Horror games don’t have to launch in October, just before Halloween, right? Natuya Studio is hopefully about to prove that with Hollow Cocoon, a first-person horror adventure game set in 1980s Japan that will be launching this December. There will, however, be a demo ready in time for Halloween: it will be released via Steam on October 9 and allow players to experience the early stages of the game as night falls and the terror is gradually encroaching. Some elements from the demo can be carried over to the full game.
University student Minato Jinba lives away from his parents in a boarding house. One night, he receives terrible news from his father: Minato’s maternal grandmother is in critical condition. And so begins Minato’s journey to Ichinose, a village buried deep in the mountains and the place his mother was born.
Minato doesn’t really get along with his grandmother. Actually, he hasn’t seen her in over ten years and harbours a deep resentment towards her. She didn’t even attend her own daughter’s, Minato’s mother’s, funeral. On his journey to the village by bus, Minato remembers the only conversation he’s ever had with his grandmother, when she said, “the thing with silkworms, you know; even if they could leave their cocoons, they have no mouths to eat, and their wings do not fly. They simply lay their eggs and perish… People are the reason they suffer this fate.”
Soon, Minato finds himself in a house that puts him in a terrifying situation with a shocking truth. Hollow Cocoon has a branching narrative, with four unique endings. There are three difficult options based on whether the player wants just the story or a challenging experience; the difficulty can be lowered during gameplay but not raised. Various features are available to reduce motion sickness, including adjustable viewing angles, a central dot display, and the option to disable camera shake.
Developed and published by Natuya Studio, Hollow Cocoon will be released for PC via Steam sometime in December 2023.
