to show him the right way. Satyrs, merchants and wolves have to be dealt with, although it all comes down to whether you do what they ask or trick them somehow.

Sometimes, the choices you make affect the way other characters see you later on. Obviously, the entire thing only takes a couple of minutes, but it’s still nice to see that your actions matter. As such, you can betray, sabotage and lie your way to the end, only to find that it may have been better to do it the right way, or vice-versa. In fact, it’s quite appealing to replay the thing multiple times, just to see what you have missed.

The rest of the game is just as basic, including the gameplay itself and the graphics. You only have to click around the screen in order to advance the action, or choose the desired dialog option when you are queried. The artwork is entirely static and two-dimensional, but it is quite moody and appropriate for the situation. One can say the same thing about the soundtrack, which goes well with the general atmosphere.

Even if you are not a huge fan of the visual novel genre, The Hollow is worth a few minutes of your time, if only to open your mind to new ideas. The writing is decent, and the entire concept is quite unique on the market right now, at least in some aspects.