Hollow Knight - the Metroidvania that captured the hearts of indie players everywhere in 2017. I may be a little late to the party when it comes to this cute and creepy game, but that didn't stop me from getting my money's worth in 50 blissful hours of victory and death (mostly death).
As with other great Metroidvania adventures, Hollow Knight shines in its ability to simultaneously allow a high level of freedom while shrouding the actual story in mystery. I took 1,000 screenshots during my playthrough of Hollow Knight, documenting lore tablets, dialogue, and interesting things throughout the world; this was not enough and was ultimately the reason I invested in an SD card for my Switch.
I watched a Hollow Knight playthrough before I picked up a joycon myself in this story, so I knew a lot going into it, yet still found new elements and explored areas I had not seen. The world is simply ENORMOUS and never lessens the feeling of enormity with OP fast travel. Yes, the Last Stag can help out, but often the stations are in inconvenient areas or are surrounded by aggressive enemies. Even using the Dream Nail takes planning and will only teleport the player to one place at a time.
The constant, secretive atmosphere, even when it's clear the characters around you and interacting with you know additional, vital information, serves as a source of motivation and frustration. Still, I never felt like information or goals were out of reach. The level of playstyle customization for those willing to put into the work to build up their charm collection is staggering. It allows all players to adjust their advantages to best suit their needs in any given fight.
Watching Hollow Knight being played, I was given the impression that I wouldn't be able to finish the game. "The mechanics are too specific, complex, and fast-paced," I told myself. And although the difficulty levels remained the same between my watching and playing, I found my skills being cultivated as the game scaled difficulty in different areas and rewarded painstaking exploration with items that made things easier elsewhere.
Ultimately, Hollow Knight is a gorgeously animated, haunting story that encapsulates a variety of themes without ever revealing any comprehensive history. Despite this, it is an enthralling story that inspired countless fan theories surrounding almost every character. I would highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a game that provides a tough challenge while always feeling beatable.
Hollow Knight is perfect for seasoned Metroidvania and action-platformer players due to the inclusion of high-stakes items and builds, intense boss runs, and additional (entirely optional) "hard mode" boss fights. It is also perfect for players new to the Metroidvania formula, as exploration and meticulous progression are rewarded with items more conducive to a defensive or forgiving playstyle.
Honestly, what are you even waiting for? Hollow Knight is available on PC and all major consoles, and you should add it to your library ASAP.
Hollow Knight is developed and published by Team Cherry and is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.