Game Info
Year
2025
Players
1-5
Age
14+
Playtime
90 min
Collection
Mechanic profile
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Vibe profile
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Description
Asymmetric horror game where one Beast faces Scoundrels with mystery boxes and betrayal mechanics
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 3
This page: 3
Sentiment:
pos 1 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–3 of 3
Video UO3Lrj26pqk
Review at 0:07 sentiment: positive
video_pk 69133 · mention_pk 165490
Click to watch at 0:07 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Unique gameplay
- Creepy otherworldly feel
- Interesting balance between meeting objectives, running for your life, and backstabbing
- Good replayability due to scenarios and potential for other monsters/scoundrels
Cons
- Can get card poor if hand is too low
- Limited to a hand size of six cards
- Prototype components shown, subject to change
Thematic elements
- cat and mouse
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- asymmetric roles — The game features distinct roles for the monster player and the scoundrel players.
- Card Play — Players use cards from different decks (deeds, remnants, curses) to augment their turns or hinder opponents.
- Health tracking — Scoundrels have both physical health and sanity, which can be depleted.
- hidden cargo — The cargo is hidden, and players must reveal it to determine the real artifact.
- Hidden movement — The movement of characters leads to the revelation of new tiles on the board, implying a hidden movement or exploration element.
- hidden objectives — Scoundrels are trying to complete two hidden objectives.
- scenarios — The game has a fair amount of scenarios with plans for other monsters, scoundrels, and scenarios to be played through.
- set collection — Players compete for spirits on ritual tiles to gain extra actions.
- Stamina — Players use allotted stamina to play cards or take character actions.
- Variable player powers — The 'insane' side of the scoundrel player board has different base actions and requirements.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Hello and welcome to Tantrum House Studio Awesome.
- In this overview video, we will be giving you a quick look at Hollow Packed by Studio Midhall.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video EPOKjmPDGuM
Review at 1:31 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 69123 · mention_pk 165476
Click to watch at 1:31 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Heightens immersion, increases suspense, adds unpredictability
- Straightforward gameplay
- Multiple tiers of victory add ambiguity and potential for betrayal
- Cinematic elements
- Contentious area control with tangible consequences
- Ambitious design exploring social layers in strategy games
- Gorgeous illustrations and high-quality production
- Immersive world with dark folklore and occult themes
- Explores themes similar to the Prisoner's Dilemma
Cons
- Semi-ooperative victory conditions can be precarious and depend on other players' dedication.
- Can devolve if players don't cooperate.
- Anticlimactic conclusions driven by semi-cooperative nature.
- Completing personal goals can require interfering with partners.
- Ganging up on uncursed humans.
- Player elimination can lead to a prolonged endgame.
- Needs polishing to move from a good game to a great one.
Thematic elements
- Semi-cooperative victory conditions with hidden movement and betrayal.
- The world of Beast
Comparison games
- Beast
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action points — Players spend action points to perform default actions or use cards to move and complete scenarios.
- Area Control — The 'spirit' resource system is described as a contentious area control element.
- card drafting — Mentioned in contrast to how shared cards are handled, noting it's more practical than meaningful in this case.
- deduction — Used as a precarious social element in strategy games.
- Hidden movement — Mentioned as a key element of the game, similar to 'Beast'.
- negotiation — Included as a precarious social element.
- player elimination — Damage can lead to player elimination, with potential for a long wait for the outcome of remaining players.
- Resource management — Spirit is a powerful resource gained at the cost of cards and actions.
- secret victory conditions — Smugglers have their own secret conditions, which can involve suffering stress and going insane.
- Semi-cooperative — Victory conditions where one or many can win, but players ideally work together to avoid losing. This is a central theme and challenge.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- See, in fully cooperative games, or victories at least, players know where they stand, can coach one another, support one another, and ideally everyone is working to press the game forward to the same outcome.
- Semi-ooperative victories where one or many players can win but all in theory should be working together to avoid losing is great in concept but for that whole social thing.
- The point that I'm making is that it's fun when it works, but it requires an extra level of dedication and mutual understanding of all players at the table to prop up the institution. Otherwise, it can quickly devolve.
- The rub and why I started this whole damn review the way that I did is that there's different tiers of victory for the humans and beast alike.
- But as it is, Hollow Pacted is ambitious and definitely worth looking into, especially if you are interested in social layers being added onto strategy games.
- And the production of the prototype that I received is the best pre-production production that I think I've ever covered on this channel.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video diJ7RC7iREE
Meepling University Rules Teach at 0:07 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 66082 · mention_pk 160608
Click to watch at 0:07 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- semi-cooperative pursuit between two scoundrels and a beast over stolen cargo
- general map built from random tiles with four progressive layers: village, inner city, outskirts, and escape routes
- semi-cooperative with hidden agendas and curses
Comparison games
- Knives in the Dark
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cargo secrecy and real vs fake cargo — Each scoundrel carries either the real or fake cargo; only the real cargo determines victory conditions for scoundrels
- Combat and wounds — Shoving can cause wounds; movement and combat are tied to resource costs and location effects
- Combat: Damage Based — Shoving can cause wounds; movement and combat are tied to resource costs and location effects
- deed, remnant, and curse cards — Deed cards are drawn and used for actions; Remnant cards are collected by scoundrels; Curse cards are held by the beast and may have lasting or one-time effects
- end-of-round management — At end of round, resolve remaining effects, gain spirit, reset tokens, and pass the first-player marker
- hidden agendas and primal urges — Scoundrels start with two hidden agendas; the beast has a primal urge with ongoing benefits; some agendas may shift with sanity state
- movement and map interactions — Movement can involve sneaking, standard moves, or shoving; bridges can break; mist imposes penalties or costs; undiscovered districts reveal new areas
- Resource management — Stamina is spent on actions and is moved within the player’s track; Spirit is spent from the board to a shared supply
- resources: stamina and spirit — Stamina is spent on actions and is moved within the player’s track; Spirit is spent from the board to a shared supply
- rituals and spirits economy — Ritual tiles allow spirits to be retrieved or spent; resolving rituals affects all players with spirits present
- role-based card actions — Each card has a white action for the scoundrels and a black action for the beast; some cards have an offer mechanic or dual halves
- schematics and gates — Boards are built from schematics tiles that set up row-specific rules; scoundrels aim to open gates by fulfilling schematic objectives
- Two actions per turn — On a turn, players take two actions from the available options; can pass; round ends with end-of-round steps and refresh
- win conditions and modes — Scoundrels win by escaping with the real cargo via their preferred route after completing hidden agendas; Beast wins by reclaiming the real cargo; dark pact endings exist
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- a game in development featuring semi-ooperative scenarios which play out between wretched humanoids known as scoundrels and a terrifying beast.
- Remember, for the scoundrels, you have a legendary feat if you complete both of your agendas. Escape via your preferred route with the real cargo.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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