Hollow Knight

[Himiko]

I've been super into Hollow Knight since last year, so I'd like to make a thread about it. Hollow Knight initially released in 2017 after a successful Kickstarter, followed by several free content packs. Team Cherry, based in Australia, is currently working on the sequel, Silksong.

Hollow Knight is a game that takes place in a kingdom of bugs (and some jellyfish). You play as a small bug known as 'the Knight', though they are commonly referred to as 'Ghost' or 'little Ghost' in the fandom. You arrive in this kingdom, Hallownest, which has been in ruins for an indeterminate amount of time. Though you start the game with seemingly little direction, your purpose becomes clear the more you explore and the more you learn about what happened to the kingdom.

The game is on multiple platforms, including Steam, for only 15$. It's practically a steal considering you can easily sink 100+ hours into the game. Even if you've never played a metroidvania before, you'll be able to enjoy this game. Here's the amazing team behind this game: Team Cherry. You might recognize Ari Gibson's work if you've watched the music video for 'Sometimes the Stars', or Goyte's song 'Bronte'.

[Gobbles]

I definitely like it.

What was really nice is how the map unlocks. Many metroidvania's feel like they are leading you along a set path with some upgrades hiddnen in dead ends. But this game really gave a sense of exploration. Unlocked abilities always serve a purpose beyond getting past one type of blockade.

I do wish the game felt a bit less dreary. Especially the very early game and base town. It starts feeling nicer from greenpath. but I almost dropped the game at that point.

I managed to get the good ending in the end. That's also something nice: unlocking the good ending is not about finding all the items, but rather getting some special thing that at the same time let you learn more about the plot.
Definitely looking forward to Solksong.