EMPTY SHELL
Top-down horror roguelite where death brings a new volunteer
CC ARTS · Published by Hyperstrange · Released Oct 16, 2023
- Reviews
- Very Positive
- 88% of 860
- Recent reviews
- Very Positive
- 100% of 10 in 30 days
- Playing now
- 7
- right now
- Steam Deck
- Verified
- Last update
- 10 months ago
- Nov 2, 2025
What is EMPTY SHELL?
EMPTY SHELL is a top-down horror shooter set in an abandoned facility on a remote Japanese island, where volunteers are sent on a recovery operation. You explore randomly generated levels, fight creatures, scavenge supplies, manage inventory, solve puzzles, and read logs. When a volunteer dies, you take over a new one with randomized starting equipment.
For you if...
- +you like tense horror and deliberate top-down combat
- +you enjoy managing scarce supplies in randomized levels
- +you want challenging fights that reward timing and tactics
Not for you if...
- −you dislike replaying levels after a late death
- −you expect substantial progression between attempts
- −you want varied objectives throughout a run
What players say
88% of 860 reviews are positive · 100% of 10 in the last 30 days
Players praise the tense atmosphere, combat, and visual style. They most often complain about repetitive objectives, underwhelming progression, and having to replay levels after dying.
Screenshots and trailer
EMPTY SHELL system requirements
As published by the developer.
Minimum
- OS
- Windows 10 or higher
- Processor
- Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD equivalent
- Graphics
- Intel Graphics HD 2GB or equivalent
- Memory
- 4 GB RAM
- Storage
- 290 MB available space
- DirectX
- Version 11
Recommended
- OS
- Windows 10 or higher
- Processor
- Intel Core i5 or AMD equivalent
- Graphics
- Nvidia GTX 1050 or higher
- Memory
- 8 GB RAM
- Storage
- 290 MB available space
- DirectX
- Version 11
PC version details
DRM, required accounts, controller support and Steam features.
- DRM
- None declared on Steam
- Controller
- Full controller support
- Platforms
- Windows
- Achievements
- 81
- Steam features
- Cloud saves, Family Sharing
Steam Deck: Verified
- All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
- Shows Steam Deck controller icons
- In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
- Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
- External controllers are not supported for the primary player
Multiplayer and co-op
Languages
Text only: English, Italian, German, Russian, French, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Simplified Chinese.
Tags
- Action Roguelike
- Shooter
- Top-Down
- Roguelite
- Horror
- Action-Adventure
- Roguelike
- Action
- Controller
- Story Rich
- Pixel Graphics
- Atmospheric
- Sci-fi
- Adventure
- Dark
- Old School
Recent updates
- Nov 2, 2025 · Flashlight drone fix
- Oct 6, 2025 · Quick Unity Fix
- Aug 15, 2025 · Gadget amount fix
- Aug 11, 2025 · Difficulty resetting bug
- Jun 8, 2025 · Small tweak for That One Level
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