Hollow Home is a game about war and survival with strong narrative elements

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We’ve been following this game for quite some time; we first saw it last year during the Ukraine Game Fest on Steam, and we were immediately drawn in by its story and gameplay. Hollow Home is an isometric narrative RPG told from the perspective of a teenager trapped in an occupied city. You’ll need to learn survival skills, build relationships, and face difficult decisions as each day brings new tragedies and destruction.

So, what makes this game special? The game’s researcher, Tetiana, was tasked with finding and documenting all available information about the events in Mariupol during the early days of the war. The city in the game is directly inspired by real wartime events. Playing as 14-year-old Maksym, the game begins on the eve of the Russian invasion, showing the last 24 hours of our protagonist’s carefree childhood.

The gameplay heavily relies on dialogue and branching questlines to tell the story of a city disappearing under the relentless attacks of invading forces. There is no combat system or direct on-screen violence, instead, the game focuses on the impact of war rather than graphic detail. Questlines revolve around survival and helping others survive. Additionally, each day you have a limited number of action points, forcing you to make painful decisions.

The developer present at the event told us that the game is strongly inspired by titles such as Disco Elysium and Planescape: Torment (which is noticeable in the visual style). Another point emphasized was the game’s high replay value thanks to its nonlinear story, different builds, and varied decisions. We particularly enjoyed exploring the world using the journal mechanic, which made navigating the game very straightforward.

If you want to add the game to your wishlist, you can do so on Steam, and it’s planned to release next year.