Verdict: 9.5/10 – Buy It Now!
Hollow Knight is a platformer video game developed and published by Australian studio Team Cherry. The game was originally released for Microsoft Windows in February 2017, for macOS and Linux in April 2017, and the Nintendo Switch in June. On September 25 a digital release, dubbed Hollow Knight the “Viodheart Edition,” released digitally on both Playstation 4 and Xbox One. They plan to release a physical copy next year, TBD 2019.
Team Cherry turned me on to their products with their trailer for Hollow Knight; It was simply dashing!
I learned about Hollow Knight when a friend told me a bit about it; he said it was a great-looking, amazing game that had a high degree of difficulty as well. When I asked him to tell me more, he said “it was a massive game with so much to explore. A grimly lit fantasy full of surprises and unique lore buried beneath the surface.”
These descriptions made my gaming senses tingle with excitement! So I did some research to find that the game was being sold at the low price of only $15!
With no scheme in sight to take shady grabs at my wallet, it seemed too good to be true.
I bought it immediately—and began my journey!
Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition – PS4 Launch Trailer:
Overview:
Hollow knight is a stunning game, opening with a wild cutscene of . . .something . . . chained—and of you, a squib (a type of bug), walking through a barren wasteland. As you come to a cliff, you overlook the lights of a strange town, a town that will become your central hub for the adventure to come, Dirtmouth. On your way down, you’ll see carvings describing a once great city that lies ahead. You’ll hear mention of higher beings, and gain access to “the power of Soul” (your main tool to heal with).
When you arrive at the town, you’ll find a vast world in all directions—a strange well leads down to a whole new world. It’s the only way back to Hallownest, the mythical city from before. Here is where a giant mystery, in classic Metroidvania style, awaits. Equipped with fantastic scenery, and a sprawling landscape—and bosses that are sure to give you the jump-and-dodge challenge you’ve been looking for.
Gameplay:
It’s a platforming spectacle!
Early in Hollow Knight you receive your primary weapon, a “nail.” This is a device you can use to slay the mightiest of foes. Slash up, slash down, side-to-side. With the press of a button, you’ve summoned a mighty armament capable of taking down an empire. Later you’ll get upgrades for the nail, such as a twirling slash, a charged slash (for extra damage), and one of my personal favorites – a dash-slash.
Speaking of the dash, it’s an upgrade you’ll get later in the game. Many of the upgrades are locked behind bosses and give you access to unique locations. There’s a double jump, an invincibility dash (dash while invincible), a dream nail (to access dreams), Isma’s tear (ability to swim in acid.) And many more.
Among the unique skills to unlock are spells. You can use “Soul” (a type of energy you get by hitting enemies) to conjure magnificent energy blasts and hurl them toward your opponent—although, be careful! You also use “Soul” to heal, so you may need to save some!
One of the main objectives of the game is simply to explore; this game rewards the innate curiosity within gamers, giving them the opportunity to discover a world that is both rich and fascinating.
Equip yourself with charms that enhance your attacking abilities. Perhaps you want to make your nail longer. No problem! Just attach the long nail charm. Make your attacks stronger, or make your dashes easier, and with these charms charge bravely at your foes.
Charms are hidden secretly all around the game and are indicated by subtle flashes of light. So give all the tiny sparkles on your display the attention they deserve! It will be worth the time!
“Benches” are checkpoints hidden throughout Hallownest, to give you a breather, or safe stopping place. You can also equip your charms only while you sit on a bench to rest.
In Hollow Knight, you can also collect “Geo”, an in-game currency you get from blasting enemies to dust and completing side-quests. Spend your wealth at vendors that sell specific enhancements and necessities for traversing the landscape.; furthermore, at one vendor, in particular, you can buy land-markers that make places and things more noticeable.
And finding your way around Dirtmouth and Hallownest would be a real pain if it weren’t for the glorious map. The area map is a gigantic help in navigating the environment—this world is vast! You may want to mark off locations you’ve already visited and isolate unvisited spots to check out.
Bosses:
The bosses in Hollow Knight are a thrill to battle! They often reside in castles, deep underground, or hidden behind a previously unseen wall. The bosses are well designed, and have both color and polish, with each boss being accompanied with excellent music by composer Christopher Larkin. Both the bosses and the music are sure to give your heart a few extra beats per minute.
The developers created some wondrously designed boss battles. The defeat of Hollow Knight’s bosses requires solving some intense tactical puzzles that may require one or two — ok, maybe twelve or more tries. Seriously, some of these are very challenging! They ask a lot of you, requiring you to think of ways to dodge, to hit and not get hit. And every mistake will surely take a mask of life (a life point) away from your health. The bosses are relentless and unforgiving, and it may take what feels like a million hits to stop them. Realistically, it’s probably closer to fifty or a hundred, but when the action is fast and furious, it feels like many more.
Environment:
Perhaps the best part of Hollow Knight is its scenery, brimming with darkness. The land feels bare of life, with the gloom of a fallen empire wasting away in the pits of a forgotten well. You can’t help but feel a penetrating sense of loneliness while experiencing these beautiful and melancholy environments.
Huge, diverging pathways litter the landscape in many directions, from the howling winds of cliffs to the deepest darkest dungeons riddled with monstrosities, to a castle under a never-ending barrage of rain. A new, breathtaking world can be found around every tunnel in this lively construction.
As for narrative, clues to a terrible tragedy are scattered throughout this kingdom, waiting to be uncovered. A type of sickness has touched the lands of Hollow Knight and the world seems to show the consequences of the pestilence. The inhabitants even seem “hollow – mindlessly attacking you without any conscious mind, like puppets on a string.
And the astounding music really sends it home. The people of this place once had hope—they once had dreams that were engulfed by the darkness of the world. Both the visuals and the soundtrack create a collective view that is beautifully grim.
Conclusion:
Hollow Knight may dwell with me for the rest of my days. Few games capture a dark and hypnotic world like Hollow Knight. The beautiful graphics ,art design and frenetic gameplay are only improved by a fantastic soundtrack. Hollow Knight has resonated with me and It’s hard to put into words how much I enjoyed this game; but suffice it to say that I am confident anyone who plays Hollow Knight will be the better for it.
I highly recommend this game, for an adventure that should last for years to come as one of the best platformers in a long time. With so much to explore, and so much to do, a game like this deserves to be appreciated for every bit of work put into it.
And considering the small price tag, how could I not recommend this as one of the better games of our time? The game is worth even twice the price, and so far , even every add-on for this game has been free.
Do yourself an unimaginable joy and buy this game; I assure you, you will not regret your time in the world of Hollow Knight.
RATING:
Game Factor — 10/10
Look Factor — 9/10
Friend Factor — N/A
Jump-In Factor — 10/10
Average — 9.5
Verdict — Buy this game now!
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