Sequels are supposed to be better than their predecessors. Although such a statement doesn’t always ring true (plenty will have a lot to say about which of the Metroid Prime games is their favourite) the intention behind a sequel is to learn from and improve upon previous works - that’s the theory, at least. When Hollow released on the Nintendo Switch in 2018 we didn’t like it all that much, calling it an “ugly game” that was “difficult to play”. Surely, then, its sequel will turn out to be a better experience..? Well, it’s different.
Although visually similar to the first game, Hollow 2 takes the same general setup and gameplay but dials the action right up to 11. It feels like a completely different game as a result; gone are the slow, explorative sections of the first title, replaced instead with almost constant horde-like showdowns with the various enemies, all of which come thick and fast right from the start. Like we said, it’s a different experience, but one that’s still plagued with the same agonising issues, making Hollow 2 an absolute chore to play.
First off the game looks as bad, if not worse, than its predecessor. With the action ramped up and more enemies filling up the screen, environmental details have taken a hit as a result; you’ll come across rooms and corridors that look almost identical to each other thanks to continual reuse of assets throughout the game. It’s such a repetitive experience that you’ll end up getting lost frequently due to the constant sense of déjà vu. To exacerbate this, there are needless visual distractions such as lens flare that fills the screen whenever you shoot your weapons, and a heavy camera filter that distorts and blurs the display to the point where the environment warps at the edges of the screen - it looks dreadful.
The enemy design is similarly lacklustre and doesn't hold a candle to notable FPS titles like DOOM (2016) or Borderlands, even accounting for this game's more humble origins. There are a small number of creature designs that - again - repeat frequently throughout the game. They’ve also been given a garish yellow tinge which we suspect is intended to ensure they stand out effectively against the dark background, but this also makes them about as scary and menacing as Bowser Jr trotting along Isle Delfino with a paintbrush. What’s more problematic, however, is that most of the creatures have a distinct female form and move towards you in an almost perverted sensual swagger, swinging their hips in an exaggerated fashion; it’s disturbing, to say the least, and likely not in a way that was intended.
All of this might have been forgiven if the gameplay proved its worth, but unfortunately this is perhaps Hollow 2’s greatest sin. Movement feels somehow both sluggish and skittish, making the simple act of aiming feel like a nightmare. Camera sensitivity can be adjusted in the settings, but we never found that sweet-spot to make the gameplay feel satisfying. Perhaps even more sinful - depending on your preferences - is the lack of any option to invert the Y-axis; a lot of players don’t mess around with this, which is fine, but at least give us the option. Those hoping for gyro controls will also be disappointed, as these aren’t present in any sense.
In terms of the weapons themselves, the main character starts off with a basic ‘pistol’ called the Pinner, before obtaining beefier weapons like the Ripper and Cutter later down the line. None of the weapons pack any kind of punch and they all feel like they’re just shooting out little paintball pellets. It’s the most bland FPS combat we’ve played in a good while and we feel the developer would have been wise to reign in the combat and put its focus on providing a more atmospheric experience.
Unfortunately, the storytelling is also pretty dire. As you move through the space vessel Shakhter-One a woman’s voice plays over the speakers, berating you, yelling at you, and generally just doing her utmost to distract you from the job at hand. Much like the first game, the writing is again hampered by the poor English translation, meaning half of the dialogue isn’t even remotely understandable, and even basic tasks require a second glance to fully comprehend. The developers even have the sheer audacity to reference the critical reception to the first Hollow, poking fun at critics who dared to give the game 2 out of 10. This joke would land better - heck, even be funny - had criticism been taken on board and delivered a better game this time around; that hasn't happened.
It’s clear with Hollow 2 that a more visceral, DOOM-like approach was taken when compared to the first game. While we have to give the developer credit for at least trying something different, it ultimately fails to deliver a compelling experience with poor combat, boring weapons, awful enemy design, and repetitive environments. What’s more frustrating, though, is that there’s a good game buried somewhere beneath all the jank; there's enough here to indicate that Megapixel Studio understands the fundamentals of the FPS genre; unfortunately its execution completely misses the mark.
