Independent game guide

Hollowlight

Gather on the surface by day, then hold the Hollow's tunnels at night with towers, automatic powers, and a gun you aim yourself.

Loads the game from the creator's official host

Play on itch.io ↗

Playable here on GameWren.The game is served by the creator’s official host inside this page; GameWren does not rehost its files.

Hollowlight

Day on the surface, night in the Hollow

You play the Lamplighter, keeper of the last light in the Hollow. Days are for climbing to the Surface, gathering, fighting roaming monsters and gunmen, and finding guns. Nights flood the tunnels with monsters, and the towers, powers, and your own aim have to hold the line.

A run lasts 20 or 30 nights on Normal, Hard, or Nightmare. Boss days and a night called the Drowned Deep interrupt the usual rhythm. The creator is still updating the build, so the details of a run can change.

The first day starts at the Workshop

Enter a name and press Play. Day 1 opens in the tunnels beside a labeled Workshop, with an exit marked To the Surface. Click a path to walk there. Mouse and keyboard or a controller can be used, and powers fire on their own while you still aim and shoot.

The opening walk is worth using before the first trip outside. The Workshop, the lamps, and the surface stairs are all visible from the starting room, so the first click can be a short trip rather than a blind dash.

Towers, etchings, and the leaderboard

Bolt, Mortar, Frost, Arc, and Sunfire can be paired so their links form networks. Guns found during the day roll etchings that change how their rounds behave. Both systems matter more as the nights get longer than they do in the first hallway.

An online leaderboard tracks runs. The creator also hosts the same game at hollowlightgame.com and asks for feedback on the itch.io page or Discord.

Guide

Start: Enter a name and press Play to begin Day 1 in the Hollow
Move: Click a tunnel to walk there; the Workshop and the exit to the Surface are labeled
Surface: Climb out by day to gather, fight roaming monsters and gunmen, and find guns with random etchings
Night: Hold the tunnels with Bolt, Mortar, Frost, Arc, and Sunfire towers while powers fire on their own
Aim: Mouse and keyboard or a controller; you still aim and shoot the gun yourself

Creator's description

Pressing Play opened Day 1 beside a labeled Workshop. Clicking the tunnel walked the lamplighter up the path, and another click brought them back while the exit to the Surface stayed marked on the right.