The first time I ventured through Crystal Peak, I wished there was a safer way to traverse through. Jumping on the conveyor belts, dodging crystal lasers, moving through crushing pistons, it was the first time in the game I was scared of failing the jumps, not wanting to be sent back. Then, at the deepest part of the peak in an abandoned mining rig, the “Crystal Heart” was waiting. Walls that I once lingered on for minutes at a time zoomed past me in just a few seconds. The chasm that I cleared was no longer an obstacle. In fact, all chasms were no longer obstacles.
That sense of accomplishment persists throughout Hollow Knight. Every new tool and mechanic that you unlock offers meaningful and fun power spikes, ranging from scaling impossibly high walls to trivializing enemies you may have dreaded facing, they flow so well into the pre-established gameplay I wondered how I didn’t need them for my entire playthrough. The game was designed with every single area in mind when incorporating these abilities, making traversal feel amazing, and the game does want you to explore.
From hearing Cornifers hums, to finding your first grub in a jar, the world of Hallownest invites you to search under every rock and behind every wall, with the decision always being the players. You could go your entire playthrough without encountering the Colosseum of Fools, or even the Hive, both areas aren’t scarce of content either, with them having their own enemies and mechanics.
That philosophy of design is why Hollow Knight is so great. The game doesn’t care if you ever find these places, it will progress regardless, but the players who explore are rewarded greatly. Whether it be purely the experience of uncovering this hidden gem, or the loot given to you, there isn’t a reason not to explore the world, and you most definitely should.
Hallownest is a world to admire. Each area, whether the dark, gloomy streets of the City of Tears to the vibrant, lush greenery that has overtaken the Queen’s Gardens, no area feels the same as any other, each require the player to think differently about how they traverse, and disregarding the unwritten rules of each region can lead to a very swift death. The world is living right along with you, a diverse cast of characters who are all fighting their own personal battles that you as the player help to propel. Even the design of the routes and the actual map itself are done wonderfully. Creating your own routes to get from point A to B as fast or as possible was extremely fun, and as you play more and more you can start to notice how something as simple as traversal has enough depth that you can make it unique to you.
Every part of this game has some level of skill expression, none more so than the combat. From the simple pogo to the frame-perfect parry, your prowess in a fight is only limited by your creativity, each motion of the enemy has so many ways you can react, be it a slice from your nail or cast of a spell, that you’ll quickly develop your own unique style of play, from how you approach the situation, to the charms you choose to bring.
There are 45 charms in Hollow Knight, ranging from ones focused on exploration to them mainly being used for combat, all of them, and I do mean all of them have their uses. For example, during the Path of Pain, I used the charms Hiveblood, Grubsong, and Deep Focus. With ALOT of patience, I cleared Path of Pain with my health bar sitting in a very comfortable spot. These charms that I never even considered as anything but trophies in a collection were the only things I used during what was one of the hardest experiences I’ve had in a video game to date, but if you’re a god at platforming, there is something even more difficult lurking in the mind of a vessel.
Every boss you encounter in Hollow Knight tells a story. In this way, the fights are more akin to a dance. Each movement has a purpose, the way they go about the screen in their own way displays who they are as a character. Their designs push this idea further, the False Knight is very round and largely unintimidating, it swings its mace frantically, jumps on its butt, and when put in a fatigue state, keels over and lets you hit its face a fair few times, when most bosses only allow one. Without any dialogue, you know this isn’t the knight of the king, but someone not befit of the role trying to claim their prestige.
Hollow Knight chose to tell its story not through unnecessary dialogue, but through the world and its characters. You learn about what has happened to Hallownest just by existing in it, allowing the player to interpret whatever they come across and make assumptions about them. In my opinion, the music is the biggest part of how the game subtly helps the player comprehend the world.
Christopher Larkin’s masterful pieces are without question a very key part of the experience throughout the game. I’m sure everyone remembers their first encounter with the Mantis Lords, the intensity of the track increasing, new sounds being introduced as the two remaining lords start to join the fight, the piece captures that intense rush of emotion, your eyes darting around the screen looking at where they appear, ready to make your move.
Or how about first entering Dirtmouth? The music is extremely somber. There are no upbeat tones because they do not belong to where you have arrived. The town you have just entered is barren. Only a few people scattered across its empty homes. There is no happiness, only a longing for what used to be. Every piece is perfectly crafted to suit the situations they are used in, allowing the player to interpret what is going on from the sounds alone.
Everything I’ve talked about should let you know why Hollow Knight is so amazing, but what’s hard to imagine is the team that made it, their very first game, consisted of only 3 people: Team Cherry. Just 3 people made this game that came out of absolutely nowhere, a game with so much depth in every single aspect of its gameplay. It just goes to show the passion they must have had for this project, and it payed off, creating one of the greatest metroidvanias of all time.
