The Hole Review

Player(s): 1
Extra Features: N/A

The Hole is a first person horror game developed and published by Bober Bros. The game clocks in at around 45 minutes of gameplay. Much like a Silent Hill game, there is imagery and metaphors everywhere and it is up to the player to figure out the meaning behind it all. While the experience is short, it provides quite an unforgettable journey that makes everyday reality scary to think about when behind closed doors.

The game has the look of a PS2-era game. You can just look at any screenshots of it and see this. Even with the limited graphics engine, this game has amazing presentation with its overall content. For the most part, the game is a walking simulator but it does switch up the gameplay with some variety here and there. Not once did I ever get bored with the game. It doesn’t have any documents to read. The game is all about exploring and voiced dialogue, which I’m a big fan of.

You start out with a day of everyday life for a guy in an apartment. You make some cereal, take out the trash, etc. While in the midst of everyday life, your neighbor interrupts and then your character starts on a downward spiral of strange happenings. This game has tons of imagery and metaphors throughout its gameplay. Your character will peer through holes in the wall to get a glimpse of various scenes. You’ll go down Silent Hill-style corridors and examine other strange imagery on your journey. Everything comes together in the end when the game lays everything out for you. The game never does truly give you a concrete story. It only hints as to what happens through various dialogue choices.

For the most part, the game is a one-and-done, but it does have some slight replay value. There are hidden achievements to unlock (that you won’t likely unlock during a first playthrough) and there are several dialogue choices to choose from, so you can go back and see the others. There are also two endings. With the way the game sets up the endings, you can easily get both of them in one playthrough.

For a 45 minute game, The Hole is quite a memorable experience. I highly recommend this to horror fans, especially those that are into psychological horror. The game has no jump scares. It is all about atmosphere and tension with this one, which I am very fond of. Be sure to give this game a try if you like a good horror experience with in-depth story that leaves questions in the end.

The Good:
+ Awesome atmosphere and overall feel for horror fans
+ A thought-provoking experience
+ Good overall sound

The Bad:
- Hardly any replay value