Hollow Knight is among those games that, both personally and collectively, have risen to become part of the greatest representatives of the indie scene, and the unanimity of this appreciation is what’s astounding.
There are specific gems that are niche or that don’t achieve the same unanimous acclaim for their greatness, but Team Cherry debuted with such an outstanding creation that the video game industry had no choice but to embrace it wholeheartedly.
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This goes beyond mere excellence in its mechanics or its contextual significance; it alludes to an almost metaphysical quality whose power has touched the hearts of millions of people across the globe.
Therefore, today we gather here to reminisce about our adventures in Hallownest, specifically through this article where I compile ten reasons why Hollow Knight still feels like one of the most magical indie games ever made.
10
A Journey of Contemplation
Oxygenating an Intense Campaign
In the last couple of years, especially given the rise of short-form content, entertainment has changed considerably, prioritizing constant stimulation and rapid feedback between works and their audience.
While the Metroidvania genre isn’t particularly suited to this premise, Hollow Knight took it a step further by creating a contemplative atmosphere throughout the journey, where you often find yourself sitting on benches simply to appreciate the soundtrack and art design.
Whether it’s thanks to the precise placement of certain NPCs or the deliberate inclusion of entire areas devoid of enemies, allowing you to appreciate the audiovisual environment fully, this is a game that doesn’t shy away from calm amidst the storm, but rather embraces it.
Hollow Knight isn’t afraid of “boring” you by not throwing a hundred enemies or playable rewards at you around every corner; instead, sometimes simply appreciating a vividly blue lake or a statue generates as much satisfaction as a thousand simultaneous stimuli, creating an atmosphere difficult to match.
9
Narrative Richness
A Lore More Than Captivating
Many action-driven games tend to neglect their story, and while I also enjoy experiences that don’t rely on excuses to fight enemies, Hollow Knight‘s story is a major part of what elevates it.
If the title didn’t have such a deep lore, brimming with secrets, theories, characters, and stories that we piece together as we explore Hallownest, it would hardly have remained among the most discussed titles on social media for the past 10 years.
Discovering the history behind the amulets, uncovering the buried gods, helping NPCs fulfill their destinies, understanding the motivations behind our actions, unraveling the dark truths of its world… The game may be extremely fun in itself, though its lore is what elevates it beyond mere entertainment.
FromSoftware’s influence on Hollow Knight is evident in many ways, but I’d say the narrative is the aspect they adapted best, considering that, if you’re not passionate about talking to an ancient fungus that has lived through all eras and having it explain in a very confusing way what’s going on, nothing will excite you.
8
Progression Worthy of Adventure
There Are No Empty Rooms
Despite its contemplative nature, Hollow Knight is also a remarkably dense game, meaning there isn’t a single room without something of interest to discover.
As a result, whether it’s your understanding of the world around you, your abilities, or the items you find, every step you take represents significant progress in your journey, so you practically never feel stuck.
Of course, it’s a Metroidvania, and while backtracking, you’ll occasionally feel like you’re not making any progress, though the game offers constant learning, both narratively and in terms of gameplay, even if you don’t realize it.
Running back to boss fights, double-jumping, and finding a room with dung statues of certain knights are all different but similar events, as they share a common core: imbuing your experience with a sense of adventure that always moves forward.
7
Varied and Dynamic Biomes
More Colors and Themes Than You Can Count
Not all the reasons for Hollow Knight‘s magic are far-fetched, given that some are as simple as recognizing the unparalleled grandeur of its biomes.
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First and foremost, they are artistically stunning, with enemies and characters that perfectly embody their themes and create a wonderful feeling of having truly set foot on a living, breathing world with its own unique characteristics.
Furthermore, the variety of Hallownest is overwhelming, ranging from yellow beehives and lush green gardens to divine white palaces and tangled black depths, all with superb creative direction that becomes unforgettable.
If you’ve played the game and I show you images of Greenpath, Queen’s Gardens, The Abyss, and Forgotten Crossroads, even if they’re just random rooms that don’t seem particularly special, you’ll recognize them instantly, because that’s how powerful the impression each area leaves on the player.
6
Content Tailored to Everyone
For Beginners and Experts
While most video games have to cater to a specific player base, Hollow Knight appeals to a wide range of players thanks to its dynamic content.
If you’re a casual player who just wants a straightforward, action-packed experience, you can easily reach the first ending and be satisfied.
However, if you’re a more dedicated player who wants to explore every last detail, a vast 112% completion awaits, with all the hours of exploration and challenges that entails.
Additionally, if you’re an incorrigible perfectionist, you’ll find challenges in the form of achievements that transcend ordinary difficulty, becoming feats worthy of only a few thousand players worldwide, requiring countless attempts to complete.