Conclusion
Hollow 2 could - and should - have been a vast improvement on the first game. With poor visuals and gameplay that frankly feels like a chore to play, there’s little here to convince anyone looking for a new FPS on the Switch. There are small hints of a good game bubbling under the surface, and perhaps with more time and diligence this could have seen the light of day. As it stands, Hollow 2 fails to address the glaring issues from its predecessor and should be left well alone.
Comments 24
Sequel of a bad game is also a bad game. Can't say that I'm particularly surprised there. I'm sure it'll be 90% off on the eShop before long but even at that price, no thanks.
I remember liking the look of the first one, so got it when it was 99p and couldn't believe how dark it was and just got stuck right at the start, just kept on dying.
Then saw there was going to be a second and thought, ah god they are dragging this out, and oh look yes they are, waiting on number three now.
I don't know whay you are insinuating, but Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is the best in the series. (MP3 is obviously the worst, so things can go either way)
Just out of curiosity, what jokes/references do they have regarding critics of the first game? Lol. That’s pretty bold and hilarious.
Damn! I really wanted them to have success with this. They sold a lot of copies of the first one because of sales. I expected better I love FPS.
I wanted the first to be good.
I wanted the second to be at least better than the first.
I wanted the third time to be the charm.
Oh wait that hasn't happened yet in this timeline. Forget that I said that.
@Shambo
Witcher 3.
I see the first game on sale all the time on the eShop, never bothered getting it even when it is heavily discounted because I value my time more than my dollar. In this day and age I hardly have time to play bad games when there are so many great ones.
@Dethmunk Agreed on the controls. That's why the Trilogy is the best way to play the two good games in the series (but you need to change the sensitivity to "advanced" or whatever they called the highest setting).
I recall seeing the first one on sale in the eshop all the time for like a dollar. Not usually a good sign.
It's an awful of the awful and they are asking $20 so you could experience this awful. Just awful. I'm gonna go eat some waffles.
They spelled "Quarantine" wrong in game... feel like that should be a universal word we all know by now...
I don’t know how a developer could be this pathetic? I’m sure they’re aware that this is a load of garbage yet they released it anyways… I wanted this to be good, I was intrigued by the first. Very disappointed here.
I've watched a few gameplay sessions now and it seems like the only thing they've improved from the first game is the movement speed (which was less than a crawl in Hollow). Baffling design choices
@Strumpan 1 > 2 > 3 for me, buddy. 1 has problems but 2 amplifies the backtracking to ludicrous proportions. 3 felt like a huge drop in quality to me.
@Matty1988 I understand what you mean, but I enjoyed the backtracking in that game. I think the atmosphere and the hostility of the environment is one of the most important aspects of Metroid to me, and that was amazingly well done in Echoes.
I cannot believe this game got a sequel. The first one was so terrible that even at $2 is waste of money. And they had the guts to do a 2nd game which seems to be equally bad. I don't understand it...
Where the heck is Outer Wilds? Can Nintendolife provide an update please?
Even if I were the most accommodating gamer on the planet, even if I had even a remote interest in this title, I could look past every other problem except one. Not allowing Y-axis invert in any 3D game with camera control, especially a FPS, is a cardinal sin that cannot be forgiven. That's right up there with un-skippable cut scenes.
Like, how do you even release a game without considering that? It's an option in 99.9% of 3D games for a reason.
How do games like this get a sequel, but sometimes other much better games don't?
@Strumpan wow, this comment, section makes it so hard to follow conversations, unless you read every message from the top 🤦🏻♂️. I agree with your assessment of the MP games & i put them in the same order. I thought 3 was mediocre, sadly.
Awesome game.. I bought it on launch day and enjoyed it. It's a step up from the original but both are pretty damn amazing.
Not sure why Nintendo Life bothered to review this after the first game, but I'm glad you did.
@maverick13 What is that alien word you're talking about? Isn't Quarentino that famous movie producer?
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