May 1, 2024
By Jude McElroy
Editor
There are few video games that stand out to me as much as Hollow Knight. Released in 2017 with a few large updates in 2018, Hollow Knight manages to nail almost every aspect of its design. Its small team of developers executed the game perfectly and encapsulates everything I love about video games.
Hollow Knight is a 2D game with combat, exploration and platforming elements. The gameplay starts simply with the player walking back and forth, jumping and attacking with their nail. Damaging enemies builds up Soul, which can be used to heal damage or unleash unlocked spells as the game progresses. The player has to rest at benches to restore health. Upon defeat, the player returns to the last bench they rested at, while losing any currency, called Geo, they have collected. A third of their Soul meter is also lost. The only way to get back the Geo and Soul meter is to defeat the Shade the player leaves behind where they were defeated. It is similar to Dark Souls’ punishment for death, and it creates a prominent risk-reward factor, especially in a game so focused on exploration.
Throughout the game, the player will continue acquiring new abilities and gear to help with a variety of scenarios. Some of the earliest include the Mothwing Cloak, which allows the player to perform a short dash, and the Mantis Claw, which allows the player to wall jump. There are more combat-centric unlockables too, like the Nail Arts and Spells. Very few upgrades are actually required too. All of them are encouraged but rarely ever necessary.
The movement abilities help the combat feel fluid and enjoyable. Hollow Knight’s late-game bosses are extremely difficult, requiring elite gameplay and memorization of attacks.
The presence of Charms further deepens the combat and exploration. They can be equipped only when the player is resting at a bench. The player has a certain amount of Charm notches, and Charm costs a set of notches, so the player has to strategize what build of Charms to use. There are 42 of them spread throughout the game. Some can be bought, like the very powerful Shaman’s Stone Charm, while others like the Hiveblood and Sharp Shadow Charms, can be unlocked later in the game.
The movement abilities help the combat feel fluid and enjoyable. Hollow Knight’s late-game bosses are extremely difficult, requiring elite gameplay and memorization of attacks. Some of the particularly difficult fights can be easily re-tried in Godhome, a feature added in Hollow Knight’s final post-launch update. Fighting bosses like Nightmare King Grimm and Pure Vessel also improve the player’s skill.
There are very few things more satisfying than gradually improving against Hollow Knight’s bosses. Many are unforgiving, but never truly unfair. The game rarely feels like it’s playing cheap, which creates some of the most enjoyable combat in any game I have ever played.
Hollow Knight is all about delving deeper into the world and uncovering the mysteries of the lost kingdom the player explores. Hollow Knight is made up of many visually and practically distinct areas. From the drab and empty Forgotten Crossroads to the neverending downpour in the City of Tears to the unsettling sound design and lighting of Deepnest, Hollow Knight offers a diverse display of environments in which the player can get lost. The music in each area immerses the player in the environment as well. The work of composer Christopher Larkin brings these locations to life.
The player is constantly encouraged to explore. Almost any excursion off the main path comes with a reward, whether it be Geo, a Charm or even a brand new ability to add to the player’s ever-growing arsenal. Therefore, the player should keep exploration at the top of their mind.
Hollow Knight is a replayable game. Playthroughs can be as long or as short as the player desires. The player can attain achievements obtained by beating the game as fast as possible, but there is also a plethora of late-game content in Godhome that only extremely dedicated players will ever see. It can either be a game easily beatable in a week, or it could become a long playthrough.
Hollow Knight is my all-time favorite video game. The sheer amount of love and passion poured into this one game is unbelievable, especially for the price being $15 digitally and usually $30 physically. If the metroidvania genre interests you, it is absolutely worth playing. Just make sure you go in knowing as little as possible about the map, as discovering it is one of the game’s best aspects. If there is any game I rate as perfect, it would be this. Hollow Knight is easily a 10/10.