Thus, Hollow Knight is a deeply personal experience, where the feeling you get depends on what you’re looking for, because it allows for both a fast-paced, intense journey and a slow, reflective one.
5
Incentives for Creativity
The Subtlety of Builds
One of the most common criticisms I see from those who aren’t fans of Metroidvanias is the ‘simplicity’ of the combat, since there aren’t usually combos like in hack-and-slash games or numerous weapons like in ARPGs.
Hollow Knight, for its part, doesn’t have any of these features either, but it more than compensates through its creative Charm system, which has allowed me to have a different experience each time I’ve played through the game.
One build focused on regular attacks, another on spamming magic, a third dedicated to summoning all kinds of beings, a final one focused on tanking as much damage as possible… The possibilities aren’t endless, though the synergies and the creativity that motivate the player to experiment certainly feel that way.
When you discover that a couple of Charms can be combined to create new effects, or when you finally feel comfortable with a specific combination of them, you realize how advanced Hollow Knight is in this regard compared to the rest of the genre.
4
Confidence in the Player
Secrets and Difficulty for the Brave
Hollow Knight was released at a time when video game accessibility was prioritized to such an extent that there was a distrust of players’ brainpower, but Team Cherry took a different approach.
A movement of games increasingly rejecting these artificial conveniences was already underway, and Hallownest aligns with this trend, being a world where the most interesting aspects, both narratively and in terms of gameplay, lie hidden behind secrets that probably half of its players haven’t even discovered yet.
A piece of lore that changes the entire story, NPCs that aren’t discussed in forums, or a secret boss that’s harder than all the others combined are the kinds of things the developer hides beneath the surface to reward those who truly explore everything.
It’s risky, because much of the game’s most exciting content might remain undiscovered by thousands of people, though it’s this confidence in the passionate player’s ability to find what’s fascinating that fosters such a strong connection with the community.
Mods, Videos, Theories, and Much More
In keeping with the above, it’s impossible to talk about Hollow Knight without considering the fundamental role its fanbase has played in keeping it relevant for so many years.
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Especially given the long and shared wait for Silksong, it’s quite natural that those who enjoyed the first game connected with it in such a way that they were interested in going far beyond simply finishing it.
Discussing lore theories on Reddit, sharing special Charm combinations, creating speedrun challenges, making mods and custom challenges, producing hour-long videos that explain the entire story… The list of things the community has done is as endless as it is wonderful.
Even I have spent years of my life enjoying and sharing these anecdotes and information, and it’s the magic of Hollow Knight that has led me to write this article with such affection, because I honestly never tire of talking about the game.
2
A Soundtrack Worthy of Heaven
Music for Daydreaming
If you take what I mentioned about the areas in Hollow Knight, I think you can double down on the sense of memorability and attribute it to the soundtrack, which is easily among the finest ever made.
Christopher Larkin’s work can only be described as essential in making the game feel so nostalgic, epic, fun, melancholic, and exciting whenever one of these emotions is appropriate.
The calm of Dirtmouth, the terror of Deepnest, or the solemnity of City of Tears are adjectives that can be used not only because of how they look but, especially, because of how they sound, and that also includes the magnificent sound design.
Personally, I think Larkin outdid himself with Silksong in terms of the soundtrack, but what he did with Hollow Knight on such a tight budget is simply otherworldly.
1
Flow State Mastery
The Nail is Part of You
Every one of the reasons mentioned has been vital to Hollow Knight becoming what it is, but I believe what truly sells the complete package is, without a doubt, the combat and everything it involves.
With a special emphasis on the ultra-precise controls, the way the game motivates you to become one with your nail is virtually unprecedented in the industry, as it manages to make you feel completely immersed in the fight.
When you’ve made hundreds of attempts against bosses like Pure Vessel or Knightmare King Grimm, accumulating hours of effort that feel like they’re all in vain, only to finally deliver a masterclass in how to play a video game and defeat them with the grace of a saint, that’s when you fall in love with Hollow Knight.
Everything else, including aesthetics, music, interface, and all the other small and large elements that make up the game, is put at the service of the combat when the time is right, making each one an unparalleled spectacle where you are the artisan of the art you see in motion.
Once again, its sequel improves upon it, but video games are products of their time, and for what 2017 was, the fact that a bombshell of the size and perfection of Hollow Knight dropped only makes it obvious how, a decade later, we continue to praise the game as the masterpiece that it is.
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- Released
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February 24, 2017
- ESRB
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E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
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Team Cherry
- Publisher(s)
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Team Cherry
- Engine
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Unity
- Franchise
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Hollow Knight
