Hollowmere Is Here: a Gothic Action RPG Drawn in ASCII

Published October 25, 2026

Lightning forking down through the rain over the pilgrim on the Weeping Road, the whole scene lit white for an instant. — Hollowmere: every pixel on this screen is a text character.

Hollowmere is out, and it is unlike anything else on NoInternet Arcade: a gothic action RPG drawn entirely in ASCII glyphs. The rain, the grass bending in the wind, the candle flames, the cathedral and every creature in it are text characters, lit in real time by lanterns, braziers and lightning. It plays in your browser, on a phone, a computer or with a gamepad, with no download, and like all our games it keeps working offline after your first visit.

A drowned country

A hundred years ago the great bell of Hollowmere was rung, and the rain began. You arrive as a pilgrim on the Weeping Road, with a hooked saber, a flintlock and a coat that keeps out the rain but not the claws. Ahead: a town of shuttered houses, a graveyard, a cathedral with its bell, and when the bell falls silent, the drowned country beyond it.

The Lantern Cisterns: brick causeways over black water lit by pale green lamps. — Nine regions, each with its own light, weather and music.

Close, deliberate combat

Every foe telegraphs its attacks. You roll through the blow, strike in the opening, and shoot a raised arm with your pistol to break the swing and land a visceral riposte. Your weapon has two forms you can switch between mid-combo. Light votives to rest, level up and travel; lose your ichor when you fall, and go back to reclaim it.

Mawgrin, the Gate Hound, a gaunt giant hound crowned with quills, facing the pilgrim, its health bar at the bottom of the screen. — Ten bosses, every one with a second phase.

What is inside

Nine regions from the rain forest to the castle on the crag, with shortcuts, false walls and secrets.
Ten bosses, each with a second phase and its own music.
People with their own stories, a forge to temper your weapons, and a stall with wares for ichor.
Six origins to begin from (a warden in plate, a poacher with a thorn knife, a choir mystic, a wretch with nothing), and Hardcore for those who want healing to be scarce.
Three endings, and NEW GAME + with stronger foes.
An original score recorded with orchestral samples, and sound for every footstep, blade and thunderclap.
Phone controls built for thumbs, keyboard and mouse, and gamepads (with rumble).
Three save slots, export and import of your saves, and settings for camera distance, brightness, flashes, colours, text size and speed, and an assist mode.

Read the Hollowmere guide to learn the combat, votives, levels and gear in pictures, or just start your pilgrimage.

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