Neon Echoes - The Hollow Shell

You wake in a body you don't recognize, in a neon metropolis where the rain never stops falling. You don't remember who you are. You don't remember what you've done. The only certainty is that someone is dead, and every road leads back to you.

NEON ECHOES: THE HOLLOW SHELL is a narrative cyberpunk RPG in pixel art, played in portrait. There are no reflex-driven fights: your weapons are words, instinct and conscience. Every dialogue is a fork in the road, and every choice leaves a mark you cannot erase.

▓ WHO WILL YOU BECOME?

You don't play a hero already written: you become one. Your decisions shape the protagonist's personality, traits and place in the moral quadrant. Will you be a methodical investigator or an unscrupulous opportunist? An idealist or a survivor? The city will treat you accordingly, and so will the people you meet.

▓ CHOICES THAT TRULY MATTER

- Branching dialogue with real consequences on story and relationships.

- Skill checks based on Body, Spirit, Ethics and Instinct: develop skills and sub-skills according to how you play.

- A trait system and a moral quadrant that unlock (or lock away) entire lines of dialogue.

- Fragile resources - Health, Sanity, Reputation, Self-Control: burn through them carelessly and the run is over.

▓ YOU DECIDE WHO IS GUILTY

At the heart of it lies a mystery. No killer is decided in advance: gather clues, connect the pieces and, at the reckoning, accuse whoever you believe is responsible - mastermind and killer alike. Different evidence, different truths. Get it wrong, and you'll live with the consequences.

▓ ROGUELIKE: EVERY END IS A NEW BEGINNING

When you reach an ending - or when the city breaks you - it starts over. But nothing is lost: every run unlocks new dialogue options, abilities and ways to interact. The game keeps track of the main and side endings you reach, the deaths you suffer and the choices you make, enriching later runs.

▓ MULTIPLE ENDINGS AND SCORING

Dozens of possible outcomes across the main story and mini-quests. Your actions, the endings you reach and your moral consistency all feed into a final score, recorded in a leaderboard of the characters you've played. No run is ever the same.

▓ ATMOSPHERE

Cyberpunk pixel art inspired by the aesthetic of Blade Runner: neon signs, flooded alleys, skyscrapers smothering the slums. A synth soundtrack to lose yourself among the glowing ruins of the Raised City.

▓ THIS IS THE COMPLETE EDITION

The itch.io build has no ads, no shop and no in-game currency of any kind. Everything is simply unlocked:

- Manual skill allocation is always available - build the character you want from the first run.

- Death is permanent. There is no resurrection to buy and no second chance to watch an ad for. When the run ends, it ends.

- Nothing to purchase, ever. Pay what you want, including nothing.

▓ AVAILABLE HERE

- Windows: a single standalone executable, no installer.

- Browser: playable directly on this page (first load is a large download, please be patient).

The game is playable in English and Italian; you can switch language at any time from the options.

Memory is a luxury. Identity is a choice.

Who will you wake up to be?